Today, many websites look the same. They may be beautiful and well functioning, but to make your website stand out online and be memorable to potential customers, you want to make your website unique. But with so many websites out there, how do you make a website unique?

There are many ways to make a unique website. The primary way to create a one-of-a-kind website is to include specialized design elements that are only found on that site. These elements include copywriting voice, brand colors, fonts, photos, videos, animations, and choice of design layout.

In reality, these are all things websites should have, but it is how you create them that gives them their uniqueness. Every brand has its own special story, and every designer their own style. When the brand and design are expressed in a way to truly express their personality, that’s when a unique website is created. So let’s dive in further and explore using these design elements to create a truly one-of-a-kind website.

Find Inspiration Away From The Internet

One way that websites all end up looking the same is because designers are getting inspiration from other website designs and following standard User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) conventions. While there is nothing wrong with this, and UX and UI conventions are used to help make a website intuitive for viewers, it can mean that websites end up effectively having the same design.

To find inspiration when seeking to design something unique, get inspiration from sources outside of the internet. For example, many designers look toward nature, fashion, or architecture to inspire their work. You can also look to different design styles throughout history for something that catches your eye and study the elements that you like. Use this outside inspiration, then think of how to incorporate that into your website design project.

Speak To Your Ideal Customer

One common mistake many brands make is generally talking about themselves and why they’re good rather than focusing on the benefits for the customer. Remember that a business website is ultimately to draw in customers. Speaking to your ideal customer and creating a unique brand identity voice through website copy will help make a website stand out from the masses.

Create Unique Content

This should go without saying, but unfortunately, large numbers of websites out there just copy everyone else’s content. I’m not just talking about blatant copyright infringements and plagiarism but also talking about similar things as competitors. Of course, some things in industries include standard information, and unique ideas don’t quite fit, but in those cases, is there a unique way of presenting that information?

For example, if everyone has written a blog post on a topic you are covering, can you make a video or audio transcript instead? Can you include step-by-step images? Or, simply, can you do more in-depth research on a topic and gather data yourself where everyone else is just copying the other bloggers around them?

Making a unique website is more than just creating a one-of-a-kind design.

Select Brand Colors

Using brand colors throughout your website will also help to make it unique when compared to competitors. For example, if a business competitor uses a specific shade of blue, don’t use a similar blue. Instead, choose a different color that portrays your unique brand identity and emotions to connect with your ideal customer.

Colors are a crucial part of the design. Staying consistent with three to five brand colors across your entire website and social media pages will help create a cohesive, recognizable, and ultimately memorable customer experience. Thinking outside of the box will help you stand out.

Choose Strategic Fonts

Much like choosing brand colors, being strategic with fonts can help make a website unique. In the same way, as colors evoke emotions, so do different typography styles. Before settling on a typography choice, research its history and ask people what they think of it to see if that aligns with the feeling you want people to experience when interacting with the website.

Typically, the best place to play with interesting fonts is in headings, as they will be easier to read when larger. For the body font, pick something that compliments the heading style yet is simple and clear in smaller sizes. This will ensure that all the unique messages in the copy are highlighted and communicated effectively.

Include Professional Photography and Videography

Using professional photography and videography of products, services, and the people involved in your business is one of the best ways to make a website unique. High-quality photos and videos showcase a brand’s story and personality. Utilizing these in a design can make a website stand out from a sea of stock photos.

Incorporate Brand Elements

A fun way to mix up a website’s design is to incorporate brand elements and iconography into the style. For example, perhaps a certain shape that’s in the logo is incorporated into subtle background effects or used to create fun borders holding images and videos. Using elements that appear across other marketing materials, such as business cards and stationery, brings a cohesive aesthetic throughout the customer experience, helping to make it memorable.

Use Animations

When used well, animations are an excellent way to make a website unique. There are many ways to use effective animations today that go above and beyond the typical sliding-in text or button hovers. For example, Lottie files are scalable JSON-based animation file formats that are lightweight, so they don’t weigh down a website’s speed. There are many free, open-source Lottie file options to choose from. However, a skilled Lottie designer can create specialized files unique to a brand style to make a unique motion experience on a website.

Playing with scroll effects on websites can also mix up the experience for a unique impact. Traditionally a website page scrolls vertically, but altering this to scroll horizontally makes for a memorable experience. Additionally, websites can use animations with the user clicking on characters to move around the pages to form a story-like experience rather than a traditional menu structure.

The sky’s the limit when it comes to how to use animation. However, many designers agree that less is more when it comes to animations. Having too much going on can create a confusing experience which isn’t the effect we’re typically going for.

Keep a Consistent Design

We’ve already touched on this earlier in the article, but this deserves repeating. Making a website unique doesn’t mean every page is different and delivers a different experience. I’ve seen websites that are all over the place regarding their colors and sometimes fonts, and while it does make it unique, it doesn’t make it impressive.

Choose your style and general layout early in the design process. Then using iterations of that across the website, so each page has its own feel, but overall the website’s vibe is cohesive. Having one unique style will be more impactful than mixing it up page by page.

Don’t Copy Trends

Copying trends may deliver beautiful results, but they won’t make a website unique. I’m not saying that elements of trends should never be used but for a one-of-a-kind experience, avoid them.

This brings us back around to the first point, which was to seek inspiration away from the internet. Instead of copying trendy styles in a niche, consider what attracts you to them. What emotions do they bring up that you want to reflect on your website? Get away from the computer and find what else brings that emotion. How can you incorporate those emotions and feelings into your website without copying what everyone else is doing?

There are endless ways to create a unique website that stands out in the user’s mind. From crazy layouts and unique animations to simply excellent content, the world is your oyster! Combine these design tips with these seven key elements that make a website attractive to enhance user engagement.

Adrianne Jerrett

Adrianne Jerrett is a yoga-loving self-awareness writer and the founder of Jerrett Digital, a brand identity and design company that creates bold Showit websites for health and wellness professionals and ethical businesses. She helps overwhelmed entrepreneurs shift to being aligned and confident experts, ready to grow their businesses online and boost their positive impact.