Jason Turnquist on May 25, 2021
You’ve got the team and the tech, and your cryptocurrency is ready to show to the world. What do you do next?
Most people will throw it all onto GitHub and call it a day. But aside from a few outliers, most cryptocurrencies can’t survive without a really good cryptocurrency website.
Here are a few of the biggest reasons you need an amazing crypto website.
Top 6 Reasons You Need a Cryptocurrency Website
- Complete your coin profile
- Build branding
- Refine your sales funnel
- Generate social proof
- Spread your white paper
- Foster a community
You need a cryptocurrency website to complete your coin profile
The most obvious reason every crypto token needs a good website is that it fills a slot on the social bar.
Take the currency page on coin market cap. Each cryptocurrency has a designated slot for a website link. It’s right underneath the title.
Sure, the button is a tad small. But it’s there.
When a curious investor wants to learn more about a token, they can simply click on that button. Not only does the website make things easier for investors, but it helps you control your own narrative in an engaging, visual way.
You need a cryptocurrency website to build branding
Branding is powerful. It communicates what you do, why you do it, and all the other things that make your value proposition one of a kind.
It’s especially important for a new cryptocurrency.
Why cryptocurrency branding matters
Every cryptocurrency is different, but to the lay investor, they all look the same.
A good crypto brand communicates the coin’s unique value to someone who doesn’t understand the technology.
Let’s look at Polkadot‘s brilliant branding. There’s a reason it’s one of the top cryptocurrency websites.
The website adheres to some of the latest crypto and defi website design trends, but not so strictly that it looks like every other cryptocurrency website.
Instead of the overhyped dark theme, Polkadot carefully accents the white background with tasteful bright pink elements that illustrate a playful simplicity.
They even use branded diagrams and language in the Polkadot light paper (a more approachable version of their white paper). The polkadot diagrams make this complex technology easier to understand.
This careful, strategic branding combined with one-of-a-kind tech put it in the top 10 coins on coinmarketcap (at the time of publishing this post).
So how can other cryptocurrencies brand just as well?
How to design a unique brand
The trick to good crypto branding is to communicate your value proposition visually.
The only issue is that most websites sell crypto as a whole, not this individual coin.
For example, this website design from 99 designs looks like 99% of all cryptocurrency websites: it’s dark with a futuristic isometric image.
Don’t be mistaken — it’s a pretty website. The issue is that it sells crypto as a whole, not this particular service.
Instead, the website should sell what makes this service so special.
Stellar does this really well. It gets across the openness, connectivity, and publicity of the technology through a constellation analogy.
The website uses a dark theme and illustrates networks and currencies, but it does so in a creative, one-of-a-kind way that makes it memorable.
Of course, it’s totally okay to stick to the classics if you know what you’re doing. Cryptocurrencies designed for stability and long-term investment, like Axion, usually use network globes and neutral blues for a timeless look.
In this case, a steady, timeless cryptocurrency website made a lot more sense than a flashy and trendy one. The network animations and sturdy, but flowing animations give it an element of flow and stability that lend to the brand instead of detracting from it.
Ultimately, branding is an incredibly complicated and nuanced art. Just remember that there are countless coins online. your website needs to out-compete every single competitor.
But if you really invest time, money, and energy into a unique design, you’ll shoot to the top of the charts in no time — especially if you funnel properly.
You need a cryptocurrency website to refine your sales funnel
The pros in eCommerce all know about sales funnels.
So why aren’t they used in crypto more often?
What is a sales funnel
A sales funnel describes the process by which visitors become customers. It’s called a funnel because only a small number of visitors “convert” into customers (the average conversion rate is 2.35%), so it looks like a funnel.
Usually, the funnel breaks into a few stages.
At the top, visitors are starting to get interrested. If they stick around to the middle, they’ll start considering spending money. At the bottom, they convert to buyers and become loyal community members.
Why sales funnels matter
The cryptocurrency website lives at the top and middle of the funnel. Thus, the website must guide visitors through the technology, into the white paper, and onto a site where they can purchase the coin.
How to build a crypto sales funnel
Most visitors won’t buy unless they have proof they’ll make money.
The only problem is that every cryptocurrency website promises the same thing.
So instead, start with the value proposition. The Graph is intended for developers, so they open with the APIs.
Clicking the call to action button takes you to a list of subgraphs on the network.
From there, you can explore individual protocols in much more detail.
In very few clicks, visitors reach the value statement.
For coins, the end goal is a little different.
Most investors want to read the white paper. Thus, the white paper should be at the top — even before the buy button.
Meme tokens like Shiba know this and put it to good use. 
Your funnel should focus on establishing credibility. If you establish enough trust, people will buy. How do you establish it? Social proof.
You need a cryptocurrency website to generate social proof
Social proof is one of the most underrated sales tactics on the planet. In fact, it’s what sets apart a good ICO website design from a great one.
What is social proof?
We have a whole article about social proof in web design already. But in case you don’t have time, we’ll briefly explain what social proof is.
Social proof is a phenomenon when people want to do something because others are doing it, too.
Think about a restaurant. If there’s a big line, you’ll be more likely to want it. But if the restaurant is empty, you won’t want to eat there. That’s textbook social proof.
In web design and marketing, “social proof” can describe an element that functions as a long line. For instance, Spotify tells you how many people have liked a playlist.
If you’re looking for a new playlist, this number can make a huge difference. Would you rather listen to a playlist with 5 million likes or just five likes?
Most people start with the more popular one.
But social proof goes much deeper than big numbers. Anything from ratings, reviews, endorsements, and badges can all create social proof.
Here’s the rule of thumb: if an element creates trust using other people, it’s social proof.
