It’s hard to imagine a world without Software as a Service (SaaS). It’s become so ubiquitous that it’s easy to forget how far we have come since the days when computers were little more than big, bulky boxes.

Just like cars, SaaS is now available in all different shapes and sizes — from sleek and modern designs to classic models. And with the ever growing diversity in offerings, it’s vital for companies who offer SaaS products to create attractive websites and homepages that stand out from the competition.

But what makes a good SaaS homepage design?

Is it the design? The features? Or is there something else that’s more important? Here is a list of tips to help you create great SaaS homepages and website designs.

Value-forward Design

Unlike e-commerce and retail brands, SaaS companies need to clarify what their product does and why people should use it. This means having a value-forward homepage design that attractively showcases the service’s features. Think about how you can showcase your product’s features on the homepage without overwhelming visitors with too much information.

It’s also essential to clarify any pricing plans or subscription options so visitors know exactly what they are getting for their money.

First Impressions Matter

Homepages need to make a good first impression. This means implementing best practices that draw people in and keep them on the page long enough for them to explore your product.

A well-designed homepage should feature eye-catching visuals, clear headlines, and concise descriptions that introduce visitors to what the site is all about.

For example, take a look at one of our awesome customers — BetterCloud. The homepage is sleek, eye-catching, and to the point.

Above- and Below-the-Fold Design

One excellent way to keep visitors on your page is to design with both above-the-fold and below-the-fold in mind.

Designs above-the-fold, or content immediately visible upon loading your homepage, should focus on highlighting the key features of your product without overwhelming visitors with too much information. Keep it straightforward, with a few visuals and clear headlines that introduce people to what your SaaS company is all about.

Below-the-fold, where users have to scroll to, your designs should be focused more on providing detailed content, such as pricing plans, subscription options, or customer testimonials. This way, you engage visitors and keep them interested in exploring your product further.

Simple and Concise Descriptions

Just because you’re offering a high-tech solution doesn’t mean you should dump paragraphs of technical jargon onto your homepage. Instead, use simple and concise descriptions to explain what the product does and why people should use it. This helps to create an emotional connection with visitors, which can encourage them to sign up for your service.

Think beyond just your subscription and pricing model. This ties back to adding value, and you can do this through effective branding and the best SaaS website designs. For example, you can share stories about your company’s values, mission, and vision — showcasing the real people behind your product.

Define Value by Comparing and Contrasting SaaS Providers

You’re just one of many who offer SaaS solutions, which is why defining your value proposition is so important. A great way to do this is by comparing and contrasting your product with other solutions on the market.

You can do this in various ways, from highlighting unique features to showing how much money customers can save using your service. Doing this makes it easier for potential customers to choose your SaaS solution over others.

Offering Service Tiers

When offering multiple tiers of services or pricing, think about this: can people see themselves in one of these tiers? It’s not just what’s cheaper or more premium. It’s also about what tier best serves their needs. Are they a one-man show, working on a personal project? Or are they part of a larger team with more complex needs?

Thinking about it this way, you can highlight the features that matter most to each user, making it easier for them to choose the tier they need.

Emphasize What You Can Do (and What Your Competitors Can’t Do)

Here’s the thing: your customers are also checking out your competitors’ sites. As a matter of fact, about 53% of them are before making any kind of purchase. To stand out, you need to emphasize what sets you apart from the competition. This could be anything, such as:

• Special features
• Pricing plans
• Customer service and support

You have to assume that your customers are bombarded with tons of information and that it’s hard to process which SaaS option they should choose. You have to make the process easier for them by highlighting the differences that matter.

If you have testimonials that do the comparing and contrasting, even better! Your potential clients have probably already tried various SaaS solutions in the past before stumbling across yours. They’re looking for reassurance that you are the right choice and not just another one of the same.

Use Your SaaS Homepage Design to Show the Conversations You’re Having

Context is vital when it comes to SaaS marketing. Show visitors your conversations with potential customers, both on and off your website.

Spotlight Your Satisfied Clients

One way to boost customer confidence is by using customer stories directly from your homepage. What does a successful application of your SaaS look like? Why do your customers continue using your solution instead of alternative providers?

