How To Create A Framer Site In 6 Simple Steps & Examples To Inspire You

Building a website can feel overwhelming, especially if you need help figuring out where to start. What should my site look like? How do I create a homepage? What goes in my footer? If you are looking for answers to these questions and more, you'll want to check out Framer Sites. This lesser-known tool within Framer design toolkit helps you create a stunning site that meets your goals and the needs of your audience. 

We'll explore the value of Framer sites, look at some examples, and help you get started on your site. 

What is Framer?

Framer is a popular no-code platform for designing and prototyping. This tool has been hyped for its easy-to-use function and clean interface. Framer allows designers to create reciprocal interfaces for websites, mobile apps, and other digital products. You want to make high-fidelity prototypes. This tool is very easy to use as well. These prototypes can simulate the look and feel of the final product, allowing users to get a hint of the final product in advance.  

This advanced tool also comes with a lot of cool features. It has become popular among user experience (UX) and interface (UI) designers. Suppose you’ve been a designer for a while. In that case, you might remember it being called Framer X. 

The All-in-One Solution for Effortless Website Design and Development

Framer originally started as a prototyping tool but has now become a comprehensive solution for designing, building, and publishing websites. Because of its familiar interface and easy-to-use features, Framer is quickly gaining traction as a go-to tool for creatives who want to build websites without thinking about code.  

The tool garners positive framer reviews for its design systems that facilitate web development, and its framer sites ensure that stakeholders maintain a consistent brand presence across all social media and search engine platforms. Users appreciate the custom domain support and the streamlined mini-editor for quick edits, tackling common pain points such as the need for an all-in-one solution and stakeholder collaboration. The competitive pricing plans are noteworthy, with a pro plan catering to those who demand.    

Who is Framer for?

Framer is especially well-suited for creative types and small teams looking to build a website. 

Designers Will Love Framer 

Framer is a dream come true for designers who want to build websites. Its user-friendly UI and Figma integration make turning designs into real-life, production-ready websites easy. 

Freelancers and Agencies Can Work Faster with Framer 

With its built-in collaboration features and CMS, Framer can help agencies deliver top-notch websites to clients more quickly. 

Startups and Marketing Teams Can Validate Ideas with Framer 

Need to create landing pages, product pages, or even full websites without a big dev team? Framer allows you to validate ideas and test marketing campaigns quickly. 

Hobbyists and Personal Projects Get a Boost from Framer 

For those just dabbling in web design, Framer’s intuitive platform lets you create beautiful personal websites, blogs, portfolios, or online resumes, even if this IS your first rodeo. 

Your One-Stop Shop for Startup Design Needs

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Our fabuolous design team ensures all your design work is done well. NUMI helps with:

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Subscribe to a guild of world-class designers ready to embed on your team today. Schedule a call with us today to learn more! 

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10 Features of Framer For Building Great Sites

1. Vector Editing Tools: Create and Modify Graphics Directly in Framer

Framer offers comprehensive vector editing capabilities, allowing users to create and modify graphics directly within the app. This eliminates the need to switch between software for graphic edits, streamlining the design process and enhancing productivity.

2. Dedicated Content Management System (CMS): Manage Website Content with Ease 

Framer’s built-in CMS simplifies managing website content, whether blog posts, job listings, or marketing pages. Advanced features like collections, filtering, and conditionals streamline content creation and organization.

3. Real-Time Collaboration: Work Together Without Missing a Beat 

Framer supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple team members to simultaneously work on the same project. Changes are synced instantly, facilitating seamless communication and enhancing teamwork. This feature is particularly beneficial for remote teams, as it eliminates the need for back-and-forth emails and ensures everyone is on the same page.

4. Design Handoff: Simplify the Transition from Design to Development

With Framer, you can generate shareable links with all necessary assets and code snippets, simplifying the transition from design to development. This design handoff feature ensures developers have everything they need to implement the design accurately, reducing misunderstandings and improving efficiency.

5. Component Libraries: Create Consistent Designs Across Projects

Framer allows users to create and share reusable components across projects. This saves time and ensures consistency in design elements throughout various projects, making maintaining a cohesive brand identity easier.

6. Interaction Design: Build Engaging Websites with Complex Animations 

Framer excels in interaction design, enabling users to create complex interactions with realistic animations and transitions. This capability enhances the overall user experience by making websites feel more engaging and dynamic.

