How to Make a Website Stand Out: 10 Design Tips From the Experts
Standing out online requires more than just an attractive layout—it demands strategic design choices backed by expertise. This article breaks down ten proven techniques gathered from industry professionals who understand what makes websites truly effective. From building user trust to optimizing conversions, these expert-backed strategies will help transform any website into a powerful digital tool.
Create Comfort With Familiar Spaces
We use design to make digital learning feel as natural as stepping into a familiar space. Every element supports a sense of comfort that helps visitors feel at ease as they begin to explore. The layout encourages people to move through the experience in a way that feels intuitive and warm. One example is a section shaped like a learning corner that brings helpful resources together.
This type of website design attracts people who enjoy relatable environments and also their mindset. They feel guided rather than instructed, and this creates a more relaxed connection with the content and they can learn without confusion. Many return because the experience supports steady discovery without pressure. The overall journey helps them feel more confident as they continue to learn.
Lead With Conversion And Behavior Data
At Forge Digital Marketing, our Shopify and ecommerce site designs stand out because we build for conversion from day one—not as an afterthought. Instead of starting with aesthetics and layering CRO on top, we reverse the process. Every layout decision, from navigation structure to PDP modules, is grounded in behavioral data, heat-mapping insights, and proven conversion heuristics. This ensures the design doesn't just look beautiful; it actively removes friction, increases add-to-cart actions, and accelerates the path to purchase.
We also incorporate dynamic video content throughout the buyer journey. Short-form, scroll-stopping video elements—such as looping product demos, UGC-style explainer clips, and motion-enhanced hero sections—create instant engagement and deliver the kind of social proof and clarity that static images can't match. Because modern shoppers consume so much video in their discovery phase, meeting them with movement on the site increases time-on-page, boosts trust, and drives significantly higher conversion rates.
Beyond that, we differentiate our builds with:
1. Modular, test-ready design systems
We architect Shopify sites using flexible sections that allow brands to A/B test messaging, creative, and page flows without developer dependency. This makes ongoing optimization easy and attractive to growth-focused clients.
2. Data-led storytelling across the PDP
We structure product pages as narratives—starting with value props, followed by demonstrations, social proof, and objection handling—so customers gain clarity and confidence quickly. This creates a tangible lift in conversion and reduced return rates.
3. Speed and UX performance as core design principles
Our design team works hand-in-hand with developers to ensure lightning-fast load times, optimized media, and frictionless checkout experiences. A site that feels instant outperforms a pretty site every time.
The result are beautiful sites that convert at industry benchmarks within weeks of launch. This makes us very happy at Forge :)
Treat Sites As Editorial Journeys
One thing I always do to make my website designs stand out is treat them like editorial experiences, not just "business websites." I think in terms of story, mood, and emotional throughline first—then layer in structure, SEO, and conversion. That means clean, appropriate visuals, intentional whitespace, typography that feels human and elevated, and a narrative that guides visitors through who you are, why it matters, and what to do next without shouting. Every page has a role in the story, not just a checklist of sections.
That approach has helped me attract clients and visitors who are already aligned with my work: thoughtful founders, premium brands, and people who care about both aesthetics and results. They'll often say some version of, "Your site just feels different—calmer, more intelligent, more curated." By the time they inquire, they've already self-selected: they're not price shopping, they're looking for someone who can build a brand experience, not just a template.
Use Micro Interactions To Spur Action
We implement strategic micro interaction on our website to engage the customer. We don't load animation or video, we change information based upon the scroll and entice user to interact. This has increased our sales and interaction compared to our competitors.
Personalize UX With Live Adaptation
At Deep AI, one of the ways we differentiate our web design is by creating adaptive, machine learning-generated user experience flows that update based on user activity in real time. While traditional web design uses a fixed layout, our web designs automatically modify the importance, message and visual hierarchy of each product page when a user interacts with the page by hovering over items, scrolling through information or lingering over content that interests them.
With this technique, websites give users an experience that resonates with them, even if the changes occur without being noticed. By implementing this technology, we have increased user engagement metrics and decreased bounce rates on client projects by more than 50%, as well as maintaining longer session lengths and faster conversion rates on our own pages. As digital commerce becomes more saturated, personalised experiences are what stand out. AI has enabled us to create personalisation at scale.
