Cancer Research UK
This is what the Cancer Research UK website looks like above the fold on my monitor. Far from a conventional homepage, the numbers help to lend focus to the nature of the continuing fight against cancer.
This tessellation is a clever way to mix in links to Twitter, Facebook (social is so important for this organisation) and video content. It works much like a storyboard. There’s still the traditional header menu to help users navigate to more specific content.
The site is responsive, too.
Trivago
What’s beautiful about the Trivago homepage is it’s essentially the entire website. I only have to start typing a location and it automatically renders to show search results, without me having to hit go.
Just punch in a target city and the hotels will appear. When selecting more information about a particular hotel, be it photos, reviews or destination, the information simply folds out below the option.
This allows one to focus on the task in hand and prevents any abandonments by confused customers waiting for a new page to load. The range of symbols to show social proof and savings represent best practice, and again the site is responsive.
Volkswagen
Of all the automotive websites I have visited, Volkswagen is my favourite. In fact, there isn’t much competition in a sector that often presents dated websites.
Here Volkswagen nails the personas of its likely visitors on the front page. Just look at the first person statements allowing quick understanding and navigation.
Zoopla
Zoopla does what all good websites do – exactly what you want them to do.
There’s no messing about, simply a large search box and filters. The location you add remains in the field as you change tabs and everything is chunky enough to make for easy use.
Compare this to Foxtons, below, by no means a poor website, but one with smaller a search box and too much space taken up in prime real estate (no pun intended) by copy bragging about award winning (which no customer gives a stuff about).
For more on the property industry, read our post on estate agent mobile apps.
Compare to Foxtons
B&Q
This homepage (and website) is included on this list for its menus. They’re big, have pictures and great copy. The rest of the homepage is freed up to push savings, popular products and more.
Inspiration menu
Project menu
Help and advice menu
VANMOOF
Okay, this website isn’t mobile friendly. However, I wanted to include a homepage I enjoy because of the way it uses good sized, high quality imagery to maintain interest.
It’s hard not to cycle through all of the images here and then perhaps, go on, see how much one of those bikes costs.
Netflix
You can’t deny the beautiful simplicity of this homepage.
A recent UK survey by Ofcom showed 14% of people said they streamed via Netflix. This homepage offers no barriers to stop more from doing so.
Basecamp
Another nicely responsive website that manages to tread a beautifully honest and humorous line that never strays into self-aggrandisement or cringe.
Just look at the illustration to start, which I’ve enlarged below. The overenthusiastic cries of ‘basecamp!’ make one realise this is tongue in cheek and the company understands it must do more than pat itself on the back (it’s the customers that must love it, and they do, in fact the cartoon isn’t far off).
Humour
The homepage contains lots of nice little touches such as this message below.
And this illustrated client list that makes everything feel less corporate and more fun/trustworthy.
It’s a very long homepage and I’ve pasted the entire thing below (though better just to check out the website yourself). You can see how it has no bullshit on it. This paragraph sums up its no-nonsense copywriting:
Primarily through word-of-mouth alone, Basecamp has become the world’s #1 project management tool. For the last 10 years, companies have been switching to Basecamp because it’s famously easy-to-use, reliable, and It Just Works™. Combine that with our best-in-the-biz customer service, and you’ve got a unique and delightful package. Just last week, another 5,576 companies started using Basecamp.
This is backed up by one the headlines, which proudly conveys ‘No “IT Guy” required’.
On the whole this is probably the best B2B homepage and product page in existence in my opinion.
Click to enlarge
Axiom Law
Some may think this is a strange choice, but I like this law firm’s homepage and website for paring down information where possible so the user doesn’t feel inundated.
If you click through any of these blocks you’ll find more pretty and functional pages. The whole thing has an economy about it that makes it feel classic rather than brash.
The New Yorker
Here’s a website that isn’t particular flashy. When I was on it, some of the ads weren’t showing properly (thank God).
But I had to include it because I like publishers that have great typography and lots of white space. There are some simple mouseover effects. It’s easy to use and feels focused. Just what I want as a reader.
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