How to make your website look "branded"

As a business owner, you want your website to have a look and feel that is completely reflective of you. You want it to be unique, with a spark of personality that feels different from other websites and stands out because of it. That is, you want it to be branded.

It’s fair to say that the whole point of branding is to make your business stand out and communicate what makes it different.

A visual (and verbal!) style that has been custom made for your business helps you to be more memorable, and to express the qualities about your work or approach that make you a good fit for your target audience.

So, how do you achieve a well-branded website? Let’s break it down.

What does it really mean to “brand” your website?

To start, let’s be clear that good branding isn’t about being loud, sparkly or quirky just for the sake of it. Branding isn’t about hopping on the latest trends, or changing all the colours of your website purely because you want it to look fresh.

Good branding is about consistency and intentionality. On your website, every element on the page should be there for a deliberate reason, not just because it was the “default” option. From the colour of your buttons to the font size of your headlines, each choice should be a conscious reflection of your unique brand.

Make strategic design choices to brand your website

Your website involves A LOT of design choices:

Background colours
Font colours (headings, subheadings and body text)
Button colours (don’t forget hover states!)
Font choices (again — headings, subheadings, body text)
Font sizes
Font styling (All caps? Italics? Bold? Letter-spacing? Line height?)
Layouts (How will content be arranged?)
Layout spacing (width of text columns, space above and below text or sections…)
Images (Photos? Illustrations? What kind of subject matter?)
Image styling (borders, rounded corners/image frames, size)
Motion graphics (animations, transitions, text fading in, parallax effects…)
Menu design
Footer design
Forms…

(And don’t forget to consider these things on different screen sizes, from desktop computers to mobile phones.)

Now, this is not a complete list, but includes many of the elements your website would include. Each element should be designed to convey the right tone, and help your business achieve its intended goal.

Keeping the goal in mind is how you make strategic choices. And the goal is not just to make your website look pretty. Your website is a important business tool that should help you to:

Communicate the values and personality of your business.
Draw in your target audience.
Build trust and authority.
Set you apart from competitors.
Encourage ideal clients to take the next step.

An effectively branded website is one that helps you to achieve all these things by using design to reinforce your message.

For more about developing a strategically-designed brand, check out this post: What is brand strategy and why is it necessary?

Think of your website as a brand experience

Unlike on social media, where you have to play by the roles of the platform, on your website you get to have total control over the way people experience your brand. So, take sure you take advantage of this!

As well as the design of individual elements, as listed above, you also need to think of the overall structure and flow of your website.

Consider these questions:

Who is this website for?
What do I want them to know?
What pages do I need to include to get that information to them?
How are these pages linked together?
What action do I ultimately want visitors to take?

Through your website, you can design an experience for your ideal client that invites them into your world, introducing them to your brand and showing them how you can help them.

Through the design and flow of your website, you can help them understand the value of your work, the approach you take, and what they should do next if they’re interested in hiring you. Whether that next step is to fill out a form, download something, or book a call, make sure you’re leading them through a positive experience that’s tailored to their needs.

Quick tips for pitfalls you should avoid

Inconsistent Styling

Don’t use a rainbow of colours or too many different fonts. This dilutes your brand and makes your site look unprofessional.

Overwhelming amounts of content

Don’t try to cram too much information or too many visual elements onto a single page. A cluttered site can feel overwhelming and off-brand.

Ignoring user experience (UX)

While aesthetic, a beautiful branded website still needs to be intuitive and easy to navigate. A visually stunning site that’s hard to use will frustrate visitors.

Last thoughts

Branding your website isn’t just about making it look nice. It’s about creating an effective tool that helps your business connect with the right people. By applying thoughtful and strategic choices in your website’s design, you can improve trust, enhance credibility, and create a cohesive online experience that encourages ideal clients to inquire about working with you.

How to make your website look “branded”