In my years as a website developer, I’ve noticed a common pattern:

Many startups begin by building their own website.

It’s an understandable choice, especially when you’re trying to save costs in the early stages.

But here’s the problem: as the business grows, I often see website become disorganised, cluttered, and hard to scale.

This happens because, in the rush to get something live, the structure and long-term needs of the site are often overlooked.

Without a clear plan from the start, the website can grow in all sorts of directions:

• Disjointed pages
• Confusing navigation
• L ack of consistency.

All of this makes scaling down the line much harder (and expensive).

The good news is that, with a little foresight and planning, you can avoid many of these common pitfalls.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to design an MVP website that grows with your startup. I’ll take you through actionable steps to avoid common pitfalls and build a site that supports your business now, and scales with it as you grow.

1. Define Your Goals and Audience First

One of the most important steps in designing your startup’s website is defining your goals and understanding your audience.

It’s easy to get caught up in the details.

Colors, fonts, flashy animations,… you name it. But it’s essential to prioritize defining your audience’s needs and your website’s purpose first.

Take a moment to answer these crucial questions:

• Who are your customers? – Define your target audience as specifically as possible. Are they other businesses or end consumers? What are their pain points or needs?
• What do they need from your website? – Focus on the specific problems your website needs to solve for your visitors. Are they looking for information, a solution, or something else?
• What’s the main outcome you want visitors to achieve? – Think of it in terms of the primary goal of your site: Do you want them to convert immediately, engage with your content, or build a relationship over time?

Having clear answers to these questions will ensure your website is designed to serve the people who matter most: your customers.

2. Choose the Right Platform for Your MVP

Many startup founders build their first website just to "get something up." That works in the early days, but as your business grows, so do your needs:

• You’ll want more control over your messaging as your product evolves.
• You’ll need a site that loads fast and ranks well so potential customers can find you.
• You might require integrations with CRM tools, analytics, or hiring platforms.

If you start with a basic, inflexible site, you’ll likely face an expensive rebuild down the road. Instead, build with scalability in mind—even if you start small.So, what platform should you use?

The right platform depends on where you are now and where you're headed:

• Framer → Perfect for early-stage startups that need a fast, polished website for product launches and investor pitches. Super quick to build, great animations, and ideal for making a strong first impression.
• Webflow → Best for startups that need more design control and a scalable website. If you’re growing, hiring, and need a professional presence beyond just a launch page, Webflow gives you flexibility without needing to code.
• WordPress → A solid choice for startups with complex needs (e.g., blogs, marketplaces, multilingual sites). It’s more technical but highly customizablewith the right setup.

The key: To choose a platform that won’t require you to switch or rebuild in a year. If you're unsure where to start, feel free to reach out to me on LinkedIn for a chat.

3 Think of Your Website As a Tool.

Tweaking colors, testing fonts, and adding animations can be fun, but the real impact comes from how well your website communicates your value and drives visitors to take action.

Think of your website as a tool—when it’s designed to support your business goals, it works for you. If it’s not driving growth, it’s holding you back.

What moves the needle?

A Clear Value Proposition
Visitors should immediately understand:A weak value proposition:

• “We create innovative marine technology solutions.”

A strong value proposition:

• “We help fish farms reduce sea lice by 90% with zero chemicals.”

One is vague. The other is specific, results-driven, and instantly clear. If your website doesn’t say something this direct, you’re leaving potential customers confused—and confusion kills conversions.

1. Who you help
2. What problem you solve
3. Why they should care

A Simple Product/Service Overview

If your website reads like a technical manual, you’re losing potential customers.

Keep it digestible:

Many founders assume their audience already understands what they offer. But if someone lands on your site from a referral or a LinkedIn post, they need a quick, easy-to-understand explanation.
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Test this: Show your website to someone outside your industry. If they can’t explain what you do in 10 seconds, your message isn’t clear enough.

1. What is your product?
2. How does it work?
3. Why is it better than the alternatives?

A Strong Call-to-Action (CTA)
Every page should answer: What do you want visitors to do next?

Examples of weak CTAs:

• Learn More (Too vague)
• Get Started (Get started… with what?)

Examples of strong CTAs:

• Book a 15-Minute Consultation
• See Pricing & Request a Quote
• Watch a 2-Minute Demo

Your CTA should remove friction, not add it. The clearer the action, the more likely visitors are to take the next step.

1. Want them to book a call? Say that.
2. Want them to request a quote? Make it obvious.
3. Want them to sign up for a demo? Don’t make them hunt for the button.

4. Design for Easy Navigation and a Holistic Strategy

A smooth and easy experience for visitors starts with simple, clear navigation. Make sure your website is organized so users can quickly find what they need and take the right steps.Your website should fit naturally into your overall business approach. This means it should match your brand, your social media presence, and any marketing campaigns you have. The goal is for the website to feel like an important part of your business, not something separate.

Here’s how to improve the experience for your users:

• Clear Site Structure: Make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for by organizing your content logically.
• Clear Paths for Users: Think about how users will move through your website and guide them toward the actions you want them to take.
• Consistent Design: Make sure your website looks and feels like it’s part of your brand and communicates your message clearly.

5. Build Trust Through Social Proof

For many startups, earning trust is key to growth.

When designing your startup’s first website, building trust is one of the most important things you can do. Social proof: real-world validation from customers, partners, and industry experts reassures potential clients that you’re a legitimate and reliable choice.

Here’s how to incorporate social proof into your website’s design from the start:

• Client Testimonials → Share feedback from customers you’ve helped, even in the early stages. Short, specific quotes work best.
• Case Studies → Highlight real-world examples of how your service or product has made a difference. Focus on results that resonate with your audience.
• Media Mentions → If your startup has been featured in the press, add those mentions to your site to boost credibility.

The key: Make collecting feedback and social proof a seamless part of your workflow as soon as you start building your website. This way, you'll have the validation you need to build trust and attract the right customers from day one.

6. Don’t Skip SEO (If People Don’t Know You Exist, They Can’t Come to You)

Search Engine Optimization should be a top priority from the start.

SEO is about making sure that search engines like Google understand what your website is about, so they can show it to people who are searching for what you offer.

Here’s how a small MVP website can leverage SEO, even with limited content:

• Keyword Research → Identify the keywords your target audience is searching for and incorporate them naturally into your content. This can be as simple as including terms related to your product or service that people are likely to search for.
• Content Strategy → Even if your MVP doesn’t have a blog yet, you can still create valuable content like FAQs, industry insights, or a product/service overview that addresses your customers’ pain points.
• Meta Descriptions → Often overlooked. Each page on your site should have a unique meta description that accurately reflects the content.

Remember, SEO is not an afterthought. It’s an integral part of ensuring your website gets the visibility it deserves, even in its MVP stage. The earlier you incorporate these practices, the more you’ll benefit in the long run.

I hope this guide was helpful! If you have any questions or need further guidance, feel free to leave a comment, and if you want your own copy of my Startup Website MVP Cheatsheet, you can do so by duplicating this Notion page.