Definitive guide
How to create a mind-blowing startup website with/without a web designer
Best Startup Websites of 2022 | 26 Examples + Templates
Here's how to get started.
Build it yourself. On this page you'll find clear instructions to do it – even if you don't have any experience. I'll recommend you a couple of tools that I trust. If you decide to purchase a tool I recommend, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Do you prefer to have a professional web designer do it for you? I got your back. Scroll down to check out my recommended web designer.
My name is Ralph de Groot. I'm the founder and author at My Codeless Website. Wake me up for a great web design!
PS: This is my #1 site builder and this is my #1 hosting.
1. Elegant Themes
URL: https://elegantthemes.com/
Elegant themes is a startup which helps other startups build great websites. They have amazing website themes and leads by example.
The moving animations on their homepage are super nice. They do a great job at showing its product capabilities.
Their own homepage looks stunning.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
- Playful design
- Clear call to actions
- Great user experience
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
2. Limepay
URL: https://www.limepay.com.au/
That color scheme. Are you kidding me? The website of Limepay did an extremely great job at making the website come ‘alive’, just by using the right colors. I love it. The shoe floating on top of the check out adds an extra dimensions to the homepage.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Amazing colors that make the brand stand out
- The website feels ‘3D’
- Nice scrolling animations. Very cool!
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
3. Donut
Donut is a great example of minimalistic web design. Their website uses little text but relies on a clean and powerful design. Their main call to action button looks very enticing and makes you want to click before you even read it.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Clean web design
- Clear headline
- Awesome button design
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
4. Primer
Primer is a perfect startup website example. They did a great job at showcasing their product benefits right when you land at their homepage. By doing so, they make sure that nobody bounces from the website before they saw their product capabilities.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
They display the product above the fold
- Clear call to action
- Minimal web design
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
5. Kohost
URL: https://kohost.io/
I love this website. First of all, their tagline is clean and simple. The 2 call to action buttons below it are nicely designed and match perfectly well with the background color.
As you scroll down you’re face with multiple scrolling animations which make the website feel ‘alive’.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Very powerful color scheme
- Nice call to ation buttons above the fold
- Epic scrolling animations
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
6. Utrust
URL: https://utrust.com/
Utrust is a startup in the famous ‘fintech’ niche. I love how their web design is minimal and almost simple. However, don’t be mistaken, building such a clean design is harder than it looks.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Nice color scheme
- Great explanation of product benefits
- Nice animations
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
7. VC Swipe
Yes. You definitely want to take a look at this one. Admitted, this one is a bit harder to build without graphic experience. Their background animations are from another level. Great design!
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Amazing animations
- Clean web design
- Very unique website concept
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
8. Blue Receipt
URL: https://www.bluereceipt.com/
This website is the ultimate combination of design and conversion. At the one hand, the website is filled with awesome shapes and animations. At the same time, everything in me wants to hit that signup button. Just because the design makes me want to.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Amazing web design style
- Cool animations
- Very attractive call to action button
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
9. Easytrax
Easytrax is a service which helps you keep track of the condition of your vehicle. Their web design is rather playful. The shapes and the light color scheme make the website feel ‘easy and breezy’. Great job!
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Nice illustrations
- Very clean web design
- Nice border radiuses which display cool shapes
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
10. Store Maven
URL: https://www.storemaven.com/
Store Maven is one of these websites which basically scream ‘we know what we’re doing’. Their color scheme is so powerful, combined with crafty animations they’re able to breathe a professional attitude.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Great luxurious color scheme
- Great call to action button
- Nice animations which make the website feel ‘alive’
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
11. Wiiqare
URL: https://wiiqare.com/
Wiiqare is a startup in the famous ‘fintech’ niche. It’s a digital wallet which helps you put aside money which only can be used for health. I love it. Their website feels clean and playful. Well done!
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Conversion focused web design
- Nice color gradient
- Nice scrolling animations
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
12. Betterworth
Conversion, conversion, conversion. That’s what Betterworth seems to do really well. Their homepage is super clean and pushes all the eyeballs to that slick ‘get started’ button. Great job!
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Conversion focused web design
- Very clean web design
- Great coywriting
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
13. Grocerwe
Grocerwe isn’t your typical startup website. Still, it’s a great one to inspire you. They focus on connecting farmers with consumers and seem to do a great job at doing so. Their website is full of funky shapes and animations. Definitely have a look at this one!