7. Responsive Design: Design for Every Screen Size

The platform supports responsive design, allowing designers to create layouts that adapt seamlessly to different screen sizes. This feature is essential for modern web development, ensuring that sites look great on desktop and mobile devices.

8. User Testing Integration: Get Feedback to Improve Your Designs

Framer can integrate with user testing platforms, allowing designers to gather user feedback directly on their prototypes. This integration streamlines the user research process, making it easier to iterate on designs based on real user insights.

9. Version Control: Track Changes to Your Designs 

Framer includes version control features that allow users to track changes over time. This makes reverting to previous versions easy, providing peace of mind during the design process.

10. Mobile App Design: Prototype with Framer for a Realistic Experience 

Framer is particularly adept at mobile app prototyping, offering high fidelity and interaction that closely mimics the final app experience. This makes it a suitable choice for teams focusing on mobile-first designs.

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How to Create a Framer Site in 6 Simple Steps

1. Framer Site 101: Getting Started with Framer  

Creating a website in Framer is a straightforward process that combines intuitive design tools with powerful customization options. Here's how to build your site:   

• Log in to Framer Start by visiting the Framer website and clicking the login button on the top right. 
• You can create one for free if you don’t already have an account. This will give you access to basic features and allow you to test the platform.   

2. Welcome to the Website Builder  

Once you log in, you’ll see a dashboard with four main options on the left side. These include:  

• App Tour: A helpful video walkthrough of how to use the platform.  
• Templates: A library of pre-made designs to start your website.  
• Figma Paste: If you have a design created in Figma, import it here.  
• Tutorials: Additional guides to help you get started. 
  

If you don’t have a design, you can start building your site from scratch or select a template.  

3. Choose a Template  

Click on the "Templates" option to explore a variety of website designs tailored to different niches and categories. Some templates are free, while others are paid. Once you find the right template for your project, select it, and it will be applied to your website.  

4. Make Edits  

Now that you have a template, you can begin customizing it:  

• Text Edits: Double-click on any text element to replace it with your content.  
• Menu Bar: Double-click to open the menu bar and modify or delete buttons to match your navigation needs.  
• Images: Click on photos to swap them for your graphics or photographs. 
  

This step lets you personalize every template aspect to fit your branding and messaging.  

5. Add a New Page  

To expand your site, you can easily add new pages. From the left panel, click on a new page option, like a contact page, and make the necessary edits. You can adjust layouts, text, and images as you did with the homepage.  

6. Link Pages  

Once your pages are ready, you’ll need to link them. For example, on the homepage, click on a button like "Learn More," in the right-hand panel, and you’ll see a "Link" attribute. Type in the relevant URL (e.g., /contact) to link the button to the appropriate page.  

7. Publish the Website  

When you're happy with your site, click the "Publish" button in the top right corner. If you’re using Framer’s free plan, the site will be hosted on a Framer subdomain. Framer can connect your custom domain during publishing if you want to use it. 

Custom domain setup:  

• In your Site Settings, navigate to the "Domains" page. 
• Select "Connect a domain you own" and enter your custom domain name.
• Update my DNS records with the Framer settings (usually adding A and CNAME records through my domain registrar). 
  

DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate fully, after which your site will be live on your custom domain. Once published, your website will be accessible online, and you can continue to make edits and improvements as needed. Framer’s ease of use and design flexibility make it a great tool for building a professional site quickly.    

8. Additional Features  

• Staging: Framer allows you to stage changes before publishing them live, which helps prevent unapproved content from going live.
• Rollback Options: If you need to revert to a previous version of your site, Framer provides versioning and rollback features to manage deployments easily.      

Framer for eCommerce

Framer can be used for eCommerce websites, but its capabilities in this area are limited compared to dedicated platforms like Shopify or Webflow. Framer is primarily a design and prototyping tool, and while it offers stunning design flexibility, it lacks built-in eCommerce functionalities.

