Static web sites entail a collection of pre-built HTML, CSS, and/or Javascript information, every representing a particular webpage.
Pre-built is the key phrase right here, as these information will not be generated by a server like they’re on dynamic websites. As an alternative, the server hosts the pre-built information and returns them to customers the identical approach they already had been.
Consequently, a static web site’s content material doesn’t change primarily based on particular variables, such because the customer’s location. Meaning each customer sees the identical precise internet web page.
Though this may increasingly look like a disadvantage initially, the shortage of dynamically generated code makes static web sites simpler to construct and keep. In contrast to with dynamic websites, you don’t should take care of extra server-side scripts, like Python or PHP.
Static websites work simply positive with HTML alone. And in addition to, a lot of the prime web site builders might help you construct a static website by way of drag-and-drop interfaces within the first place, with no coding required.
Because the information are pre-built, static web sites additionally expertise quicker loading occasions—which means guests don’t want to attend for the server to generate any new code.
Regardless of their simplicity, static web sites don’t should be bland. There are many lovely static web sites in use immediately by massive firms and organizations.
1. Ruby on Rails
Ruby on Rails is a full-stack open-source internet improvement framework utilized by firms like GitHub, Airbnb, and SoundCloud, as an illustration.
The homepage’s format is easy but extremely efficient. It makes use of whitespace alongside the margins to direct the customer’s consideration in direction of the web page’s heart. That’s the place Rails on Rails turns its focus to the copy.
The headlines are catchy and stand out by means of their brilliant pink colour whereas clearly describing the platform’s advantages. The supporting copy follows the identical format—it’s emboldened, concise, and strikes an ideal steadiness between being informative and fascinating.
Ruby on Rails additionally features a long-form video tutorial beneath the principle headline. This provides customers a glimpse into how the platform works and encourages them to strive it for themselves. The video additionally goals to get guests engaged, resulting in elevated dwell occasions and decreased bounce charges.
Though the Rails homepage is static, the navigation menu results in many different pages which can be dynamic, like its neighborhood discussion board. This web page updates mechanically each time customers publish a brand new subject.
Most certainly, one of many major explanation why the Ruby on Rails homepage is static is to characteristic on Rails a prolonged video with out dragging down efficiency.
Secondly, the homepage already contains all the weather essential to enchantment to guests. It has participating copy that showcases the platform’s advantages, a video tutorial displaying how the platform works, belief badges, and a quick rundown of key options.
In different phrases, the homepage doesn’t want to change its content material to enchantment to particular customer segments.
2. Hartwell Insurance coverage
Hartwell Insurance coverage permits industrial companies to create customized insurance coverage options particular to their wants by means of its captive insurance coverage companies.
Hartwell’s web site is extremely minimalistic. Like Ruby on Rails, it locations most design components within the heart, which come out by means of the empty house alongside the margins.
The above-the-fold content material attracts consideration to the corporate’s tagline, which is printed by way of a sketch-based graphic. Though a small contact, the define has a big affect on the homepage’s above-the-fold design, bringing additional consideration to the headline whereas contributing to the location’s aesthetic.
The navigation menu hyperlinks are highlighted by means of a lighter shade of blue, mixing in with the web site’s colour palette whereas nonetheless attracting consideration. The CTA buttons on the underside proper and left comply with the same format, however are outlined and coloured in white to face out barely extra.
Hartwell makes up for the shortage of images and simplistic format by means of varied scrolling animations and hover results, which add a splash of life to the web site.
3. TwitchCon
TwitchCon is Twitch’s annual gaming conference, internet hosting occasions each in Europe and North America.
In contrast to Hartwell, TwitchCon’s web site is image-heavy. Its hero picture occupies a lot of the above-the-fold display house and is animated to make the web site really feel extra alive.
It additionally hypes up guests by means of its copy—the question-based headline will get guests engaged and sparks curiosity about streamers who will attend the occasion. The remainder of the copy is concentrated on answering questions and producing much more enthusiasm for guests.
TwitchCon’s homepage directs the customer’s consideration to the occasion’s places with a navigation menu that results in the Las Vegas and Paris conference pages. The homepage additional promotes its upcoming Las Vegas occasion by highlighting it by means of a big CTA on the precise aspect.
Similar to the hero picture, the CTA field’s purple colour stands out from the white background. It additionally covers all the size of the above-the-fold part, making it actually arduous to overlook.
4. Hom Candy Hom
Hom Candy Hom is a wonderful portfolio web site.
The web site’s copy is brief and to the purpose, the CTAs are clear and stand out by means of their contrasting colours, and the navigation menu is positioned proper within the header the place customers count on it. In different phrases, the location carefully follows lots of the greatest practices in internet design.
Moreover, the split-screen format enhances the web page’s above-the-fold design by separating the hero picture from the copy. This helps draw equal consideration to each components.
The skilled picture on the left represents the artist and her design capabilities by means of the backdrop in addition to the calligraphy work and portray instruments on the bottom.
The copy on the precise is participating and goes into a little bit extra element about her inventive background. The CTA textual content is well-written. Relatively than a generic “About me” copy, the “Inform me extra” message is extra inviting and compels guests to click on by means of.
The web site’s design additionally builds upon the hero picture by following the identical colour scheme because the wall portray within the picture, with every colour serving its objective. White and light-weight inexperienced act as background colours to present the homepage a soothing really feel, whereas orange makes the headline and CTA buttons stand out.