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Nice shapes
- Fun animations
- Nice scrolling objects
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
14. Bluehost
I’ll be the first to admit it, I am friends with the guys at Bluehost. That being said, this website definitely deserves a spot in the list.
Bluehost did a great job of combining fresh colors with powerful images – all while focusing on conversions. Well done!
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
High focus on conversion
- Smooth and subtle animations as you scroll down the page
- Clean design with modern color scheme
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
15. WPX Hosting
Although WPX isn’t in the startup phase anymore, they definitely breath the startup vibes any startup website should. The playfulness throughout the design provides a nice mixture of a professional hosting service combined with a fun startup.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
- Fun animations
- Very clear call to actions
- Lots of social proof
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
16. Rightmessage
URL: https://rightmessage.com/
Oh RightMesssage. What have you done? I love your website. Everything in this design screams ‘value’ and makes me want to sign up immediately. They did a great job at listing their product benefits.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
High focus on conversion
- Great way of showcasing benefits
- Clean design which emphasizes their call to action buttons
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
17. Webflow
URL: https://webflow.com/
Webflow is great for building dynamic websites. It allows you to manage multiple pages at once, add animations and much more.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Super clean design
- Lots of socialproof thanks to client logos above the fold
- Great example screenshots to illustrate the produt above the fold
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
18. Leadpages
URL: https://www.leadpages.net/
Leadpages is a salespage builder with a focus on getting conversions. They are knownfor its high conversion rates. With their templates – focused on converting visitors into buyers – you’ll have a good shot of attracting new clients for your business.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Super powerful headline
- Clear call to action with a powerful ghost button as secondary option
- Great visuals to backup their promise
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
19. Viral Loops
Viral Loops is a referral marketing tool which helps you to explode your website with new visitors. We’ve used Viral loops to create virality with multiple websites. It allows you to build a sustainable referral scheme which helps you to grow your website rapidly.
What you can learn from this great startup website
-
Unique color scheme
- 2 well cooperating call to action buttons above the fold
- Simple yet powerful menu structure
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
20. Semrush
Semrush is a SEO tool which helps you to get more free traffic from the search engines.
We’ve used Semrush for many projects to get over 100.000 monthly visitors to our websites. For free. It’s great for keyword research, backlink building and rank tracking.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
-
Great call to action which makes you want to ‘play’ with their software
- Clean design
- Lots of social proof thanks to client logos above the fold
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
21. Flying Pinata
Okay okay. This one is a bit different. I’m not saying this is the website which you should aim for – but at least have a look at it. They did a great job at showcasing their (epic) product in a fun way!
What you can learn from this great startup website example
- The animation above the fold is funny and explains the concept within a second
- The commercial video is funny and powerful
- Great color palette which gives the website a great look and feel
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
22. AdQuick
AdQuick is an advertising service which helps marketeers to build better campaigns. They did a great job of showcasing their ‘data opportunities’ with great visuals.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
- Clear call to action above the fold
- Lots of social proof by displaying their big brand customers above the fold
- Great screenshot which explains their service within a few seconds
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
23. Cameo
Go Cameo! Your website is so visual – within 2 seconds you know what it’s about.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
- Great tagline which explains the concept within one sentence
- Lots of social proof thanks to the background video above the fold
- Clear call to actions throughout the website
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
24. Clubhouse
Clubhouse is a project management tool which did a great job at coming up with a clean and powerful website. It’s instantly clear what they’re about and how it benefits you.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
- Clean design
- Lots of whitespace
- Clear call to action
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
25. Ethos
URL: https://www.getethos.com/
Ethos is an online insurance provider. They rely heavily on social proof by showcasing big brand news outlets above the fold. Their call to action buttons are clear and enticing. Well done.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
- Very clear copywriting throughout the website
- Lots of whitespace which makes the website appealing
- The call to action stands out and looks great
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
26. Hy
URL: https://okhy.tech/
A minimalistic style website with hints of teal gives Hy a look that stands out from the rest. A few of the titles are animated which adds an extra flair. Plus, Hy has created a video that packs all the relevant information you need about the product.
What you can learn from this great startup website example
- Subtle animations
- Elegant design
- Incredible use of visuals
Like it? Find a web designer or build it yourself.
These are my favourites.
