Growing up we probably all heard the old axiom “don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s sage advice, but even the most open-minded can be swayed by looks. That’s especially true in the case of websites.
Research found that half of website visitors say their perception of a business is partially tied to how their website looks. Further, nearly 40% of people won’t engage with a website at all if the design is unattractive. Those are some pretty stark numbers.
These days it’s fairly common for someone’s first interaction with a race to be their website. Taking the above numbers into consideration, one thing is clear: you need a good looking website.
In this article we cover what elements go into making a professional looking website and share some tips on how you can achieve a look that instills confidence for visitors and leaves a good first impression.
What makes a website look professional?
What makes something look good, or professional, is somewhat subjective. That said, there are a few core principles that seem to stand out across the board when it comes to well-designed websites.
- Clear, concise, and complete information – websites do a lot of things, but their core purpose is to share information. Having complete information that’s easy to find is essential for a high-quality website.
- Consistent and cohesive colors – having consistent colors and ones that compliment each other shows attention to detail and that you were intentional about your choices. With RunSignup you have the option to choose from a number of prebuilt color themes, or create your own custom theme.
- Visual variety – having multiple visual elements – like the high-quality images offered in RunSignup’s image gallery – on a website helps keep people engaged and can be a great way to help them navigate your website.
Each of these elements contributes to making a website look more put together. It doesn’t mean you won’t have a good site without all four, but we think taking all of them into consideration does make the process simpler when creating a website.
Building a professional website with RunSignup
Now that we’ve covered the concepts behind what makes a good looking website, we want to show examples of each in action and share how you can create your own professional looking website using RunSignup.
* Note – We’re currently developing website templates, making it even easier to create a professional-looking website with RunSignup. If you want to learn more about what’s coming, check out this video.
Clear, concise, and complete information
First and foremost, an event website is an information hub. So, it’s important that people visiting your website are able to get all the necessary information needed to make an informed decision on whether or not they want to participate.
Realistically, there’s any amount of information you could choose to include on your website, but there are a few things that are absolutely crucial. Those are the four W’s:
- What – This is sharing the type of race, or events offered (5k, marathon, half-marathon, etc.)
- When – The day and time of the event
- Where – The location of the event, or starting point. It’s best if this is a full address, not just a city and state.
- Why – this one is optional, but if you’re supporting a cause or local organization, it’s good to share that information as it can help people feel more connected and invested.
The first three W’s need to be present on your website. Most include the first two W’s (what and when) on their homepage. Some choose to include all four, like the Playmakers Autumn Classic did (pictured below). You can see they have all the basics, as well as information about the organization the event is raising funds for.
With RunSignup the first three W’s are included by default , as you’re prompted to add the information during the initial setup. If you move away from the default settings, it’s possible some of the information could be removed, so keep that in mind when editing.
Homepage
Your homepage is where visitors land first and generally gets the most attention. Because of that, it’s important you have all the basics like time, place, and types of events on your homepage. If you want to keep text minimal on the homepage – or go into further detail – it’s also an option to add subpages for different categories.
Subpages
With RunSignup you can choose to add additional pages to go more in-depth on a certain topic without cluttering your homepage. Housing them in dedicated sections makes it easier for visitors to navigate the page and find the information they need.
It’s fairly common for other event registration platform’s sites to be single pages, so it’s certainly a unique benefit of RunSignup to have the option. Those options and others are why some even choose to use their RunSignup to host their permanent website.
For example, look at the Houston Turkey Trot’s event page. They have a number of page options in the header and dedicated pages to things like the course map – RunSignup’s Strava Map component makes adding routes incredibly convenient – pricing, and packet pickup, too.
To add pages with Websites V2 you just click the plus sign on the right hand side of the website builder. From there, you can choose to add the page and even set a date for it to go live, or make it private. You can also reorder the pages after the fact by dragging them into place.
Consistent and cohesive colors
When you see a well put together website, color always tends to be part of the equation. Beyond just the colors chosen and how they interact, there also tends to be a consistent use of a certain color palette.
Take for example, the Market to Market Relay Race website. You can see they used the green from their logo as a highlight color throughout their homepage. It helps create a very cohesive look for the page.
Another great example of color use is the DC Half Marathon, 5k and Relay site. They went with a more vibrant and lively color palette. Though the colors are heavily saturated, they all blend well together. Similar to the other example, they also reflect their logo color on the page (in the footer in this instance).
With RunSignup you can choose from a set of prebuilt color themes, or make your own custom theme. This article goes in-depth on exactly how you can create and edit colors for your site. If you don’t have an existing color theme, and want a little help making one, you can use this site to create one.
Visual variety
Another aspect common on sites that look more professional is their use of multiple visual elements. That could mean having rich media like video and photos breaking up text. RunSignup offers users the ability to add in a wide variety of elements. For example, you can choose to add single, or dual column sections. Mixing single and dual column sections can help create visual interest and serve practical purposes, too.
Look at the Kansas City Zoo Run website. They use dual columns to highlight different options for their race, making it easier for visitors to navigate to the information they want.
Along with layout differences, using different types of rich media can also be really helpful. For example, the Tunnels to Towers 5k website has a beautiful video showing footage from a previous year, the video also shares more information about the event and includes an emotional message from one of the event’s founders.
Videos like the one they included can be extremely powerful. It shares their story and message in a way text alone can’t. Adding video to a website is easy to do with RunSignup. You just add a YouTube component and enter in the link to your video and it automatically embeds it on the page.
Images
Along with video, pictures are another great way to add visual variety to your website. With a RunSignup website you can add single photos, an image slideshow (which is a collection of photos as shown below) and background images. Each can be a great way to differentiate sections and share even more about your event in another medium. If you want a little more detail on our images, and ways you can use them on a RunSignup site, this video is a wonderful resource.
Tools like Canva can help you create high-quality digital images. We even have some pre-built Canva templates you can use. If you need pictures, our image gallery has a bunch of great options covering a wide variety of events and they’re 100% free to use.
Looking ahead
Creating a standout website for your event isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about making a memorable first impression that drives engagement. By focusing on clarity, cohesive colors, and visual variety, you set the stage for success.
If you’re ready to get building, you can start creating your race here.