Here’s what you can expect from Framer when it comes to eCommerce:

Integrating with Third-Party Tools Like Shopify and Gumroad

Framer allows you to integrate third-party services like Shopify and Gumroad. This means you can design a beautiful storefront using Framer's templates and interface, but you'll rely on these external platforms for actual transactions, product management, and payment processing. Shopify is a comprehensive eCommerce solution, while Gumroad is ideal for digital products. 

eCommerce-Friendly Templates

Framer offers several sleek and responsive templates for e-commerce sites. However, these templates are more focused on design than functional e-commerce features like inventory management, cart systems, or checkout processes, which require third-party integrations. 

Limitations for Merchants

For merchants with more complex needs, such as managing large inventories, customer accounts, or extensive product catalogs, Framer’s limited eCommerce functionality may be a challenge. Unlike Shopify or Webflow, Framer doesn't have built-in tools for managing online stores. This means that while you can create a visually appealing website, most of the eCommerce heavy lifting must be handled by external services.

Good for Simple eCommerce Sites 

If your eCommerce needs are simple, such as selling a few products or digital downloads, Framer’s flexibility and integrations may be sufficient. For more advanced needs like custom checkout flows, product recommendations, or multi-currency support, you'd likely find more robust options on platforms like Webflow.

8 Best Practices for Implementing & Boosting SEO on Your Framer Site

1. Boost SEO with Meta Titles and Descriptions  

Meta titles and descriptions are like a page’s introduction. They help search engines understand your site's content, and they help visitors understand what your site is about before they even click on it. 

In Framer, you can set custom titles and descriptions in your site settings for your entire site or individual pages. You can also customize meta titles and descriptions for your CMS pages. Adding compelling copy to your site’s title and description can increase clicks on search results, boosting your SEO performance.  

2. Why Keywords Matter  

People added keywords in a specific section to manipulate search engines. Search engines now ignore those keyword sections. Instead, they analyze all the text on your site and extract relevant keywords. These keywords are determined based on their presence on your page and in your domain and if other sites link to your site using those keywords. 

To influence this process, focus on creating high-quality content incorporating the keywords you want to rank for. Various tools and resources are available to assist you with this. If you have content like a blog, news articles, or documentation, using the built-in CMS (Content Management System) is recommended. This lets you easily display content lists and automatically generate pages for each piece. Search engines can then crawl and analyze these pages.  

3. Semantic Text and Elements  

Using proper semantic text and elements on your page is crucial for accessibility and SEO. For example, a strong main heading (H1) is important for SEO performance. Adjusting semantic tags on headers and image descriptions helps search engines understand your page’s structure.  

4. Don’t Forget Image “Alt” Text  

The Alt text of images is essential for both accessibility (e.g. for screen-readers) and SEO. Google and other search engines use it to understand what the image is about. Do not necessarily add keywords here, as Google will penalize it. Framer automatically optimizes the rest to ensure image SEO is great. 

Tip: To improve accessibility, end the “Alt” text with punctuation (like a dot).  

5. Videos Need “Poster” Text Too  

Google and other search engines use the poster to display a preview (thumbnail) in search results and snippets (source). Ensure the poster has a minimum size of 60 x 30 px. Framer automatically optimizes the rest to ensure video SEO is great.  

6. Use Structured Data for Better Rich Results  

Consider implementing structured data using JSON-LD. This will enhance search results for content like:

• Events
• Articles
• Books
• Videos
• and more

Data-no snippet directive The ‘data-nosnippet’ attribute directs Google not to use certain parts of the page when creating the snippet for that page in search results. This directive can be useful if you don’t want Google to rewrite your meta description when displaying your page in the search results. 

Understanding the Impact of the 'data-nosnippet' Directive on Google Snippets and Click-Through Rates

Preventing Google from rewriting meta descriptions might decrease your click-through rate, especially for long-tail keywords. This directive will prevent Google from using that content for any type of snippet, including rich snippets, not just the meta descriptions. This means that if you set this directive on a page level, Google will not use any of that content in snippets, which could impact the appearance of your page in rich results. 

It’s important to note that while ‘data-nosnippet’ prevents certain page parts from appearing in search snippets, structured data on the page can still generate rich results. This means that while specific text content may be excluded from snippets, the structured data markup itself can still be utilized by Google to generate rich snippets. You can read more about the details of using this directive in Google’s documentation. If you still want to use this directive, you can easily add it to any layer in your project by using the ‘Googlebot: skip’ option in the accessibility section in the right sidebar.  

