There was a time when having a business website was considered a luxury. However, those days are long gone. Now, businesses of all sizes depend on their online presence to drive sales. Whether you’re starting a new business or looking to improve your existing website, it’s a good idea to get inspiration from other sites. So we found the best small business website examples across many top content management systems (CMS) to kick-start your web design.
1. Ecommerce: Vortic Watches
CMS: Shopify
Vortic Watches does a great job of bringing its products to life—even just within its homepage. Between its use of video to illustrate what it offers, which happens to also indicate what sets it apart, and its really creative use of parallax scroll, the brand’s eye for quality is evident. This site is built on Shopify, one of the best website builders for ecommerce. To learn more about how you can make a store like this one, check out the steps on how to build an online store with Shopify.
2. Web Design Agency: HTMLBurger
CMS: PHP
The best way to showcase your skills as a web design agency is to have an impressive website of your own. In this example, the HTMLBurger homepage alone shows how the look and feel of its flat design and the elements used equate to great web design skills. The layout is simple and easy to navigate, and the color scheme is light and easy on the eyes. Playful animations are eye-catching and can hold the attention of potential clients while they learn more.
Want to use high-quality animations like HTMLBurger? Get your own custom animations created for as little as $5 from a graphic design pro on Fiverr.
3. Cafe: Rise
CMS: Squarespace
Rise, a Connecticut-based cafe, has a sleek and minimalist website that provides basic information that those visiting a cafe’s website would want. For example, it includes attractive images in its menu and directions so that readers can easily navigate to the cafe. This simple yet effective web design is powered by Squarespace, which also makes web design easy. To build a similar site, sign up for your free trial with Squarespace and choose the “Atlantic” template.
4. Law Firm: Alston & Bird
CMS: SiteCore
The legal field consists of a number of disciplines. Since it’s an industry with a notoriously high cost of generating leads, it’s not just about getting leads, but also getting quality leads. The Alston & Bird does a good job of qualifying site visitors (aka potential leads) by putting services and industries at the forefront. This strategy helps visitors understand whether or not this law firm might be a good fit for their legal needs.
Want to create a site like this? Try Wix, which is easy to use and offers a prebuilt template with a very similar layout, called “Law Firm.”
5. Property Management: Mill City
CMS: WordPress
Mill City Property Management, a New England-based property management business, has a very simple and clean website that provides information its visitors are seeking: its services. This format gives readers what they are looking for by visiting the site and the opportunity to understand whether it’s a business they might want to work with.
6. Startup: KeyNest
CMS: Squarespace
KeyNest is a startup that provides vacation property rental services, and it has a beautiful website—not surprisingly as it’s a site built on Squarespace. The design is very clean, helping the readers focus on the site’s messaging. And speaking of messaging, it has a built-in live chat feature giving visitors direct access to the startup’s customer service team. This tool helps answer any questions someone might have.
Interested in Squarespace? Check out the best Squarespace templates for business.
7. Gardening Center: Treeland Nursery
CMS: WordPress
Treeland Nursery provides a good example of how a business can take a more strategic approach to their business website with comprehensive information backed by a unique tool. It has the “Tree Finder Tool,” helping visitors answer the difficult question of which type of trees and plants suit their needs based on the environment in which it will be planted. By making it easy for visitors to confidently make a decision, they are more likely to make a purchase.
Like this look? You don’t have to use WordPress to copy it. Instead, you can make your life easy and use Wix with the “Hair Salon” or “Women’s Clothing Store” template (fully customizable) for a nearly identical layout.
8. Online Store: Izzy Wheels
CMS: Wix
Izzy Wheels is an example of how a brand can create a fun Wix eCommerce experience. The site effectively uses a lot of bright colors along with a good deal of media. Its sticky, transparent header lends to user experience in that visitors always have access to the site’s navigation and other web pages. What’s great about Wix eCommerce that you can’t see is its very easy-to-use back-end, where you can manage products and orders. Visit Wix to learn more.
