10 of This Year’s Best Web Designs

What Makes for Great Web Design?

A company website is your 24/7 salesperson. It’s the home for all of your marketing content. Whether you’re considering a website redesign or starting from scratch, an effective website can have massive implications on the success of your business. 

Pairing an inbound marketing strategy with a website that is user-friendly and optimized for conversions offers greater benefits, and together they can generate more quality leads and grow your business.

Now, on to the top 10 best examples of web design from this year ... 

1. Superior Technologies: Mobile Responsive, Brand Refresh

Superior Technologies needed an updated website and fresh branding to stand out in the global steel manufacturing industry. The SmartBug® team helped Superior Technologies define and fine-tune their branding while building a fresh, intuitive website, from idea to deployment, that will grow their exposure to customers and solidify their brand experience. 

With the new website, our team designed unique visual elements like overlapping boxes that worked seamlessly on all digital screens.

See the Superior Technologies full web design details.

2. Care4: Clean Layout, Inviting Imagery

Care4 came to SmartBug in order to break out in the market from traditional electronic health record providers, build upon their brand awareness, and generate more leads—all while educating prospects on a complicated product. SmartBug delivered a full website redesign that is highly educational with clear language, informative features, and a clean, eye-catching layout.

To create a better buying path for visitors, our design team crafted a clean, crisp layout that draws visitors’ attention to the brand’s most important messages. And by weaving community-focused imagery throughout the site, our team promoted the supportive feel that our client cherishes.

See the Care4 full web design details.

3. Burroughs: New Logo + Web Design + Content Strategy

Burroughs partnered with SmartBug’s web design team to create a website that’s easy for marketers to self-manage on the backend. This will ultimately help them grow their content strategy, while also giving them a branding experience that better matches their new vision. 

Branding started with creating a new logo—a monumental task for any business. Playing off the “b” in their name and the concept of the circle of lifecycle management, our creative team worked closely with the client on each logo iteration. In the end, we created a clean-looking, brand-anchoring logo that reflected Burroughs’ accomplished place in their industry. 

Finally, to ensure the Burroughs marketing team could easily update and change their website, SmartBug developers rebuilt page templates in HubSpot’s content management system (CMS), including the blog and resource center. This made it easy for our client to edit and manage their site, giving them the ideal launchpad for all of their current and future content. 

See the Burroughs full web design details.

4. IRA Resources: Data-Driven Keyword Analysis

IRA Resources asked SmartBug to leverage keyword and SEO analysis to create a strategic, well-branded, customer-focused website. SmartBug performed a deep research analysis to inform development, content strategy, and the entire user experience. This led to the creation of an intuitive, fresh, content-rich site with fine-tuned branding. Our team dove into keyword research, drilling down enough to reveal an even more nuanced and effective on- and off-page search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. 

Using the research from customer personas, gap analysis, behavior flows, and heatmaps, we created a design strategy targeting known customer pain points. 

See the IRA Resources full web design details.

5. Ortal Heat: Mega Menu & Extensive Product Library 

Using HubSpot’s database (HubDB) and automatic page-building tools, SmartBug created a way for Ortal Heat to easily manage and update their extensive product library and photo galleries while displaying the products to their greatest effect. By focusing on visual storytelling, our approach was to guide visitors through the product galleries with a simple to navigate mega-menu. 

In order to manage Ortal’s extensive product library, we used HubDB to automatically create and update product pages from a table of attributes such as product specifications, installation manuals, safety/quality certifications, warranty information, and lots more. 

See the Ortal Heat full web design details.

6. CatholicMom: Clutter-Free Whimsical Design

CatholicMom came to SmartBug in order to reach more moms, strengthen its brand, and establish itself as the go-to site for daily Catholic motherhood connection and support. Our developers designed and built a fresh, clean content hub that’s growing organically to attract visitors, promote shares, and propel traffic.

In order to make moms feel welcome, we incorporated bright images and crafted a clean, modern, whimsical design. Plus, CatholicMom’s blog features 200+ writers on a daily basis, so we organized a layout that displays content beautifully, without clutter.

See the CatholicMom full web design details.

7. Convr: Dynamic Content with Animated Modules

Convr needed a website to boost growth and build awareness—and it needed one fast. SmartBug delivered a solutions-oriented website that both simplifies Convr’s messaging and tells its story more clearly. 

SmartBug aimed to create a dynamic design, complete with animation. Our dev team animated modules throughout Convr’s website in order to create a more dynamic and engaging user experience.

See the Convr full web design details.

8. Covisum: Thoughtful User Journey

SmartBug helped Covisum create a focused, product-centric website where users can quickly find detailed information about how to elect their Social Security benefits, and easily sign up for free demos Covisum’s solutions. 

We focused on delivering a thoughtful product user journey by starting with an outline that allows users to quickly differentiate between Covisum’s product offerings and easily find more information based on their needs.

See the Covisum full web design details.

9. The Spur Group: Incorporating Personas into Web Design

The Spur Group came to SmartBug for a website redesign that would leverage its newly updated branding, messaging, and positioning. From UX to design to copywriting, we built a sleek, buyer persona-driven website that aims to generate more leads. 

Using buyer personas and driven by crafting an intentional user experience, we developed a brand narrative that speaks to The Spur Group’s strengths within the context of persona needs. Then, we created four different buyer assessments that provide prospects with useful go-to-market insights.

See The Spur Group full web design details.

10. Gingr: Vibrant Branding & Organic Shapes

Gingr, a one-stop shop for pet-loving businesses, came to SmartBug for a website that not only celebrated its vibrant brand, but one that would also help Gingr outshine and outperform the competition. 

In order to convey Gingr’s unique SaaS solution and modern, professional voice, we balanced organic shapes with real-life photography. The bright and colorful shapes played off of Gingr’s logo, as well as organic shapes reminiscent of animal hair, throughout the site design in order to add texture and depth without creating clutter.

See the Gingr full web design details.