In this short guide we will look at 12 top website designs and what makes them so special

In the vast ocean of the internet, businesses of all sizes are striving to make their mark with compelling websites that captivate and convert.

Among the countless websites out there, some best website designs truly stand out, pushing the design and technology to create exceptional user experiences.

As an owner-manager of a business with a website, finding inspiration can be an invaluable step towards building a beautiful website to enhance your own online presence and achieve your conversion goals.

Embarking on a website redesign journey can be daunting, especially when unsure of where to start.

But fear not, web design inspiration is everywhere, creating the best design shouldn’t be that hard! 

We have scoured the web and handpicked 12 great websites to showcase their innovative design, user experience (UX), user interface (UI), information architecture, conversion rate optimisation, video marketing, and other ingenious tactics that have won them acclaim.

These gems of creativity have been recognised by prestigious design award organisations like CSS Awards, Awwwards, and Webby Awards, acknowledging their excellence and inspiring others to reach new heights.

Before we dive in, it’s essential to remember that these award-winning sites are not meant to be templates for direct replication they should be used as design examples to guide you. 

Instead, view them as a treasure trove of ideas and strategies that can be adapted to suit your unique audience and business goals. Each website has carefully crafted elements that you can draw inspiration from to transform your own digital presence into a compelling masterpiece.

So, let’s embark on this journey of discovery and learn from these 10 awesome examples of award-winning website designs done right.

As we explore each one, remember that innovation is about pushing boundaries and being bold in creating experiences that resonate with your audience. Embrace the possibilities and be inspired to take your website to new heights of success. Let’s get started!

Sweet Pain Uses Style To Create The Substance

Looking at this website it is instantly apparent that although it is an e-commerce site they have adopted a very clean ‘fashion magazine’ approach. 

They used images very wisely and white space to really showcase their products. Believe it or not, they only actually sell two types of sunglasses but have built an entire stylised website around them. They have focused on the benefits of why you should buy them, they are must-have products!

Top Website Design Idea: The idea to take from this is, don’t feel that if you only have a few key products to sell that you shouldn’t have an online store. Make the most of what you have got, use amazing images, and white space and really focus on the products themselves. 

Top Clean Website Design Idea By Nishiyama Ramen 

This website uses a very simple and elegant design, including well-taken images the website gives the user a sense of prestige and quality. 

They have opted for a very basic colour palette of a black background with only an accent colour of red to highlight the web page’s areas of interest. 

Using great pictures on this dark simple website really makes the images ‘pop’ and allows you to focus on their key noodle products. 

Top Website Design Idea: A great area is to use a solid colour background to really make elements stand out from it to drive focus from the user. 

Focus On Storytelling Like You Can Be Anything 

Used to great effect this website has done a number of things really well. Not only is the website there to subconsciously promote the new Barbie movie but it has kind of redefined the dolls themselves. When originally created Barbie was meant for little girls, to aspire to focus on beauty, fashion and everything pink and fluffy. 

This website has given a rebrand to the entire idea of what Barbie is. 

Part of their homepage has shown the history from its beginnings in 1959 right up to the present day. They have created a back story that shows the evolution of the product and mindset of the iconic toy.

Although still pink and fluffy – kids should now aspire to be whatever they want to be, not just a stereotype.

Top website design tip: The take from this is to focus on storytelling. For businesses that have been around a while, try to showcase your journey from where you were to where you are today. To do this right it needs to be in engaging and of interest to the reader. 

Beautiful Website Design On PrimopianoCucine 

This stunning web design really makes you focus on what they are offering. 

The top part of the homepage (above the fold) uses a simple three-word headline “Kitchen by you”. It instantly tells you what the website is all about without any clutter. 

The statement is bold and in your face and really stands out well. 

Top website design tip: When looking to design your best website and needing some design inspiration, and simple design elements opt to keep areas simple with bold messaging that doesn’t get lost 

Approach Subjects In Different Ways Are Great Design Features Used By Breakup with Plastic 

Surprising your audience by showcasing a product or service in an innovative way can be a real game changer. 

This website has done just that. 

The focus is on plastic being bad for the environment but instead of showing images of rivers of plastic waste, animals in distress or the climate emergency, they have opted for a Manga-style cartoon. It depicts the toxic relationship between humans and plastic but is shown as a love story between the two characters.