The remainder of the homepage then makes use of logos of the businesses the artist beforehand labored with as a belief aspect. It additionally showcases her work, programs, and weblog posts underneath a grid format—wonderful for displaying massive quantities of knowledge in an organized method.
5. Spotify for Builders
Spotify for Builders offers customers entry to the platform’s music and podcast knowledge.
By accessing its internet API, builders can construct customized purposes that seamlessly hyperlink with Spotify, like Uncover Shortly, a Spotify-powered internet app that enables customers to seek out extra details about particular artists and hearken to tune snippets inside Spotify’s Uncover Weekly playlist.
Anyway, Spotify’s static developer web site stands out by means of its easy UI. The above-the-fold content material contains only a headline, tagline, and a CTA button.
A simplistic interface like that is wonderful for cell optimization as a result of the much less crowded your web site is, the better it’s to make it match on smaller screens. In the meantime, the web page additionally compensates for the shortage of different design components by way of a full-screen colourful illustration within the background, making it really feel busier than it really is.
Lastly, relatively than directing customers to a separate webpage, the CTA button leads guests towards the underside of the homepage, the place they will check out and run a bit of pre-written code on the spot. This is a wonderful concept to get guests to work together with the web site and present them how the platform works.
6. KeyCDN
KeyCDN is a content material supply community supplier (CDN), which caches a web site’s content material throughout a community of proxy servers distributed across the globe. That is helpful for lowering loading occasions, as a result of when customers go to your web site, they’ll hook up with the server that’s closest to them.
KeyCDN’s web site jumps straight into producing conversions as rapidly as attainable. The headline highlights the platform’s major advantages, whereas the supporting copy goes into extra element and states how straightforward it’s to make use of the platform.
The location then strikes to earn the customer’s belief by mentioning the CDN’s hit ratio and the variety of places it serves.
The sign-up kind on the precise stands out by means of its contrasting colours and doesn’t ask for extra info than wanted. It solely requires the customer’s web site and e-mail deal with. This goals to maximise conversions, as too many kind fields can discourage guests from submitting their particulars.
The below-the-fold content material builds on the statements inside the headline and supporting copy, doubling down on how rapidly guests can get began with the platform. It additionally contains particulars about how the options can enhance web site efficiency, together with belief components like testimonials and logos of firms that use KeyCDN.
7. Godot Tutorials
Godot Tutorials presents quite a few free sport programming programs. Its website’s minimalistic design strikes an ideal steadiness between operate and aesthetics.
The homepage’s above-the-fold content material contains a big illustration that provides to the web site’s general look. The headline and supporting copy briefly clarify what the web site is about and the way it might help guests. The CTA button is highlighted by way of its brilliant orange colour, with easy copy that leads customers on to the course web page.
There’s additionally a secondary CTA beneath the principle one, in plain hyperlinked textual content. That is an anchor hyperlink that takes customers additional down the web page to a lead magnet, which concisely explains the advantages of subscribing to the publication. Guests solely must kind of their e-mail addresses at this level, and that’s good for decreasing friction.
The Godot Tutorials web site stands out by means of its concentrate on offering worth to guests. Relatively than pushing for conversions by bringing out the course’s advantages under the fold, it presents a fast three-step information displaying individuals find out how to undergo and take advantage of out of its programs.
First, it recommends that customers begin with entry-level tutorials earlier than steadily transferring on to extra superior programs. In the meantime, every step features a temporary description of its corresponding course collection, and a CTA. It is a nice use of a static homepage.
8. Screamin’ Sicilian
Screamin’ Sicilian is a family-owned frozen pizza producer. Regardless of its easy format and generic-looking components, the web site is stuffed with character.
The copy is enjoyable and assured, efficiently reflecting the homey ambiance of an Italian family-owned enterprise. Most notably, the “Peek into our freezer” CTA beneath the supporting copy is authentic and complies with the web site’s theme.
That theme itself provides dashes of brown colours all through its design, alluding to pizza bins and establishing model consistency.
Along with the playful copy, the web site’s design components additionally do job of getting guests engaged and nudging them to discover extra of the corporate’s merchandise.
Most notably, the underside of the homepage goals to encourage guests to browse the corporate’s merchandise by beginning with a fast query in regards to the customer’s favourite pizza model. This type of copy instantly addresses the customer and brings up its versatility in merchandise. Plus there’s some cool mustaches.
9. Tomango
Simply as its supporting copy states, Tomango is a UK-based model, internet design, and digital advertising company.
Its static web site does job of introducing the corporate—the headline clearly states how Tomango might help its guests, whereas the copy beneath it contains emboldened hyperlinked textual content.
These hyperlinks result in the company’s model, internet design, and digital advertising service pages, the place guests can be taught extra in regards to the firm’s experience.
The CTA is printed merely however blends within the background colour to make it come out with out being obtrusive. Additionally, the arrow subsequent to it factors towards the hero picture, making it clear that the picture reveals one of many company’s earlier tasks.
Total, this web site’s emphasis on whitespace and easy white and pink colour scheme (with the occasional splash of black and grey) offers the design a smooth look, establishes distinction, and enhances the shopping expertise.
Conclusion
Static web sites will not be a factor of the previous, they usually actually don’t should seem like they arrive straight out of the 90s.
On prime of their simplicity, static web sites are straightforward to construct and keep—making them a superb possibility should you’re seeking to create your first web site. In actual fact, lots of the examples on this very publish had been constructed with static web site turbines like Hugo and Jekyll.
