When it comes to creating an engaging and organized website, finding the right tool to structure your content is crucial. In the world of web design, one tool stands out: Webflow Tabs. With its versatility and user-friendly features, Webflow Tabs has become the go-to solution for designers and developers. 

In this article, we will explore the power of Webflow Tabs and how it can revolutionize the way you organize content on your website. We'll delve into the benefits of Webflow Tabs, including vertical tabs, CMS tabs, and custom tabs, and provide you with practical tips to optimize your website's content organization.

Benefits of Webflow Tabs

Webflow Tabs offer a range of benefits that make them the ultimate tool for organizing content on your website:

Simplified Content Presentation 

With Webflow Tabs, you can condense large amounts of content into easily navigable sections. Users can effortlessly switch between tabs to access different categories of information without feeling overwhelmed.

Enhanced User Experience 

Webflow Tabs provide a seamless browsing experience by reducing clutter and allowing users to access specific content quickly. This streamlined approach keeps visitors engaged and increases their overall satisfaction with your website.

Vertical Tabs for Modern Design 

Webflow's vertical tabs feature offers a sleek and modern design option. By aligning tabs vertically, you can optimize screen space and create visually appealing layouts that captivate your audience.

Exploring Webflow CMS Tabs

If your website is powered by Webflow's Content Management System (CMS), you can leverage the power of Webflow Tabs to organize and manage your dynamic content effectively. Webflow CMS Tabs provide a seamless way to categorize and display content from your CMS collections. Here are some advantages of using Webflow CMS Tabs:

  • Effortless Content Management: Webflow CMS Tabs allow you to organize dynamic content from your CMS collections into separate tabs. This enables you to present complex information, such as product catalogs or blog categories, in a structured and user-friendly manner.
  • Dynamic Content Organization: With CMS Tabs, you can sort and group your CMS items into different tabs based on relevant categories. This feature is particularly useful for websites with extensive product catalogs, blog archives, or portfolios.
  • Easy Updates and Maintenance: With Webflow CMS Tabs, managing your website's content becomes a breeze. You can add, edit, or remove items within tabs directly from the CMS interface, ensuring your website remains up to date without hassle.
  • Efficient Updates: The dynamic nature of Webflow CMS Tabs allows you to update and modify your content easily. Whether you need to add new items, change descriptions, or reorganize the tabs themselves, the CMS interface provides a user-friendly and streamlined editing experience.

Creating Custom Tabs in Webflow

To create custom tabs in Webflow, you can follow these steps:

Add a div block

Start by adding a div block to your Webflow project. This will serve as the container for your tabs.

Add tab buttons

Inside the div block, add the tab buttons. These buttons will allow users to switch between different tabs. You can use link blocks or regular buttons for this purpose.

tabs icon

Create tab content 

Below the tab buttons, add the content for each tab. Create separate div blocks or sections for each tab's content. You can design and style them as needed.

Set initial visibility

By default, only one tab's content should be visible at a time. Select all the tab content div blocks and set their initial visibility to hidden. You can do this by going to the Settings panel on the right side and toggling the "Display" property to "None" for each div block.

Add interaction

To make the tabs functional, you'll need to add interactions. Select the tab buttons and go to the Interactions panel on the right side.

Create a new interaction 

Click on the "+" button to create a new interaction. Choose the appropriate trigger, such as a button click or hover, for each tab button.

Add actions

In the interaction settings, add actions to control the visibility of the tab content. For example, when a tab button is clicked, you can hide all tab content div blocks and show the corresponding div block for that tab.

Preview and test

Once you've set up the interactions, preview your project to see how the tabs work. Test the functionality by clicking on different tab buttons to switch between tabs.

Customize styling 

Finally, you can customize the styling of the tabs, buttons, and tab content to match your design preferences. Use the Webflow Designer to make adjustments to colors, typography, spacing, and other visual elements.

That's it! By following these steps, you can create custom tabs in Webflow and control their behavior using interactions.

Tips for Optimizing Webflow Tabs

To optimize your Webflow tabs for better performance and user experience, consider the following tips:

  • Reduce unnecessary interactions: Avoid adding excessive interactions or animations to your tabs, as they can slow down the page load time. Keep the interactions simple and essential to maintain a smooth user experience.
  • Optimize images: If you're using images within your tab content, make sure to optimize them for web display. Compress the images to reduce their file size without compromising quality. Large images can significantly impact page loading speed.
  • Minimize custom code: While Webflow allows you to add custom code, excessive or inefficient code can impact performance. Minimize the use of custom code and ensure that any code you add is clean and optimized. Use external scripts sparingly and only when necessary.
  • Lazy load content: If your tab content contains heavy elements, such as videos or large images, consider implementing lazy loading. Lazy loading delays the loading of these elements until the user scrolls to them, improving initial page load time.
  • Responsive design: Ensure that your tabs are responsive and adapt well to different screen sizes. Test your tabs on various devices and use Webflow's responsive design features to make necessary adjustments.
  • Optimize typography: Choose web-safe fonts or use Webflow's built-in font options to minimize loading time. Avoid using too many custom fonts or large font files, as they can impact performance.
  • Accessibility considerations: Make sure your tabs are accessible to all users. Use proper semantic HTML structure, provide clear labels for tab buttons, and ensure keyboard navigation is enabled. Test your tabs using screen readers to ensure they can be easily navigated and understood.
  • Minify and combine CSS and JavaScript: Before publishing your site, minify and combine your CSS and JavaScript files. Minification reduces file sizes by removing unnecessary whitespace and comments, while combining files reduces the number of server requests.
  • Optimize hosting settings: If you're hosting your site on Webflow, review your hosting settings. Enable Gzip compression, leverage browser caching, and use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to deliver your site's assets faster.
  • Performance monitoring: Regularly monitor your site's performance using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or Webflow's built-in performance monitoring. Identify any bottlenecks or issues and take appropriate measures to optimize your tabs and overall site performance.

By following these optimization tips, you can ensure that your Webflow tabs load quickly, provide a smooth user experience, and are accessible across different devices.

​​5 Sites Examples which Use Tabs

Asana

Asana is a project management and collaboration tool. Tabs are located on the left sidebar, enabling users to switch between different projects, teams, and views.

Asana Webflow Tabs

Airbnb

Airbnb is a platform for booking accommodations. Tabs can be found near the top of the site, allowing users to switch between different sections such as "Homes," "Experiences," "Restaurants," and more.

airbnb tabs

Booking

Booking.com is a travel booking website. Tabs are displayed horizontally near the top of the site, allowing users to switch between different sections such as "Hotels," "Flights," "Car Rentals," and more.

booking tabs

Adobe Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud is a suite of creative tools and applications. Tabs can be found on the top navigation menu, providing access to different apps such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, and more.

adobe tabs

Coursera

Coursera is an online learning platform. Tabs can be found on the navigation menu, enabling users to switch between different sections such as "Courses," "Degrees," "For Business," and more.

coursera tabs

Conclusion

Webflow Tabs provide a powerful and versatile tool for organizing content on your website. Whether you choose the traditional horizontal tabs, modern vertical tabs, CMS tabs, or custom tabs, Webflow offers the flexibility and customization options to suit your needs. 

By optimizing your content organization with Webflow Tabs, you can enhance user experience, improve website navigation, and create a visually stunning website that keeps visitors engaged.

Camilo Mendez

"128.digital delivered the website, and we are happy with its final outcome. The vendor followed the project according to the plan and impressed us with their design, commitment, and quality service. They also ensured effective communication via Invision, ActiveCollab, and Google Chat."

10.11.2022
Product Manager, Crant
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Official Webflow Expert