First impressions aren't just important — they're everything.
When someone lands on your website, you’ve got about 0.5 seconds to convince them you're the real deal. Brutal? Yes. True? Also yes.

The good news? You don’t need a million-pound budget to look like a million-pound brand. You just need to nail the right details... the ones that whisper “premium” before you've even said a word. Let’s get into it.

1. Whitespace is your best mate

Think of whitespace as breathing room for your brand. Cramming every pixel with logos, slogans, menus, pop-ups, and photos is the digital equivalent of someone shouting at you while waving their arms around. It's chaotic and it looks cheap.

Premium websites embrace restraint. They give their content space to breathe, which naturally draws the eye to what matters most.

Less clutter, more impact. When you strip things back, the stuff that stays behind has far more punch.

Weird Wolf tip: If you’re looking at a page wondering “Does this really need to be here?”... it probably doesn’t. Be brutal.

2. Typography that doesn’t try too hard

Fonts set the tone before your words ever get a chance to. If your website’s using three different fonts, none of them readable, congratulations, you’ve just stressed out your audience and made yourself look about £50.

Premium brands stick to simple, confident typography. One strong heading font paired with a clean, highly legible body font is the way to go. No unnecessary frills. No weird flourishes. Just sharp, deliberate choices.

Weird Wolf tip: Fancy fonts aren’t automatically better fonts. Even free ones like Inter, DM Serif, or Playfair Display can look outrageously good when styled properly.

3. Consistent, sophisticated colour palette

Colour is emotional branding. Get it right, and your audience feels calm, confident, intrigued — whatever you want them to feel. Get it wrong, and it’s like watching a toddler go rogue with a box of Crayolas.

Expensive-looking websites work within a tight palette, usually three to five colours, max. They don’t just slap colours around; they use them strategically to guide the eye and create hierarchy.

Neutrals are your best friend. Pops of bold colour add interest, not chaos.

Weird Wolf tip: Your call-to-action button doesn’t have to be a flashing neon nightmare. Subtlety is sexy. Confidence doesn’t shout, it speaks softly and people lean in.

4. Photography that feels real (but polished)

Here’s a brutal truth: bad photography makes even the best-designed website look tragic. Stock photos aren’t the enemy. Bad stock photos are — the stiff handshakes, the creepy smiles, the generic "team huddle" shots... they're the stuff of nightmares.

Premium websites feature authentic, beautifully edited images that actually feel like you. Think natural light, minimal editing, and a clear sense of brand tone. It should feel effortless, even if you spent a whole day staging that one perfect hero shot.

Weird Wolf tip: If you’ve only got budget for one thing, invest in a killer homepage hero image. It can anchor your entire visual identity and lift everything else by association.

5. Subtle, sleek animation (not a PowerPoint nightmare)

Animation can be the cherry on top of a premium website experience, or it can tank the whole thing faster than you can say "page transitions".

Here’s the thing: luxury websites use subtle micro-interactions. Think gentle hover effects, smooth scrolling, soft fades. Nothing that makes you dizzy. Nothing that triggers flashbacks to 2003 PowerPoint presentations where text spins, bounces, or explodes onto the screen like a budget firework show.

If your website looks like it’s auditioning for Britain's Got Talent with interpretive dance transitions, it's not “dynamic”, it’s desperate.

Weird Wolf tip: The best animations are the ones you barely notice. They’re felt, not shouted about. Think heavy, satisfying car doors — not a clown car full of acrobatics.

Final thought

Making your website look and feel expensive isn’t about throwing endless bells and whistles at it. It’s about precision, restraint, and confidence. It’s the quiet swagger of a brand that knows its worth and isn’t afraid to show it without overcompensating.

Get the basics right, and you won’t just look the part, you’ll own it.
Because let’s be real: in business, looking sharp isn’t vanity. It's strategy.