9. Hotel & Restaurant: El Pez
CMS: WordPress with Elementor
This hotel and restaurant website from El Pez provides a good small business website example, illustrating how it is possible to include a lot of information in a reader-friendly way. As a business with multiple service offerings and different audiences seeking different things out of the site, it does a good job of providing relevant information to each audience.
It also uses the Elementor page builder plugin, making WordPress more user-friendly and enabling its animated page elements. However, you don’t need to use WordPress to achieve this style of design. For maximum design freedom that is far easier than WordPress, try Wix.
10. Restaurant: Felix Trattoria
CMS: WordPress
Felix Trattoria, a popular Los Angeles-based restaurant that is well-known for being difficult to get a table at, allows site visitors to make a reservation online. Not only does this make it easy for people to reserve a table, but it also gives the business the opportunity to accept reservations outside of business hours, leading to more reservations and more patrons.
Want an ultra-easy way of building a restaurant site like this? Check out the best website builders for restaurants.
11. Beauty Services: Sugared + Bronzed
CMS: Shopify
Los Angeles-based beauty service business, Sugared + Bronzed offers a very clean and minimalist web design. Aesthetics aside, it’s packed with features that turn this seemingly simple site into a marketing machine. In addition to its online store and membership packages, it also includes a booking system, enabling visitors to book appointments no matter what time of day they’re visiting the business’ website, lending to more impulse decisions and sales.
Want an easy way to build a website that includes an online booking system but with a lower price than Shopify? Consider using GoDaddy websites, which includes one of the best built-in online booking systems on the market.
12. Web Design: LLT Group
CMS: Shopify
LLT Group, a web design company, takes a unique approach to Shopify, proving that you don’t need to be an online store to use the ecommerce CMS. It showcases its notable clients while also providing a message and two call-to-action buttons. By putting recognizable clients on its homepage above the fold, it helps build social proof.
Notice that it also uses a “Start a Project” call-to-action (CTA) button in two locations, so no matter where a visitor’s eyes go, they will be given the option to convert.
13. Online Store: Maapilim
CMS: Wix
The Maapilim online store illustrates how far Wix has come as an all-in-one site builder. What’s really unique about the site is that it offers interactive page elements, allowing site visitors to shop on the page the way users shop on Instagram. Not only does this lend to the user experience through the familiarity of a popular platform, but it also helps sell products within group shots.
Tagging products in photos is just one example of what you can do with a Wix online store. Visit Wix to learn more about its lengthy eCommerce offerings.
14. Nonprofit: Woofgang & Co.
CMS: Weebly
Woofgang & Co., a Connecticut-based nonprofit, has an ecommerce site with product listings to sell online as well as the ability to accept online donations. While the business’ main sales channel may be through distributors or a local store, it gives visitors the option to buy online, see upcoming events, and donate money to help support the organization.
Interested in building an ecommerce site like this? Get step-by-step instructions on how to build a Weebly website.
15. Portfolio Website: Thai Pham
CMS: Wix
This creative portfolio website from Thai Pham uses a retro layout that feels like it’s from another era of media publications, giving it a very editorial feel. It does a great job of illustrating personality without using text—something of homage to a photographer’s ability to capture the essence of a photo. It’s built on the Wix CMS, which offers dozens of prebuilt templates designed specifically for those building a portfolio website.
16. Digital Marketing: Haus
CMS: Next.js
It’s rare for us to find a website that’s clean and still visually stimulating. Los Angeles-based brand development agency, Haus, has succeeded in presenting its firm’s website in a highly engaging and entertaining fashion. It managed to reinvent the use of a carousel to make the layout simple yet appealing, with large animated photos that introduce you to its body of work.
If you’re looking for a website that puts emphasis on the visitor’s experience, try following a similar design.
Interested in a modern-looking website similar to this? Check out the “Digital Advertising Agency” template from Wix.