Highlighting success stories, like we assisted Centivo in doing, helps potential customers decide whether your product is right for them.

Leverage Your Blogs

Any SaaS website should have a blog section, as this allows you to demonstrate your expertise and showcase what sets your product apart from others on the market. Blogs allow you to explain complex topics in a way that is easy for readers to understand — giving them insight into why they should choose your solution over the competition.

Your customers are experts in their fields, meaning they demand working with someone just as knowledgeable. This is where your blog comes in. By sharing content that addresses their needs, you’ll demonstrate your expertise and build trust with potential customers.

Demonstrate How You Solve Industry-specific Challenges

Your customers don’t always belong in the same industry, so it’s crucial to demonstrate how your SaaS product helps solve specific challenges within each industry. By showing how your solution addresses these unique needs, you make it easier for potential customers to see the value in what you offer.

For example, if you specialize in accounting software, you could discuss how your product helps small businesses keep track of their income and expenses. This shows you understand their industry-specific challenges and can help them solve them.

Similarly, if you offer a project management solution, discuss how it helps teams streamline their processes and collaborate better to reach their goals.

Some industry challenges are also transferable across industries. For example, security is always a concern for businesses regardless of size or industry. Showing how your product helps customers manage and secure their data would benefit all types of customers.

Demonstrating the value you offer to each industry makes it easier for potential customers to understand why they should choose your SaaS solution over the competition.

If you’re looking for an example, check out Tripleseat. We helped them create distinct sections on their site so each customer can select which subset of their services they need.

Free Samples: Try Our SaaS Yourself!

The best SaaS website designs talk about more than just the value they offer. They also let customers try it for themselves.

Q&A or Real-time Assistance

Customer service plays a huge role in the buying decision. Customers want to know they can get help when needed, so be sure to have a support page on your website. After reading your blog posts and success stories, users should be equipped to progress on their own, but may need help at any point.

You could add a Q&A page that answers common questions and concerns or offer real-time assistance with live chat. This gives customers confidence in knowing that if they run into issues with your product, someone is available to help them.

Free Trials

Ah, the classic free trial. This is a must-have for any SaaS website as it allows users to test your product before committing to anything. There’s no better way to qualify your lead than to let them try out the product themselves and see if it fits their needs.

You can also bundle these free trials with a problem they can try solving, such as free datasets, pre-defined samples, or anything that shows customers how your product works.

Your free datasets can even function as lead magnets since customers who try them out will likely be curious to learn more about your product. For example, image annotation tool Labelbox uses free resources to promote their own blogs and other content.

Build Your SaaS Website With Huemor

Designing the perfect SaaS website takes a bit of trial and error, but following these tips should help you create a website that stands out from the competition.

While there are various tools you can use to build your website, there is no better one than Huemor. We specialize in designing custom websites tailored to the needs of SaaS businesses. With our expertise and experience, we’ll help you create a website that engages customers and helps you get more leads.

If you want more tips like this, subscribe to our newsletter. We provide actionable tips each week to help you build bespoke websites and a complete digital marketing strategy.

Take your SaaS website design to the next level. Subscribe to our email list or contact us today for more information.

Whether you’re undergoing a redesign for your business or launching a new product, the website design timeline to bring the idea to fruition can be daunting.

Just ask the Wright Brothers, who spent four years designing and building their first airplane. They had plenty of highs and lows throughout their journey, but in 1903 they made history when they flew at Kitty Hawk.

Today, businesses have access to technology, making creating products and launching websites much more accessible than ever. But while timelines may be shorter than ever, many steps are still involved in bringing an idea to life online.

Let’s discuss what you should expect and how working with a web designer helps you through the inevitable bumps in the road.

Website Redesign Goals and Benefits

Aside from asking how much a redesign costs, we often receive this other question a lot: how long does a website redesign project take? The short answer is that the timeline depends on your project goals. A complete overhaul of an existing website with many custom features, integrations, and content will take more time than simply creating new visuals for a landing page.

