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What are some suggestions for easily converting Webflow designs to third-party forms without damaging the site's design, considering the phasing out of support for exported websites' forms?

TL;DR
  • Choose a style-compatible third-party form service like Formspree or Formsubmit.
  • Export Webflow site's code with form structure intact, then replace the form's action URL with the provider's endpoint.
  • Preserve all Webflow CSS classes and structure to maintain design and styling.
  • Manually implement success/error messages and test form responsiveness and validation.
  • Use built-in spam protection from your form provider such as honeypot or reCAPTCHA.

With Webflow phasing out support for forms on exported sites after August 1, 2024, integrating third-party form providers is essential to maintain both function and design. Here's how to do it without damaging your site's layout.

1. Choose a Design-Compatible Form Provider

  • Popular and reliable third-party form services include Formspree, Formsubmit, Basin, Zapier with Webflow, Getform, and Netlify Forms.
  • Make sure the provider allows custom HTML and CSS styling or offers embeddable forms that can be styled to match your website.

2. Export Webflow HTML with Form Structure Intact

  • In your Webflow project, retain the visual form layout (form wrapper, field labels, and input styles).
  • Export the static site using Export Code.
  • After exporting, edit the form element manually in your code editor.

3. Replace Default Webflow Form Action

  • Webflow forms in exported sites use a non-functional form action (e.g., //example.webflow.io).
  • Replace the action URL with that of your third-party service. For example:
  • For Formsubmit, use https://formsubmit.co/your@email.com.
  • For Formspree, use https://formspree.io/f/yourFormID.

4. Preserve and Reapply Webflow's Form Styling

  • Do not delete or disturb the class names and structure of the form divs and inputs.
  • Ensure that all classes used in Webflow’s Designer are retained in the exported HTML and CSS files.
  • If you change HTML tags, make sure you're not breaking the CSS targeting (e.g., forms with .w-input, .w-button).

5. Test Behavior and Style Responsiveness

  • Open the exported site locally or deploy it on your server to test input validation, layout spacing, button alignment, responsiveness, and submission behavior.
  • Some services allow AJAX-based (JavaScript) submissions so the page doesn’t reload—use these if you want smoother UX.

6. Handle Success/Error Messages Manually

  • With native Webflow form processing gone, you must customize your own success/error messages.
  • Solutions include:
  • Redirect to a custom "Thank You" page using redirect attributes (if supported).
  • Use JavaScript (e.g., show/hide elements on form submit).
  • Use third-party libraries (e.g., Alpine.js or plain JS) to toggle visibility of confirmation messages.

7. Secure the Form to Avoid Spam

  • Use features offered by form providers like honeypot fields, reCAPTCHA, or double opt-in emails.
  • Also configure auto-responders and notifications from your form provider dashboard.

Summary

To seamlessly convert Webflow forms on exported sites, keep the existing design structure, swap in a third-party form action, preserve all CSS classes, and manually handle submission responses. Services like Formspree, Formsubmit, and Getform offer the easiest integration while maintaining your site's design integrity.

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