How to Design a Website

This is the process I have picked up over time, and it has worked for me despite having zero formal design background. I used to stare at a blank canvas trying to figure out where to even start. A lot of people get stuck in that same spot.

You do not need to reinvent design. You need a way to get from a blank page to something you would actually show a client.

Steal like an artist (sort of)

Before you do anything else, look at websites that actually look good. Not just pretty, but practical too.

I spend a lot of time browsing top-rated themes. I study how they arrange content, how they structure sections, and what they put where. Then I borrow bits from different designs and mash them into something new.

Here is the thing about design: almost nothing is purely original. Everything is inspired by, or built on, something that came before it. Once you accept that, a lot of the pressure drops. You do not need a brand-new layout. You need enough good examples in your head that you have a mental library to pull from.

Draw it out first

Once I have a few designs I like, I grab paper and start sketching. Nothing fancy. I tape four or five sheets together, draw a rough wireframe in pencil, then go over it with marker.

A sketch is cheap to change. A polished mockup is not. Get the structure right on paper before you spend time making it look finished.

Move to Figma

After the sketch looks decent, I bring it into Figma and start refining. This is where it comes alive: real colors, actual images, proper text, and spacing that is no longer a guess.

The first version rarely gets approved as-is. Clients almost always have notes. They want to add this, remove that, change something else. That is normal. You take the feedback, adjust the file, and send it back. Two or three rounds is common. That is part of the process, not a sign that the first pass failed.

How I actually approach design

I am not a trained designer. These are principles I learned through trial and error, and they have been consistent.

Visual hierarchy matters more than you think

You need to know what is most important on the page and make sure it stands out. Key information should not be buried or crowded out by everything else. If something matters, it should be prominent.

There are plenty of solid resources on visual hierarchy if you want to go deeper. Search for it and you will find clear articles from Adobe and others, plus landing-page videos that cover hierarchy, creative layout, and white space in a way that actually clicks.

White space is huge

I cannot stress this enough. So many sites cram content together with no breathing room. Everything feels cluttered and overwhelming.

Here is what I do:

• Mobile -> at least 50px of padding on the top and bottom of every section.
• Desktop -> 75–100px for major sections. I have seen sites with 10–20px between sections, and they look cramped.
• Paragraphs -> line height around 1.4 to 1.5. That is the sweet spot for readability. Some sites go up to 1.7, which can work, but 1.4–1.5 feels more natural for body text.
• Headings -> at least 1.5 times the paragraph font size, and bold. That gap helps separate sections and pulls the eye where you want it.

A homepage structure that works

Once you have this skeleton down, design gets easier. You already know what content you need and where it lives. It becomes closer to paint-by-numbers.

Hero

This is what people see first. Start with an H1 that states the main thing the business does, using their most important keyword. Follow with an H2 that goes into more detail about their services and the problems they solve. Finish with one or two call-to-action buttons.

What do you want visitors to do first? Call? Get a quote? Make that the CTA.

Services

What does the business actually do, and what problems does it solve? Cards work well here, sometimes with icons. They break up the page and make the information easier to scan.

About

This is where the company sells itself. Who are they? What is their history? Why are they the right choice? Let visitors meet the people behind the business. It humanizes the company and builds trust.

Additional content

This is the flexible middle. Google likes to see content on the homepage, and I recommend at least 1,200 words. I use this section for extra copy around their keywords and services, which helps with SEO.

I put it in the middle on purpose. People tend to remember the first and last parts of a site most:

• Services stay near the top, so people remember what the business does.
• Testimonials sit near the bottom, so people leave with a positive impression.
• SEO content lives in between.

This block can also hold “reasons to choose us,” a step-by-step process, or whatever extra the client wants to showcase.

Gallery or portfolio

Show the client’s best work. Straightforward, and it does more for trust than another paragraph of claims.

Testimonials

End on a high note. Let real customers explain why the business is worth calling. I also like linking to a dedicated testimonials page with the full set of reviews.

This is a content gold mine: organic, written by actual people, and usually stuffed with the client’s keywords without anyone trying. Testimonials are one of the best free SEO tools you can add. Use as many as you can.

Footer

Contact info, logo, maybe a mini sitemap, social links. The usual, and it should still be easy to scan.

Interior pages

Once the homepage is locked in, the rest of the site gets easier because you have already established the visual language.

Keep interior pages simpler. The hero is usually smaller: a basic banner with the page title and maybe a short subtitle. Then the same rules apply: proper spacing, clear hierarchy, and styling that matches the rest of the site.

Most sites need the usual pages: About, Services, Contact, maybe a Blog or FAQ. Some clients need a Team page, Careers, or individual service pages. The structure adapts. The design principles stay the same. You are slotting content into the framework you already built.

Where to go from here

That is the process. Expose yourself to good designs so you have a mental library of layouts. Sketch it on paper. Refine it in Figma. Get feedback and iterate. Then build it.

If you already know you want a custom-coded site, but would rather not design and ship it yourself, start here.