Most companies redesign their website as part of a larger business strategy. Their goals might be:

• Create a better user experience
• Generate more leads and sales
• Improve SEO rankings
• Enhance content marketing efforts
• Refresh the website’s look and feel

Whatever the goal is, it’s essential to have clear objectives that are achievable within your timeline. Some of these goals take a long time to achieve on their own, so be realistic about your expectations based on the goals you have in mind.

Growth-driven Design Process

While some websites can be designed, developed, and launched in weeks, most projects require more careful planning. That’s why many companies turn to growth-driven design (GDD) as an effective solution for website redesign.

Growth-driven design is a process that starts with creating a minimum viable product (MVP), or the basic functionality and design of the website. From there, the design is constantly iterated based on real-time data, such as:

• User Feedback
• Analytics
• A/B Testing

This process allows for continuous improvements over time that help achieve the desired goals quicker than with a traditional redesign. Further, since the website is being improved gradually, companies can also cut down on their costs as it eliminates the need for a massive overhaul at one time.

Here at Huemor, we employ a GDD strategy for every website redesign project. In a nutshell, we go through extensive onboarding, gathering as much information as possible, designing your website, and implementing real-time improvement strategies throughout the project.

Website Redesign Timeline

A typical website redesign timeline with Huemor takes around four to six months, although it can vary based on the complexity of your project. The timeline usually looks something like this.

Strategy Session

The first thing you’ll do with our web design agency is figure out your strategy and goals. This includes researching competitors, analyzing customer feedback, and ensuring the website aligns with your brand identity.

Your web design team submits a proposal outlining your project’s timeline, deliverables, and cost. Sometimes, this also includes a wireframe or creative brief. After both sides agree on the details, you’ll sign a contract with your web design team. Your contract should include the following elements:

• Scope of Work: Definition of the project goals and objectives and what elements will be included in the website design process.
• Timeline: The timeline for completing the web design project, including significant milestones and any dependencies between tasks and their estimated duration.
• Cost Breakdown: A breakdown of costs associated with each stage of the web design project, such as hosting or graphic designing services.
• Rights and Ownership: Details on who owns which rights over creative materials produced during the process (graphics, videos, etc.).
• Payment Terms and Conditions: Agreement on payment terms, including payment schedule and method(s) accepted by both parties (e-check/credit card/cash).
• Termination Clause: If either party would like to terminate early from a contract, they should clarify this ahead of time so there are no misunderstandings when it comes time to end things officially down the line if needed.

Project Kickoff

Once you get your contract signed, you’ll attend a series of meetings with your web design team to get to the nitty-gritty details of your website redesign. This is the time to get really clear on what you want from your website and devise a plan for how to make it happen.

Your project kickoff should be extensive since you’ll be mapping out the entire website redesign process.

Meeting 1: Meet the Team + Project Alignment

Ideally, your first meeting should be a meet-and-greet with the team working on your website. You should also discuss your expectations, goals, and possible risks associated with your web design project so you and your team are on the same page.

Meeting 2: Brand Discovery

Your next meeting’s discussion primarily focuses on exploring your brand and developing a plan for how to incorporate it into the web design. This meeting involves researching your market and target audience, so you can decide on a tone and style that will best appeal to them.

Meeting 3: Site Architecture

Now that you have a good idea of what your website should look like, it’s time to start thinking about its structure. This meeting involves sketching out the layout and flow of your website so that it’s easy to access different pages and sections. You’ll also develop your site’s revamped navigation system and how you want to organize the content.

Meeting 4: Page Intentions

Your website isn’t just your homepage. You’ll also need to figure out what content and features you want each page to have. This involves deciding on the types of calls-to-action, forms, images, and other interactive elements that will make your website more engaging.

Other pages of your website typically include:

• About page
• Contact page
• Blog page
• Other pages depending on how you decide to structure your site

Meeting 5: Brandscript + Voice

Another critical thing to consider when starting your project would be your brandscript. Your brandscript is a document that outlines the overall feel of your website, from its visual language to how you want it to sound when users visit.

Meeting 6: Website Inspiration

Reinventing the wheel isn’t always necessary. You can look for existing websites with features you like and incorporate them into your design as long as they fit with the overall vision for your project. This meeting involves researching similar website designs to get inspired and develop a unique web design plan that stands out from the competition.