7. Redirects Retain Traffic  

When replacing pages with a new design or reorganizing your site structure, it’s important to use redirects to ensure a smooth transition for old link traffic. This helps prevent traffic loss due to typos or changes in your site structure. You can create redirects in Framer by accessing your Site Settings. Just enter the old URL and specify the desired redirection path.  

8. Analytics are Key  

Track your SEO success with Framer’s built-in analytics. Measure your site traffic and identify its sources. Start seeing if your SEO setup is paying off. Explore more about analytics in Framer. Framer has a built-in analytics feature. It offers a site setting to integrate Google Analytics. Simply enter your analytics ID, and we will configure your scripts.

Which is Better, Figma or Framer?

We’re pitting Framer against Figma. Both platforms create stunning prototypes, and both have their fans. But which tool is better? That depends on who you ask. 

Focusing on Prototyping? Use Framer

If your main goal is to create a highly interactive prototype, Framer is the better choice here. It might take a little longer to learn compared to Figma, and it doesn’t have the same extensive design toolkit. But its ability to handle complex interactions and animations is where it excels. Framer allows you to add those extra details that can bring your prototypes to life in ways Figma might not easily offer.

Why Consider Using Framer for Your Design Projects

Framer Makes Your Design Projects Easier with a User-Friendly Interface

Framer maintains a delicate balance between powerful and simple in their approach to user interface. It gives you what you need, when you need it. The UI works like most design tools, but gives you more power under the hood. 

Framer Empowers Your Creativity

With its advanced animation capabilities and interactive components, Framer doesn’t confine you to simple, static design. It helps you craft engaging, dynamic user experiences that stand out. 

Framer Makes Collaboration Seamless

Though Framer offers you all the tools to create great websites independently, everything is better together. Framer helps you make feedback loops shorter and comments instantaneous, and it helps you and your team align products to your vision. 

Framer Gives You Flexibility and Control

Every designer works differently. That’s why Framer always gives you options, from working with Frames or Stacks to starting from a blank canvas or with a template to boost your workflow. With Framer’s code injection, they still allow you to have granular control of your product when you need it.

13 Stunning Framer Sites for Design Inspiration

1. Global Predictions: Transforming a Basic Application into Something Delightful

Global Predictions is a multi-asset net worth management platform that empowers everyday people to become better, smarter investors. Investors can view all their assets, understand exposures, minimize risks, and act on personalized recommendations based on their investment preferences, all powered by Global Predictions’ proprietary modeling engine. 

NUMI designers worked with the Global Predictions team as they transformed a basic application into something that live users found powerful and delightful. NUMI designers set up Figma systems to organize product rollouts. 

2. Orange DAO: Designing a Web3 Portal for the Experts

Orange DAO features nearly 1,200 Y Combinator alumni as members. An active investor in crypto projects, it maintains the $50M Orange Fund. Through its strong founder network, the DAO supports its portfolio of 140 startups and maintains a fellowship program of 40 Web3 builders. 

Orange DAO engaged NUMI to design the portal, one of the first of its kind in Web3. NUMI improved the design of Orange DAO's existing product surface area, and we then helped the DAO design its portal.

3. Beautility Exhibition: Creating a Digital Art Experience

An art exhibition called Beautility Exhibition has been created with the help of Framer to provide an immersive digital experience. The website includes simulated galleries, artwork that may be interacted with, and exciting descriptions of the artists. 

Beautility Exhibition provides visitors with a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage with art in a digital world and form more meaningful connections with artists through Framer.

4. Chris Lund: Leveraging Framer to Showcase a Designer's Portfolio

Framer is utilized on Chris Lund's website, a designer who showcases his creative portfolio to offer substance in an outwardly engaging and intuitive style. 

This website provides constantly refreshed, powerful material, liquid-looking over, and easy-to-use intelligent media parts. Using Framer, the Christ Lund can introduce new things in a drawing in a vivid way, so it is both educated and happy to guarantee that guests.

5. Bajgart Office: An Interactive Portfolio Experience

Bajgart is website utilizes Framer to provide an immersive and interactive portfolio experience. Visitors are taken on a voyage of discovery, during which they are presented with various service options and experiences. Bajgart offers consumers a captivating browsing experience by utilizing Framer's interactive features. 

