Knapsack Creative Named #6 on Forbes Advisor’s “11 Best-Designed Websites” List
When Forbes Advisor stamps your site as one of the year’s best-designed websites, you pause the playlist, high-five the team, and then get back to building even better ones. Their annual roundup—“11 Best-Designed Websites Built on Platforms Anyone Can Use”—spotlights brands that prove beauty and usability can (and should) coexist. This year, Knapsack Creative landed at #6. Forbes applauded our “array of complex design elements backed up by sophisticated CSS coding” and the clean home page that funnels visitors toward a single, crystal-clear call to action. forbes.com
Read the full feature here ➜ https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/best-designed-websites/
1. Why a Forbes Nod Matters
Authority That Ranks – Forbes.com carries a Domain Rating north of 90. Their do-follow link pours high-octane PageRank onto our domain—and by extension to every client site we reference in case studies.
Third-Party Validation – Anyone can claim “great design.” When Forbes says it, prospects listen.
Conversion Proof – Forbes singled out our above-the-fold CTA. That same discipline powers every Live-Design-Day build we ship—so the compliment doubles as a promise to you.
2. What Forbes Saw in Us
Sophisticated CSS – Custom animations and fluid grids that stay lightning-fast on mobile.
Intuitive Story Flow – A narrative staircase that pulls visitors from hook → benefit → social proof → action.
Purposeful Minimalism – One dominant CTA above the fold keeps cognitive load low and conversions high.
“This agency that designs and builds Squarespace websites unsurprisingly uses an array of complex design elements backed up by sophisticated CSS coding.” — Forbes Advisor forbes.com
3. Our Squarespace-Only, SEO-First Framework
Squarespace isn’t a canvas we tinker with; it’s the ecosystem we master. Here’s the four-step skeleton behind every Knapsack build:
Step 1: StoryBrand Wireframe - Map user questions to copy blocks and keyword clusters before any design work. Messaging clarity + semantic SEO from day one.
Step 2: Core Web Vitals Engineering - Compress assets, lazy-load media, and remove render-blocking scripts. Green scores on PageSpeed = higher rankings + happier humans.
Step 3: Structured Data Injection - Global Local Business, JSON-LD plus Article and FAQ schema where relevant. Rich-result eligibility; Google understands content in context.
Step 4: Local-SEO Layer - Geo-landing pages, Google Business Profile optimization, NAP citations. Dominate hometown SERPs and feed map-pack visibility.
The net effect: design that dazzles and climbs search results.
4. Our Local Footprint—Design Meets Main Street
We’re proudly headquartered in Lynchburg, Virginia, but our Live-Design-Day model serves clients across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic. Each market gets custom geo-landing pages and localized keyword research:
Richmond, VA – Tech startups and creative agencies looking for growth-stage polish.
Charlottesville, VA – Health & wellness brands tapping university-town buzz.
Roanoke, VA – Manufacturing and professional-services firms leveling-up their digital storefronts.
Washington, DC – Policy think tanks and consultants needing clarity and speed.
Charlotte, NC – Financial pros and SaaS founders seeking conversion-driven design.
Raleigh-Durham, NC – Life-science startups demanding compliant yet creative sites.
Atlanta, GA – Creators, coaches, and enterprise vendors targeting national scale.
Nashville, TN – Artists, venues, and educators attracted to “launch in a day” speed.
Charleston, SC – Hospitality and home-services brands capitalizing on tourist traffic.
By weaving each city into our content and meta data, we stack relevance for “Squarespace web design + [city]” searches—so local clients discover us before they ever google a national agency.
5. Case Studies That Echo the Forbes Praise
Wilder Wealth (Richmond, VA) – Wealth-management site launched in a single Live-Design-Day. 30-day results: 42% bump in organic traffic and a 2.8× lift in consultation bookings.
Coach Rena (Charlotte, NC) – Coaching platform with scroll-triggered storytelling. Ranked page-one for “career coach Charlotte” within eight weeks.
TinySeed (Atlanta, GA) – Startup-accelerator site built to scale. 18% conversion rate on application funnel post-launch.
Each project mirrors the design-plus-SEO formula Forbes highlighted: sharp visuals, smart copy hierarchy, and CTAs your thumb can’t ignore.
6. How Design & SEO Co-Pilot
Visual Hierarchy = Keyword Hierarchy – H1–H3 tags mirror primary → secondary keyword targets.
Above-the-Fold Simplicity – One CTA, one promise; bounce rate stays low, dwell time climbs.
Micro-Interactions – Subtle hover states and scroll-triggered animations signal modern craftsmanship without decimating load times.
Content Silos – Service hubs link to industry hubs, which link to sub-industry pages—Google loves the clear topical map.
CRO + Schema – FAQ accordions double as rich-snippet bait.
7. Client Wins Beyond the Screen
Faster Launches – Live-Design-Day means your site ships in 24 hours, not four months.
Higher Rankings – Technical and on-page SEO arrive baked-in, never billed later.
Better Leads – StoryBrand messaging turns browsers into eager Calendly-clickers.
Award Magnet – Recognition from Forbes, SEOSpace, and SiteBuilderReport stacks trust so you open conversations at “yes.”
8. About Forbes Advisor
Forbes Advisor simplifies complex business decisions for millions of entrepreneurs and SMB owners. Its design list is a barometer for sites that marry aesthetics with usability—so appearing in their top tier isn’t luck; it’s the result of intentional craft.
9. Frequently Asked Questions
What did Forbes spotlight exactly?
Our custom CSS magic, minimalist storytelling arc, and a hero section capped by a single, no-nonsense CTA.
Do you design on anything besides Squarespace?
No. Niching down means expert-level speed, zero platform guesswork, and tighter quality control.
How soon can my site go live?
Book a Live-Design-Day and launch within 24 hours—copy, design, SEO, and structured data included.
Can local businesses outside Virginia work with you?
Absolutely. More than half our builds are remote. We’ve launched sites for clients from Austin to San Diego without a single timezone hiccup.
10. Ready to own a site that does what you want it to?
Recognition is great; results are better. If you’re ready for a website that grabs attention and Google’s algorithm, let’s talk deliverables, dates, and next-level growth.
Book Your Live-Design-Day — we’ll write, design, and optimize your new Squarespace site in a single day. Fresh content, killer SEO, built-in bragging rights.