It makes you think…….

Top website design idea: Try to catch your website visitors’ attention by using innovative thinking in the design and layout

Focus On CTAs When You Create A Website Like Clever 

This example is a great one to show how strong calls to action (CTAs) on a website are key to guiding a customer on the next stage of their journey. 

If there is a precise action that you want people to take, then make that bold and emphasise it. 

On Clever, you will notice the main CTA is to get students to log in.

It’s a contrasting colour to the background which really stands out in two locations. You will also notice that there are other actionable elements for schools and partners on there, however, although prominent they take more of a back seat. 

Top website design tip: When designing a website ensure that the key action you want to perform such as ‘buy now’ or ‘get a free quote’ do stand out from the rest of the page’s content. 

Videos On Your Website Are One Of The Best Practices Used By Calamigos Ranch 

The use of video in a website’s design is an obvious benefit and this site uses it to great effect. 

Before you’ve even read a single line of text you’re whisked away by an amazing visual treat. The website tells a story about its location and quality right off the bat. 

Top website design tip: Try to incorporate video into your website if possible, but if not use engaging images that will resonate with your visitors.

Using Strong Navigation Is One Of The Best Web Design Tips Like Heleblitz Does

What is the first thing you notice here?

I bet your eyes are drawn to their strong navigation bar in red. 

They have made this super easy to use and to find exactly what you need. Again colour here plays a bit part in making it stand out, however, the concept of taking visitors to where they want to be is a big part of any website’s design. 

Top website design idea: Ensure that when you build your website you include clear and easy-to-use navigation.

Reviews Are One Of The Top Website Design Techniques To Drive Conversions: Harringtons 

You may not be aware that testimonials and product reviews are an essential part of both e-commerce and brochure-style websites. 

In recent research by Nicejob, they found that 90% of potential customers think reviews and referrals are more important than info provided by a salesperson or product description. 

So you can probably see from Harringtons, that they have done this very well, by incorporating real images from customers, their star ratings and clear concise feedback. 

Top website design tip: Try and build an easy way to encourage genuine reviews of your product from customers. There are many ways to do this including on your website itself, using specific sites like Trustpilot or even on your Facebook account.  

Create Offers That Stand Out Like On Columbia Sportswear 

On this website, they have shown an essential way to drive more interest and sales by making the first thing that a customer sees which is a great promotional offer. 

The website makes a point of shouting from the hilltops that they have a sale on and this is done right at the top of the screen and throughout the website. 

Top website design tip: If you have a promotion running to drive more sales then ensure that it is in a prominent place. You could even use elements like popups or offer a discount code when signing up for a newsletter. Either way, build in promotions, offers and deals into your website. 

One Of The Best Website Examples Of Use Of Colour By Colabs

If you’re really looking to improve the visual design of your site then a digital design element that is super simple to change is the colour. 

Colabs have used this to great effect by using white space to their advantage and then creating selected areas of interest. Each of these areas has used specific colour blocks and bright images. When used on a simple background your eyes are drawn naturally to these sections. 

A great website design tip you can use today is to think about the colours that you use and where to place them. 

Top website design tip: Try to keep your colour palette to a few colours, don’t just randomly use the entire rainbow. 

Using Immersive Animation Is One Of The Best Website Design Trends Like Playground Games

This ecommerce website creates a magical experience when visiting it and it’s one of the better designs we’ve seen that really tries to immerse the visitor and is a top website design tip.

As you scroll down the website there is great motion and you get a sense that you’re part of the action. This is particularly good, especially as the website is selling a game, it gives you a sense of what to expect if you purchase it. 

Top website design tip: You don’t have to build this type of motion into your website but consider elements like parallax scrolling, simply adding animation to text or using sliders.

Conclusion

We hope that you have enjoyed this quick look into 12 top website designs. One of the biggest things that you can take from this post is to look around the internet if you’re needing a new website. Do your research and look at what other sites have done well. 

There are millions of websites out there and by browsing through some of them, looking at what elements you like you’ll be able to instruct your web developer to incorporate them into your website.

If you have any websites that you really like elements of, please comment below