17. Ecommerce: Native Union
CMS: Shopify
Native Union, an online store, does an excellent job of presenting its numerous products without looking cluttered. The color scheme keeps the audience from feeling overwhelmed, allowing them to concentrate more on the products themselves. It has a search bar on the homepage, something we feel is crucial for any ecommerce website, as well as a sliding banner that makes it easy for users to navigate to the different pages.
To easily build an online store that looks like this, go to Shopify and choose the “Narrative” theme.
Alternatively, for a more affordable—and more user-friendly—ecommerce option, use Wix and choose the “Energy Snacks Store” template.
18. Educational Services: Play Street Museum
CMS: Squarespace
Play Street Museum of Plano, a museum for children, stays on brand by incorporating a playful and childlike design into its website. It does a good job of maintaining a clean web design that doesn’t feel cluttered, despite having a lot of different links. The layout is simple and familiar, making it easy to navigate around the site and creating a good user experience.
Start building your Squarespace website like this one with the Bryler template.
19. Event Planning: Bellafare
CMS: Squarespace
For event coordinators, a website gives them the chance to show their styles and concepts when working on a project. Bellafare’s website is designed to showcase a gallery of photos on a clean white backdrop that gives the site an elegant flair. It offers all the elements that an event coordinator’s website needs to market its brand—from an easy-to-navigate layout to creative content that can impress potential clients.
To create a site like this, head over to Squarespace and choose the “Camino” theme.
20. Home Goods: Lola Pate
CMS: Wix
This website from Lola Pate, a home goods brand, does a good job of telling a story in a creative way that doesn’t feel text-heavy or overly verbose. What’s a bit different about this website is that it’s not only an online store, but it also sells services. So, while visitors can shop its products, others can submit a quote request for custom work.
Visit Wix to start building your multi-use website easily.
21. Travel & Tourism: CoWorkSurf
CMS: Weebly
CoWorkSurf is a good example of how Weebly can be used to build out a comprehensive website. What’s unique about it is that it is a travel and tourism provider that offers vacation packages worldwide and from several different providers (similar to Airbnb).
It goes to show that while Weebly is most synonymous with online stores, it can also be used to build out other types of business, such as a hotel or accommodation booking website.
Also, note its use of live chat. This tool can greatly help you generate more leads and land more sales. Learn more about how you can supercharge your site with live chat from Podium.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What’s the best way to build a small business website?
The best way for most to build a small business website will be with an all-in-one site builder, such as Squarespace. Unlike WordPress, which can be difficult to use and involves a fairly steep learning curve, site builders are designed to make it easy for anyone to build their own professional website.
What are the best drag & drop website builders?
The best website builders are Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, GoDaddy, Webnode, and Elementor. Which is right for you will depend on your unique skills and needs. For example, Squarespace is best for building a design-forward website, whereas Wix is best for those who want maximum design freedom. Weebly is best for affordable online stores, whereas GoDaddy is best for service-based businesses. Get the full breakdown of the best drag-and-drop website builders.
How much does a small business website cost?
The cost to build a small business website varies greatly depending on whether you build it yourself or hire a web designer. If you build a website yourself, expect costs to be quite low. With a site builder, your only expense will be signing up for a plan, which is typically around $12 per month. If you build a site with WordPress, expect it to cost anywhere from $20 to $300 to build and $5 to $10 per month for hosting. Get the complete breakdown of website costs.
Bottom Line
Looking at website examples is a great way to get ideas and inspiration for any business designing a website. Consider not only the overall look and feel of a site, but also its capabilities and how it gives its audience what they’re looking for. Once you have an idea of what you want, the next step is to choose the right CMS that will help you easily build the site of your dreams.
If you’re still on the fence about which to use, try Squarespace as it’s the best overall for small businesses that want a great-looking site that’s easy to build and manage for as little as $12 per month. And with a 14-day free trial, there’s no risk in testing it out.
You May Also Like…
- Need help choosing a CMS? Check out the best website builders for small businesses.
- If you still haven’t registered your domain, learn how to get a free domain name.
- Once you build your website, generate traffic with these website marketing strategies.