Stakeholder Interviews

Your project involves more stakeholders than you may realize. It’s essential to involve everyone that the website redesign affects, such as marketing managers and content writers. Interviewing stakeholders helps you better understand what they need from your website design so that you can incorporate their suggestions into your project plan.

Discovery

This stage of the website redesign timeline synthesizes everything you’ve done from previous meetings, stakeholder interviews, and research. This is the time to sort through all of your information, iron out any possible kinks in your plan, and determine what will be included in the website’s design.

Here, you’ll discuss project takeaways and create a sitemap to figure out the structure of your website. You’ll also plan user flows and journeys throughout your website and identify any potential areas that might need extra attention.

Analyzing how your competition does these three things also helps with the discovery process.

Creative

Here’s the fun part! Now that you have a well-researched plan for your website design, it’s time to bring it to life. This phase is divided into four smaller steps.

Wireframes

Wireframes are your blueprints for your website’s design. They help you map out the structure and layout of your web pages and how a user can interact with them.

Moodboards

Another crucial step in the creative process of website design is creating moodboards. Think of your moodboard as a visual representation of your project’s spirit and personality. It includes:

• Images
• Colors
• Fonts
• Graphics
• Other elements that could be incorporated into your website design

Transition From Wireframes Into Hi-Fi

Before we go any further, we need to decide on a design direction. This is where the transition from wireframes into high-fidelity mockups comes in. Hi-fi mocks are a visual representation of what your website will look like after it’s fully developed and ready for launch.

High-Fidelity (Hi-Fi) Designs

After you create hi-fi mockups, it’s time to design the actual look of your website. In this phase, we’ll start building our web pages and applying all of the elements from our moodboard to the pages.

This includes selecting colors for backgrounds or buttons, creating animations for interactive objects, and selecting fonts for headings and body copy.

SEO

Website redesigns should also include a review of your SEO strategy. The goal is to ensure that the website follows all of the best practices for SEO and has been optimized for search engine crawlers.

In this stage, you’ll conduct keyword discovery when you determine which keywords to target for SEO optimization. You’ll also analyze your URLs, page titles, and meta descriptions to ensure they meet SEO standards.

Copywriting

Put your keywords to work with copywriting. This is the process of crafting persuasive and educational content for your website. Copywriters must focus on finding a balance between appealing to users, optimizing for search engines, and providing value.

Conducting a copywriting exercise means you have to review the existing copy on your website and create new content where necessary.

Copywriting Direction Document

When redesigning your website, you’ll probably work with a team of writers. That’s why it’s crucial to create a document that everyone can use when writing your website copy.

This copywriting direction document identifies pages that need new copy, outlines the required content type (e.g., FAQs or product descriptions), and explains the writing style to use.

Asset Sourcing

The next stage in the website redesign timeline is finding or creating your website assets, such as illustrations, images, and videos. You can ask your web design team if they’re developing assets in-house or sourcing these assets for you. Of course, your creative input is also welcomed at this stage. You can suggest inspirations for the assets you have in mind and let your team work their magic.

Development

Now that everything’s collected, designed, and ready to go, it’s time for the development process. This is where all of your website design elements come together. Entrusted to a skilled software development company, your web design team builds the site structure with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

They’ll take care of integrating plugins, creating custom animations, and optimizing content for search engine crawlers.

Quality Assurance

Before you can even think about launching, you have to test your website. This is the quality assurance phase, and it’s vital for website redesigns since there are so many moving parts that need to be tested.

Your web design team tests all links, animations, and features to ensure they work correctly before launch. They’ll fix all the quirks and bugs that might pop up.

Launch

After months of hard work, the development team has created a website that your business is proud of. It’s time to launch!

Your web design team conducts one last review to ensure everything is perfect, and then they’ll push the website live. You can now show off your brand-new look online and enjoy all its benefits.

Post Launch and Website Maintenance

Even after the launch, your website is a constantly evolving asset that needs regular maintenance to keep running smoothly.

