How to build a marketing website

The bottom line

To build an effective marketing website, you should use a user-friendly Content Management System (CMS) that allows you to update text and blog posts quickly without touching code. Keep this site entirely separate from your actual software application to ensure that marketing updates don't interfere with your product's stability.

Choose the right platform

Since your marketing website is separate from your technical product, you don't need to build it from scratch using complex programming languages. Most successful SaaS founders use 'no-code' or 'low-code' tools to get to market faster. Popular options include:

• Webflow or Framer: Great for design-heavy sites with high-end animations.
• WordPress: The industry standard for blogging and SEO, with thousands of templates.
• Ghost: A sleek, modern alternative focused purely on publishing and simplicity.

By using a CMS, you ensure that your marketing team (or just you in the early days) can change pricing or add a new blog post in minutes rather than waiting for a developer to deploy a new build.

Structure for conversion

A marketing website is not just an online brochure; it is a conversion engine. Your layout should guide a visitor toward a single goal—usually signing up for a trial or booking a demo. At a minimum, your site should include:

• A clear 'Hero' section: The first thing people see. It must state what you do, who it's for, and why they should care.
• The Pricing page: A transparent look at your subscription tiers. Use clear tables to show the differences between plans.
• A Blog: A dedicated space to share industry insights and news, which helps bring people to your site via search engines.
• Call-to-Action (CTA) buttons: Use high-contrast buttons (e.g., 'Start Your Free Trial') in the top right corner and at the bottom of every page.

Keep your app and site separate

It is a best practice to host your marketing website on your root domain (e.g., www.yourstartup.co.uk) and your actual software on a subdomain (e.g., app.yourstartup.co.uk). This separation means that if your marketing site gets a sudden surge of traffic, it won't slow down the software your customers are paying for. It also makes it much easier to manage security and technical updates independently.

Tips for success

"Don't make your customers think. If they can't work out what you sell within five seconds of landing on your page, you've already lost them."

• Optimise for mobile: Many people will find your site through social media or LinkedIn on their phones. Ensure the layout looks professional on a small screen.
• Use social proof: Even if you are just starting, include quotes from early testers or logos of companies that use your tools.
• Check your speed: UK users expect fast loading times. Avoid massive, uncompressed images that slow the site down.