Earn Trust With Authentic Bodies
The one thing we do to make the Co-Wear website stand out isn't about fancy coding or giant graphics; it's about absolute focus on the human body in the photography. I reject the standard e-commerce practice of showing clothes on stick-thin mannequins or models who are all one size. Instead, we deliberately feature diverse body shapes across our size range, from XS to 3XL, and we show them in real, natural poses.
This strategy helped us immediately because it cuts through the noise and delivers instant trust. Customers are tired of buying something online and having it look completely different when it arrives. When we show the same dress on three different sizes, people can actually visualize how the fabric will move and hug their curves.
That authenticity builds our brand. Our inclusive sizing is our mission, and the website has to reflect that realness and purpose. It stops being just a shopping site and becomes a place where people feel seen and confident before they even click "Add to Cart." That connection is what brings visitors back and turns them into loyal customers.
Deliver Radical Clarity And Calm
I simplify decision making. Most sites ask visitors to process too many options at once. I design for one clear path and remove anything that competes with it. Clarity on purpose and next action matters more than visual complexity.
This starts with restraint. I limit the color palette and use contrast only where attention truly matters. Color is not decoration. It is a signal. If everything is highlighted, nothing is. By keeping most of the interface quiet, key actions stand out without explanation. The same applies to typography. Clear hierarchy beats clever fonts every time. People scan before they read so the structure has to do most of the work.
I also design content and layout together. Many sites look good but feel vague because the words and visuals were created separately. I work through the narrative first. What question is the visitor asking at each point? What doubt are they carrying? The design exists to remove that doubt step by step. That creates a sense of calm and confidence that visitors respond to, even if they cannot articulate why. Performance is another differentiator. Fast load times, smooth interactions, and predictable behavior signal competence. Visitors associate technical smoothness with trustworthiness. A site that feels stable and intentional earns more patience than one that feels busy or fragile.
This approach has helped attract clients because it produces clarity. People reach out saying the site feels focused or easy to understand. They often mention that it feels different without being flashy. That is the goal. Standing out does not require novelty. It requires discipline.
In practice, this leads to better engagement and stronger conversion because visitors are not fighting the interface. They are guided through it. A site that treats attention carefully creates calm. That calm leads to longer visits and clearer action.
Choose CMS That Honors Native Interactivity
I think the CMS matters. We are using Wordpress less and less and opting for more holistic HTML-driven content management systems like Webflow, Framer and even Vercel in Next.JS. The ability to take beautiful designs from Figma and feed them into a CMS that can natively offer interactive elements from the original designs is something that delights users and increases the likelihood that users will stick on a page and eventually convert. It's the first, silent trust signal.
Outmaneuver Rivals Through Customer Insight
For me, it's always about the competitor analysis. By far the most underused assets we have as designers and strategists...
I had an experience about a year ago where the event rental company I designed for had results that looked like a 50% increase in calls, and a 87% increase in google based web visitors. What enabled that? The site was build for customer experience. Not build to stand out, but to carve through the 'we do xyz' and same structures most of the industry and rest of the market did. We made the site stand out because we created clarity for the clients in how the business operated and their experience would unfold thus their trust levels and safety in making the investment increased.
Often I find what stands out isn't the same for every brand and business... but it always comes back to considering the rest of the landscape, disrupting expectations, and making the client feel seen.
If you'd like to see the site itself: https://sandysurent.com
Tell Visual Stories That Drive Engagement
Hi,
At Brand House Direct, our approach to website design is simple but effective: we focus on storytelling through visual hierarchy and dynamic content. For instance, our men's sneaker blog uses interactive trend visuals and curated product highlights that drew a 42% increase in engagement during a recent campaign. By emphasizing visually appealing layouts paired with clear navigation, we make it effortless for visitors to find products and discover trends, keeping them on the site longer and driving higher conversion rates.
This strategy has done more than just improve aesthetics; it has become a key client and visitor magnet. By blending visual storytelling with data-backed user experience, we attract a highly engaged audience who not only browse but also share and return. In a crowded online retail space, standing out isn't about flashy design alone; it's about making the browsing experience intuitive, memorable, and aligned with the lifestyle our brand promotes.