The best web design agencies include ongoing maintenance and support just in case anything goes wrong with your website after launch. This means they’ll continue to monitor your website’s quality in terms of the following:

• SEO
• Technical aspects like speed and structure
• User experience

Ongoing support and maintenance retainers like Huemor are essential in keeping your website updated and running efficiently.

Build Beautiful Websites With Huemor

The website redesign timeline can often take longer than you might expect because it’s pretty extensive, but building a beautiful and successful website is worth it.

Huemor is the perfect partner to help you create stunning websites with quick turnaround times. Our experienced web design team will help guide you through the process — from conception and copywriting to development and launch — ensuring that your website stands out from the competition.

Meet with a web design expert, and let’s kick off your redesign journey today.

Introduction

Do you need help finding your business’s digital holy grail of web design agencies?

We’ve been there, sifting through hundreds of pages of options only to end up in analysis paralysis.

So stay tuned because what follows is an enlightening deep dive into the world of top-notch web development and design agencies.

Defining a Top Web Design Agency

In the expansive digital world, the best web design agencies stand out in several unique ways.

Firstly, the very best digital marketing agencies are known for their transaction-driven approach to building websites and redesign – focusing on conversions as much as aesthetics.

They’re renowned for developing functional and visual web designs that resonate with customers in specific industries, such as SaaS Websites or Fintech Websites.

High-end agencies don’t just create a visually stunning and appealing website; they provide holistic web solutions and strategic campaigns that positively influence user habits and behaviors for the betterment of your company and online brand presence.

Key Features of The Best Web Design Agencies

The best web design agencies have quality website development, a comprehensive portfolio, a proven success record, client testimonials, and innovative logo design and approach to digital everything.

Quality of Their Website

A top-tier web design agency demonstrates its skills and innovation on its website.

An agency’s website that captures attention with functional and visual web designs, easy-to-use CMS (like WordPress or HubSpot CMS), responsive designs, custom-developed functionality, user-focused approach to understanding user habits and behaviors indicates their proficiency in social media marketing.

So, before diving into an agency’s portfolio or client testimonials, check their online brand presence first because it speaks volumes about their commitment to high-functioning websites simply the best digital marketing, and conversion-based design services.

Comprehensive Portfolio

Scouting for the crème de la crème in web design agencies?

Then, doing some portfolio peeking should top your list.

A comprehensive portfolio is a treasure trove of an agency’s best work — it’s their bragging right, and rightly so.

It offers unfiltered insights into what it can deliver, from small businesses to medium business websites to more complex enterprise websites or e-commerce platforms like Shopify.

The breadth of the projects showcased spells out an agency’s versatility in handling diverse business needs while maintaining quality standards.

But beyond simply the best digital visuals, UX designs centered around storytelling are crucial.

This displays a deep understanding of user habits and behaviors best digital first, which is essential for creating high-functioning websites and landing pages that drive conversions.

So go ahead! Flip through those portfolios, checking out different responsive designs they’ve crafted.

After all, innovation consulting is not just about cut-edge ideas but also executing innovative web design backed by agile methodology for an impactful online brand image and digital presence along with superior, digital marketing experiences.

Proven Success Record

Great-looking work isn’t enough. It needs to generate results.

As you browse their website, look through their case studies, and talk with their sales team, pay close attention to what they can show as proof of their hard work.

Proving it repeatedly among many clients should be a priority. If they have examples of success in your industry, even better.

Client Testimonials

Do they have publicly visible rave reviews from past clients?

If not, run.

Sites like Clutch.co or the site DesignRush are great places to look for these reviews since they’re independent third parties.

Innovative Design and Approach

Web design is a discipline that’s constantly evolving. What’s simply the best magazine of practice this year may not be simply the best digital practice next year.

You must partner with a web design digital marketing agency with a learning culture that constantly pushes the team to find the best ways to deliver their work.

How to Choose the Best Web Design Agency for Your Business

When choosing the best web design agency for your business, you must set the proper budget, perform a thorough agency search, contact them, and ask the right questions to ensure they can meet your specific needs.

How to set the proper budget

Setting the proper budget for your web design project is crucial to ensure that you get high-quality results without overspending.