6. Pasteapp.io: Enhancing User Experience for a Productivity Tool

Paste is a productivity tool developed by an international team. It is designed to integrate seamlessly with the Mac operating system. Paste aims to enhance daily workflow with intuitive and efficient functionality. 

It has gained popularity among professionals, including designers and developers, for its simplicity and effectiveness, making it one of the world’s favorite productivity tools for Mac and iOS users. Paste transitioned to Framer and integrated some seamless and beautiful animations and transitions. Scrolling through Paste shows how innovation and user experience in web design are essential for Paste.

7. Dribbble: Using Framer to Boost the Web Design Community's Website

If you, like me, need inspiration for web design, elements, tables, and much more, Dribbble is the one-stop website. Dribbble is a leading platform for creatives worldwide to share their work, find inspiration, and connect with opportunities. It was launched in 2009, and users can post “shots” – small screenshots of their designs or projects. 

The site helps millions find design inspiration and feedback, serving individual creatives and teams, including those from top brands. Pages like For Designers show the use of Framers animation library Framer Motion. When moving to Framer, Dribbble experienced shipping new landing pages ten times faster, and the designers were in charge. Not all of Dribbble is on Framer, but they are converting landing pages to Framer page by page. Framer is also popular among startups. 

8. Contra: Building a Simple Yet Effective Careers Page

Contra is an all-in-one freelancer platform offering tools to launch, build, and grow freelance careers. It features AI tools to generate portfolio content quickly, job discovery and client management functionalities, and commission-free payment options. 

Moving on to the actual page, something about the Contra Careers page appeals to me: the floating text that smoothly transitions at the start and the glass visuals that seem right. Contra has made a simple yet smooth page for its Careers section. It can report a 65% increase in branded clicks. 

9. Whereby: A Simple and Informative Approach to Website Design

It positions itself as a flexible and inclusive workplace, emphasizing a remote-first approach that allows its team to work from anywhere. The platform is a central hub for team collaboration, offering resources on company values, flexible working policies, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. 

Whereby is a light yet informative landing page. Their font matches the website’s feeling of a light and cheerful theme. The website isn’t transition-heavy, but that is not a bad thing. Their strength is simplicity, which plays out pretty well.

10. Superhuman: A Modern Email Client with Framer Animation to Match

Superhuman is a modern email client designed to enhance productivity with a minimal and clutter-free interface. It reduces distractions by hiding labels and folders until needed and unbolding unread messages to prioritize important tasks. 

Superhuman is the first Framer website on this list that is in dark mode by default. The dark palette gives the feeling of a modern yet exclusive feel. When scrolling through the landing page, you see some elements where the Framer animation library is genuinely stunning. Superhuman is my favorite of these amazing Framer website examples.

11. Acapela: Switching to Framer to Improve User Experience

Acapela is a tool that helps you stay focused by putting all your work messages in one place. In 2022, Acapela switched its website pages from Webflow to Framer, which made it quicker to get new pages up and running.

12. Threads: Using Framer to Create an Engaging Website for an Alternative to Slack

Threads promotes itself as an alternative to Slack, equipped with AI and voice chat for all the essential tools that team members require. Threads uses Framer to design its landing pages, adding fun animations that reflect the platform’s style. The landing pages look great, especially with the eye-catching sky hero image and the excellent frosted glass effect at the top.

13. LottieFiles: How Framer Improved Workflow for This Animation Tool

LottieFiles makes creating, editing, checking, collaborating, and using Lottie animations easy. A Lottie is an animation file that lets you quickly use animations across different platforms. Jia Yu, a product designer, joined LottieFiles, and their website has changed a lot since then. 

A significant change was switching their website pages to Framer. This was because the design team always needed the developers to make design changes. The developers had to create what the designers wanted, which had to be checked and approved before it could be used. With Framer, the designers can create designs in Figma, build them in Framer, and put them on the website, just like designers. This makes things faster and more accessible for the designers and lets the developers work on other things.

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Framer design is a powerful tool for building stunning, highly interactive websites and apps. NUMI is a dedicated framer design agency that can help your startup harness the full power of a framer for your next project. 

With our talented team of framer specialists, we can help you build a gorgeous, functional website or app that your users will love. We can also help you with ongoing needs or future iterations to ensure your site or app stays fresh and up-to-date. 

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