Maybe you made your website yourself… but it doesn’t have to look that way.
And why would you want your website to look expensive? Lots of reasons.
It shows you mean it.
It shows you take your business seriously.
It makes you look like the big deal that you are.
If you’re ready to dive in, below are ten tips (and things to avoid) for that most upscale of vibes.
White Space
The #1 way to make your website look cheap? Clutter. An expensive website says “we have all the room in the the world to stretch out.” Make sure all your elements on each page have plenty of breathing room.
Only 2 fonts
There’s something about too many fonts on a page that yells “I made this myself and I’m NOT a designer!” If you want that classy feel, shoot for just two fonts that are each distinct and have contrast from one another.
Only color text if it’s a hyperlink
Repeat after me: no coloring text to make it stand out. It’s a dead giveaway. If you want text to stand out, make it larger. Plus, users tend to think colored text is a hyper link and may click on it only to become confused when it doesn’t take them anywhere.
Ditch generic stock photos
Have to use stock photos because hiring a photographer is not in the cards right now? If you must, look for stock photos that are as cohesive and authentic as possible. If you need to pay for them, do.
Break up text
This follows the above note about whitespace. You’ll notice that fancy websites don’t have long blocks of text – they keep things minimal. Keep your text to exactly what you need – no more, no less. Often you need far fewer words to get your point across than you think you do.
Avoid black text on white
Black text on a white background can give a website a “budget” feeling. It lacks subtlety. Instead, opt for a deep charcoal which will be easier on the eyes.
Avoid a menu with too many pages
Often, non-designers who maintain their own websites will continue to add pages to their menu until it’s bursting at the seams. Don’t give yourself away! To main that professional, expensive feeling, keep your menu to six or seven top level pages with dropdown menus kept to a minimum.
Use parallax images but sparingly
Yes, parallax (background images that seem to move as you scroll down the page) can give your website an upscale touch – but only if you don’t use too many of them. Aim for just one parallax effect on each page.
Set elements to fade into view
One of the top ways you can make your website look expensive is to have elements fade into view as you scroll down the page. Careful with this effect because if elements take too long to fade into view (i.e. three seconds) users will become frustrated. A one-second fade in is all you need to enhance your design.
Include social proof
A “logo cloud” shows companies, organizations, and websites with which you are affiliated or have been featured in. When you include this “as seen in” section, it boosts your credibility big time. If you don’t have any, testimonials (edited down – remember – not too much text all at once) also work well.
What happens when your website looks expensive
When your website looks expensive – i.e. looks like it was made by a consummate professional web designer – good things happen in your business. And if you’re really ready to level up, the best thing you can do? Actually work with that consummate professional 🤗 I’m often told by my clients when our work together is complete that they feel they got much more than what they paid for. Yes, it’s an investment, but one that will pay you back big time for years to come. Get in touch today for a complimentary 30-minute Discovery Call.
