I used to be a content writer for a small web design agency, and my first piece was about website design best practices. I remember my manager going through it and telling me, “All good, but web design isn’t just about making things look good.” Back then, I was young and fresh, and honestly, that sounded totally backward. Made no sense. For me, design was all about what I saw. I mean, it’s visual, right? So, of course, the look should be everything. Well, any web designer hearing this would probably be ready to pull their hair out. Today, I […]

Designing your company website can be a challenging proposition. You’ve got to juggle the expectations of many stakeholders, and you can often hit obstacles that prevent new ideas from emerging. I was the design manager for a large company website for nearly six years, and during that time, I found myself losing perspective of what our target audiences really needed.  Call it “tunnel vision.” When you work on the same website, it often helps to take a step back and think through new approaches. That’s the purpose of this blog post. What follows are some tips, tricks, shortcuts and general […]

A while ago (as in 13 years ago) we created the first Website Grader. The goal was simple: help anyone with a website evaluate its effectiveness at attracting an audience of interested and relevant buyers. We founded HubSpot in 2006 and created Website Grader in 2008 because we believed that the inbound methodology — building meaningful, lasting relationships with prospects and customers — was not only a more effective way to grow a business, it was the right way to grow a business. And we knew how important it was for people to leverage their websites to attract visitors and […]

The internet is a marvel of modern technology, connecting people and information across the globe. But have you ever wondered how it actually works? In this blog post, we‘ll break it down into easy-to-understand terms, so that anybody and everybody can grasp how this invention works — and how it’s changed the globe. How the Internet Began Nikola Tesla introduced the idea of a “world wireless system” in the 1900s. From there, other visionaries such as Paul Otlet and Vannevar Bush began to build on the idea 1930s and 1940s, with plans of searchable media databases that played as stepping […]

Did you know that website design can improve time on site by 84% and YoY online revenue by 132%?  That happened to Swiss Gear after The Good executed the conversion audit and implemented changes to the website design and content upon the findings. So, gear up with the latest handpicked data on web design and analytics to benchmark your site’s performance. After all, the world is crowded, with over 1.5 billion websites to date. Web design is where you can stand out to grab a bigger slice of the market share pie. Web Design Statistics Mobile Web Design Statistics 1. […]

To a prospect seeking out a new service provider, the process can be a little overwhelming. It’s easy to wonder: Who are the real people behind all the smoke and mirrors? Adding a “Meet the Team” page or section to your website is an easy, effective way to give your business an accessible face. This also gives prospects an idea of who exactly they’ll be working with and shows potential employees that you’re proud of the people on your team. For inspiration, see how these companies introduce visitors to their most important creative assets: their people. 1. Yokel Local Yokel […]

The easier it is for customers to find your webpage, the better your chances of engaging new visitors and driving new conversions. In practice, however, this means more than having great content — it means taking steps to improve SEO performance so that search engine algorithms will be more likely to return your page as a top result. We’ve created this blog to help you make the most of your SEO efforts — here’s a list of 30 tactical search engine tips. 30 Tips to Help Improve Your SEO To streamline the navigation of our SEO tips, we’ve divided them […]

Experimental navigation, scrolling effects, and kinetic typography are just a few of the web design trends dominating 2022.  Check out the full list with examples of the best website designs in 2022 to get inspired to tackle your web design projects this year. One common theme among these trends is motion design. Gary Simon, an experienced UI/UX designer and frontend developer, believes motion design will be everywhere in 2022. To see several examples of websites using scroll-based animations, parallax effects, animated SVGs and more, check out his video: 1. Experimental Navigation What we like: Experimental navigation can help engage and […]

In an ideal world, you would never need a 404 error page. Links would never break, resources would stay in one place, and visitors would seamlessly navigate around your website by clicking on links. Despite best efforts, however, 404s still happen. This error is the most common one that your site’s visitors will encounter. It basically means that the page the visitor was trying to reach cannot be found. This could be because the page has moved to a new URL or because it’s been removed from the website. While you should take steps to correct these errors on your […]

Your website inspiration journey starts here. Deciding to create a web presence is a big decision, but the best websites are a culmination of many small decisions. But one major decision that takes time, diligence, and a great deal of inspiration is the design of your website. In this article, we’re sharing a few dozen of the best website designs we’ve seen. Click the links below to jump to explore website designs that crushed it in the last several years. We’ve also included a bonus section of designs that are just plain cool — so check them out, too! Where […]