Here are some critical steps to help you set the proper budget:

1. Assess Your Business Needs: Take the time to evaluate your business needs and goals. Determine what features and functionalities you require for your website, such as e-commerce capabilities or a content management system (CMS).
2. Consider Project Complexity: Consider the complexity of your web design project. Complex projects may require more resources and time, impacting the overall cost.
3. Research Market Rates: Research the market rates for web design services in your area or industry. This will give you a general idea of how much you should expect to pay for different websites or specific functionalities.
4. Define Your Scope of Work: Clearly define the scope of work for your project. List all deliverables, such as page designs, responsive layouts, and integration with third-party tools or platforms.
5. Request Multiple Quotes: Reach out to several web design agencies and request quotes based on your defined scope of work. This will allow you to compare prices and services offered by different agencies.
6. Look Beyond Cost: While cost is essential, it shouldn’t be the determining factor when choosing a web design agency. Consider factors like their portfolio, reputation, expertise, and ability to deliver on time.
7. Plan for Ongoing Maintenance: When setting your budget, factor in ongoing maintenance costs. Regular updates, bug fixes, security patches, and hosting fees are essential for running your website smoothly.
8. Be Realistic: Be realistic about what you can afford while still meeting your business objectives. Set a budget allowing room for unexpected expenses or additional features that may arise during development.
9. Communicate Openly: Communicate openly with the web design agency about your budget constraints from the start. A good agency will work with you to find creative solutions within your budget.
10. Consider Long-Term ROI: While setting a reasonable budget is essential, consider your website’s long-term return on investment (ROI). A well-designed and functional website can drive traffic, conversions, and revenue for your business.

How to perform an agency search

Performing an agency search is a crucial step in finding the best web design agency for your business. Here are some essential tips to help you navigate the whole design process:

1. Start with a clear understanding of your business needs: Before beginning your agency search, identify your specific goals and requirements. Determine what you want to achieve with your website and what features or functionality you need.
2. Conduct thorough research: Use online resources, industry directories, and recommendations from colleagues to compile a list of potential web design agencies. Consider their specialties, experience, and client reviews.
3. Review their website and portfolio: Visit each agency’s website to understand their design style, user experience, and overall professionalism. Look at their portfolio to see examples of their previous work, paying attention to projects similar to yours.
4. Assess their success record: Look for evidence of the agency’s track record in delivering successful projects. Check if they have case studies or testimonials demonstrating their ability to meet client expectations and deliver results.
5. Inquire about innovative design and approach: Ask the agencies about their web design and development approach. Find out if they stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends and have a history of implementing innovative solutions for clients.
6. Request client testimonials: Reach out to current or past clients of the agencies on your list. Ask about their experience working with the agency, the quality of the delivered work, and whether they achieved their anticipated results.
7. Ask relevant questions: Prepare a list addressing your concerns or requirements. Inquire about project timelines, pricing structures, communication processes, post-launch support options, and other relevant details.
8. Consider budget limitations: While it’s important not to compromise on quality when selecting a web design agency, it’s also crucial to consider your budget limitations from the outset. Be clear about your budget expectations early on in discussions with potential agencies.

What questions to ask the agency

As marketing managers, we need to ask the right questions when choosing a web design agency for our business. Here are some key questions to consider:

1. Can you provide examples of websites you have designed in our industry?
2. How do you define success for website projects?
3. What strategies do you employ to optimize websites for conversions?
4. How will you ensure our website is user-friendly and provides a great user experience?
5. Do you offer ongoing support and maintenance for websites after they are launched?
6. How will you incorporate our brand identity into the website design?
7. What measures do you take to ensure the security and privacy of our website?
8. Can you provide references or client testimonials from past projects?
9. What is your process for gathering feedback and incorporating changes during the design phase?
10. Do you have experience with SEO and optimizing websites for search engines?

Conclusion

In conclusion, when finding simply the best web design agency for your business, look for those with a quality website and a comprehensive portfolio showcasing their proven success record.

Remember to consider client testimonials and the innovative and responsive design approach they offer businesses. Remember, choosing the right web design agency can make all the difference in establishing your online brand presence and driving conversions.

So invest wisely and watch your business soar!