Building a unique and authentic brand is harder than creating a website, which is now easier than ever
Early websites for companies like Stripe and Linear were simple and evolved as the companies grew and matured
Startups should use their website to reflect their current stage and avoid setting false expectations by trying to appear too polished or mature early on
Authentic branding means using language and presentation that resonates with the intended early users, not generic narratives aimed at everyone
Linear’s first site was built in a day, focusing efforts on the product rather than elaborate website design
Emphasized specificity in copy, using technical terms like "issue tracking" to attract early adopter audiences and filter out non-relevant visitors
Advocates having different versions of the company description: ambitious narratives for investors, straightforward and specific for customers
Early website was simple (single page, no blog/about), serving mainly to collect emails and signal credibility
Over time, the site evolved with the product—adding features, more mature visual design, and more detail for a larger, more varied clientele while striving to maintain simplicity
The homepage should provide just enough information for new visitors to understand and get interested, avoiding overwhelming or under-informing them
Clean design geared towards enterprise market, but low conversion acknowledged as typical for enterprise-focused products—most sales occur through outbound efforts, not website sign-ups
The site lacks options for self-service trial, potentially limiting user engagement
Calls to action could be improved by offering sample prompts for its AI demo and ensuring enterprise-appropriate terminology
Headline and subheadings are generic; more specificity and clarity on product’s unique offerings and audience are suggested
Suggests dedicated pages for detailed enterprise requirements, such as security or customer stories
Highly memorable and opinionated design with playful illustrations and unconventional storytelling approach
Branding and visual style intentionally set it apart from typical category competitors, leveraging unique color palettes and hand-drawn typefaces
Lacks clarity about the product’s actual contents and features in the above-the-fold section; more direct explanations and a clear call to action are needed
Suggests building a mailing list/community by adding an email sign-up, and anchoring the social mission as a key brand element
Typographic and visual choices reinforce the feeling of being organic and approachable, which counters the lab-grown method of the product
Uses technical language (“LLM evaluation and observability platform for Deep Eval”), indicating target audience is highly specialized (LLM/AI engineers)
Communicates value and open-source credentials but could better clarify differentiation and explicit linking between open-source (Deep Eval) and their paid product
Visual/copy choices (e.g., purple underlining headline) may cause confusion or mislead into thinking elements are interactive
Recommends making clear what distinguishes their platform and who the ideal customer is, possibly by aligning website messaging with actual user patterns and open-source community
Targets non-technical audiences (collegiate athletic programs/coaches) and aims to communicate a complex offering (revenue sharing/front office software)
Landing page is visually busy, with moving grids and colorful backgrounds that can distract and reduce readability
Concerns about “chaotic” content and need to show exhaustive feature lists due to customer skepticism
Suggests paring down above-the-fold content to core value and using deeper pages for feature details; highlights the importance of clarity and trust-building visuals for non-technical users
Advocates using navigation to provide audience-specific content and social proof, and reducing unnecessary animation for a calmer experience
Simplicity, clarity, and audience specificity are key, especially in early-stage branding and design
Use your homepage to engage and inform newcomers, but avoid overloading it; employ navigation for more detailed audience-specific information
Fonts, colors, and illustration styles communicate brand values and should align with the psychological needs of the target audience (e.g., trustworthiness, playfulness, modernity)
Brand and website should evolve along with the company, product offering, and customer needs
"First principles" thinking and authenticity in visual/tonal choices increase memorability and differentiate from “cookie-cutter” competitors