BONUS – Here is my favorite template
Digital Product Template
URL: https://mycodelesswebsite.com/try-theme/digital-product
Why this is such a great template
- Incredible design with great graphics
- WordPress compatible, easy to customize
- Free download if you’re a Divi member
Get started in 2 steps
1 ► Download your theme, click on the button above
2 ► Get a free domain with a one click Wordpress installation
here are your next steps.
1
Find a web designer, or do it yourself.
The team at My Codeless Website offers high-quality websites for fair prices. We partnered up with a professional web design agency to deliver jaw-dropping websites that are not just good-looking, but conversion-focused.
❤ Proven track record of over 300 websites built
❤ Organized, easy-to-follow process from start to finish
❤ Experts guide you through the architecture of your website
2
Website hosting that I recommend.
❤ Great for hosting a single website
❤ Cheap
❤ Great support
❤ Great for hosting multiple websites
❤ Free migrations
3
Selecting the right page builder.
Analyze the best examples on this page and select a page builder that is powerful and isn't buggy.
Here is the one I recommend.
4
Grab my install guide.
Analyze the best examples on this page and select a page builder that is powerful and isn't buggy.
Here is the one I recommend.
5
Best Practices (BONUS).
Claim the right domain before it's gone
Spend your money wisely.
We recommend Divi, it's great for beginners and allows you to customize everything.
About the author
Ralph de Groot loves great web design. In fact, you can wake him up at night if you found an inspiring website. Besides writing at My Codeless Website he also loves to read and to travel.
beautiful and highly converting
1. Don’t break the 5-second rule
The moment a visitor lands on your website you only have 5 seconds to make a good impression.
That’s 5 short seconds to convince your visitor to stay on your website – and don’t hit the ‘back’ button.
Make sure the text on your website is appealing and gets your visitor excited. Don’t waste the first 5 seconds of somebody’s visit with unnecessary fluff.
2. Don’t confuse your visitor with too many call to actions
Great call to actions draw the attention of your visitors.
That said, you don’t want your call to action buttons fighting for the attention of your visitor. Pick the most important call to action for that page, and go with it.
In case you want to show multiple call to actions anyway, make sure to give them a different design, with your primary call to action being the most notable one.
3. Design mobile first
Last year over 52% of all the website traffic worldwide came from mobile devices.
More than half of the website visits are on a mobile device.
This percentage will only increase in the coming years, therefore the mobile design of your website is crucial for the success of your startup website.
When designing your website, think about mobile design before you build your desktop website.
4. Watch people using your website without telling them what to do
Once your website is ready it’s time to launch. Well, almost.
Invite some friends or colleagues and put them in front of a computer. Ask them to pretend to be a potential customer and have them visit your website.
Now sit next to them, and don’t say anything (this will be harder than you think).
Do this with at least 5 people and learn from their behavior:
- Did they follow the steps you expected them to?
- Did your website load fast enough?
- Was everything clear to them?
5. Collect real testimonials from real members
By now you probably realized social proof is extremely important when it comes to building a great website. Take it to the next level, and add testimonials from your members.
Don’t write them yourself, don’t ask your friends to write them. Everybody will feel something is off.
Want to go for the perfect score? Include video testimonials. Trust me, this will turn your website into a conversion machine.
Growth hacking: 3 powerful strategies
1. Go viral with a viral give-away
Imagine.
You send your website to 5 friends. Who each send it to 5 friends.
Now, these friends also send it to 5 friends. Oeh la la! Continue this loop for a while, and your website is actually going viral.
Viral Loops is a referral marketing tool that helps you to explode your website with new visitors.
We’ve used Viral Loops to create virality with multiple websites. It allows you to build a sustainable referral scheme that helps you to grow your website rapidly.
2. Use local SEO
SEO is a great way to attract local clients. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and helps you to get free website traffic through search engines.
Check out these articles about local SEO if you want to learn more about this:
3. Do a press release
Yikes! A press release? That’s not for your webiste, right?
Well. It is actually. Journalists LOVE small businesses and the entrepreneurs behind them. It makes sense – if you’re at a birthday party, friends are probably always asking how your business is doing.
Everybody loves entrepreneurs.
Write a press release about a milestone your company achieved. It doesn’t really matter what it is your company did, just make it juicy and interesting.
Create a list of journalists and reach out to them. The key in this process is the follow-up. If you’re just sending them just one email you’re probably not going to have a lot of success. Remind them at least once within a period of 7 days.
Being featured by local news outlets actually is good for your SEO. The more websites mention you on their website, the higher you’ll rank in the search engine.