Web design examples and inspiration

Inspiration only works if you know why something works well. That is why below are not random pretty pictures, but the patterns that you consistently see in strong websites — per type of site, with what you can adopt from them. Then look at your own site with the same gaze.

What strong websites have in common

Whether it's a service provider, a web shop or a software company, strong sites almost always do the same six things well.

1. Immediate clarity. Within seconds you know what it is and for whom.
2. One main action per page. The rest supports, or isn't there.
3. Proof close to the action. Figures, cases and reviews are next to the button, not just in the footer.
4. Calm through rhythm. Fixed sizes, fixed places, plenty of white space.
5. Speed. Imagery that is light, no waiting time for the first sentence.
6. A logical next step. Whoever isn't ready to buy or enquire is offered a lighter next step.

Per type of website: where the gains are

Service providers and B2B

The visitor wants to know if you understand their problem and if you can be trusted.

What works:

• the promise in customer language, not in jargon
• a briefly explained working method, so the process feels predictable
• cases with a concrete starting point and result
• faces and names of the team; people choose people
• multiple ways to establish contact, including a low-barrier one (calling, call-back request)

What often goes wrong: a homepage that lists everything, resulting in nothing standing out. Choose what your most important service is and give it the most space.

Web shops

Here every second and every unnecessary step counts.

What works:

• product photos in multiple ways: in use, in detail, with a sense of scale
• the most important information above the fold: price, delivery time, stock, return policy
• filters that fit how customers choose, not how your database is structured
• a checkout process with as few fields and steps as possible, guest checkout included
• shipping costs and delivery time visible early, not as a surprise in the final step

Software and platforms

The visitor wants to understand what it does before leaving their details.

What works:

• showing the product itself: screenshots, a short demo, an interactive example
• one clear explanation per feature, with the benefit included
• transparent pricing information, or at least an indication
• two actions: a heavy one (try, enquire) and a light one (read more, watch demo)

Content and knowledge sites

Here the structure is the design.

What works:

• a hub page per theme with in-depth pages beneath it
• answers directly under the heading
• readable column width, clear subheadings, no disruptive interruptions
• internal links with descriptive texts that help further

A page structure that often works

This structure is not a law, but it holds up well in practice:

1. Hero: what it is, for whom, and the main action
2. Acknowledgement: the problem or question of the visitor, in their words
3. Approach: how it works, in three to five steps
4. Proof: figures, quotes, cases, logos
5. Details: what exactly belongs to it, possibly collapsible
6. Objections: frequently asked questions that remove doubt
7. Closing: the same main action, now with a lighter variant next to it

Where you can get inspiration

Useful sources to study patterns are galleries such as Awwwards, Godly, Land-book, Lapa Ninja and SaaS Landing Page. Don't look at the firework of effects there, but at the order of information and the placement of the action.

Even more educational: view three sites from your own market on your phone and note for each site within ten seconds what they do and for whom. What you cannot retell is not clear enough. The same test on your own site is usually the most valuable insight of the week.

A short self-test

• Can someone who doesn't know your company say in one sentence what you do?
• Is it clear on every page what the next step is?
• Is proof visible at the place where someone decides?
• Can you reach and use everything with just a keyboard?
• Does the most important page load on an average phone within 2.5 seconds?
• Is the text scannable by headings alone?

In case of doubt about multiple points: start with clarity and structure. That almost always yields more than a new style.

Frequently asked questions

Should I make my website look like my competitors'?

Follow the conventions that help visitors — the place of the menu, the form of a product page, the structure of a checkout process. You differentiate yourself with content, visual language, tone and proof, not with a deviating navigation.

How many pages does a good website need?

As many as there are topics your audience seeks an answer to. One topic per page works better than one long page with everything in it, both for visitors and for findability.

What is the fastest improvement that almost always helps?

Making the hero sharper: one concrete promise, who it is for, and one clear action. Then compress imagery. Those two interventions take little time and are often immediately noticeable.