Why social proof matters
Social proof obviously matters for eCommerce –people look at ratings all the time before ordering.
But what about for ICO and cryptocurrency websites?
As it turns out, cryptocurrency websites need just as much social proof. It just looks a little different.
For instance, consider Aave. The web page opens up to a giant ever-updating number.
Visitors can’t see how many people are depositing or borrowing assets, but they can see that massive number. It’s social proof in disguise.
But Aave isn’t alone. Tether, Polkadot, and nearly every major cryptocurrency has a press bar somewhere on the website.
The press bar lists news outlets that have talked about the specific cryptocurrency.
Most of the time, the website doesn’t even link to the article in question. They’re just borrowing credibility from the media outlet.
That’s social proof, too. Investors see the media outlets, realize that everyone is talking about this asset, then read the white paper. It’s a brilliant way to instantly build credibility, and it’s entirely subconscious.
You can’t put social proof in a white paper, but you can 100% put as much social proof on your website. It’ll make your website into a tasty appetizer before the main course.
You need a cryptocurrency website to spread your white paper
One of the most important reasons your coin needs a website is to host the white paper.
What is a white paper?
The white paper is basically a deep, detailed analysis of the technology. Here is one page from Polkadot‘s white paper. It’s dense, isn’t it?
It’s very dense, but it has to be. White papers are written by crypto nerds for crypto nerds. The engineers write down all the juicy details to help investors make a decision.
That means it’s really important for the website.
Why white papers are so important
A white paper is the final filter people go through before investing in a cryptocurrency. If it’s not good, people won’t trust the technology.
And who can blame investors for being so cautious? The market is flooded with thousands of cryptocurrencies and crypto scams are soaring. It’s no wonder investors need so much information.
Basically, a white paper can make or break a coin.
How to host your white paper
White papers are almost always a PDF hosted on a website.
The reasons are more historical than practical. Because these white papers are so technical and detailed, they copy the style of of industry papers and academic writing. Academic papers are almost always in PDF format because they’re tucked behind paywalls.
Thus, the convention stuck around, even though crypto white papers never go behind paywalls.
As a result, everyone expects a PDF. If investors don’t get a PDF when they click that “white paper” button, they’ll instantly be on edge.
There are exceptions, though. Ethereum’s white paper is web-based. 
A few other cryptocurrencies use GitHub, too. It allows the community to take part in the documentation a little bit more avidly.
But in almost every case, your white paper shoud be a PDF. Write it long and add a download link to your website.
Should I make people sign up to get the white paper?
Absolutely not.
If you want your white paper to rank, don’t add any barriers to entry. Investors may be happy to give up their emails for a beefy white paper, but web crawlers don’t have emails to surrender.
If you really want to collect emails, make a newsletter. The whitepaper must be accessible through a prominent, direct link if you want it to be even remotely worthwhile.
How to market the white paper
Always start with a website.
Why? Because you have to host the white paper somewhere, and a website is the best place to do it.
Most cryptocurrency websites simply have a “white paper” link in the menu bar. Clicking it downloads a PDF. That’s it.
This strategy is great because it gives you a direct download link from a branded domain instead of a GitHub one. It also introduces your branding early on.
Then, you can just pop that link into any profile for easy access. Any investor can find it in a snap.
But CoinMarketCap isn’t the only place you’ll want to put your white paper. After all, it’s not the only place investors look for it.
Other places to share the white paper
Many investors will use websites like whitepaper.io, whitepaper database, coindesk, and allcryptowebsites. They make it really easy to find white papers and discover new cryptocurrencies.
Most investors will probably find your white paper on CoinMarketCap or your website, but uploading the link is simple enough that it’s worth the energy.
Every website is a little different, but most require a direct URL to the PDF and a website URL. Missing either one could significantly reduce the chance of investment.
From here, it may be wise to make a press release based on your white paper. That way, you’ll get a little more traffic directed at your website and get more eyeballs on that white paper.
After all, that’s ultimately what your website is about. It’s a fancy funnel for getting investors.
Thus, if the overwhelming majority of investors want to read a white paper before they buy, your website should funnel them to the whitepaper.
And if you design your ICO website right, you’ll have ample room to grow your community of investors.
You need a cryptocurrency website to foster community engagement
Community is key. It’s what keeps people invested through the tough times.
And guess what? Your website can be the hub of this engagement.
Why community engagement matters
Above all else, community is the driver for growth. If people advocate for your cryptocurrency your word of mouth marketing will go through the roof.
Oh, and if your website supports this community, your audience is sitting at the mouth of your sales funnel at all times.
How to engage your community
A great way to build engagement is through contests and promotions. After all, crypto makes a great prize.
Polkadot does this very well. They use fun game-ified challenges to get people engaged around their technology.
"Gotta Find Them All!" challenge ends in 12 hours! Complete the tasks and answer nine #PolkadotDecoded related questions for a chance to win Polkadot-branded Ledger Nano X's, swag, and #NFTs from the creators in the #Polkadot ecosystem.
Join now 👇 https://t.co/0iA3KDtAUk
— Polkadot (@Polkadot) May 21, 2021
But contests don’t have to center around trivia. Sleepy Sloth Finance used a community meme contest with prizes to build support and publicity.
For building a community, a discord is always nice. It gives people a central hub to talk casually.
Yet an informational “hub” is just as important as a social one.
Take Mousecoin as an example. This dead coin had a reddit, discord, twitter, and other social hubs, but the website was weak. 
The landing page has no buttons or engaging images and visitors have to dig for more than the most basic summaries of features.
The website does have brief quarterly reports, but they hardly surpass a page.
More importantly, there’s no white paper. Technical investors have to rely on a scant amount of information before investing.
Mousecoin has social media, but that’s an end-of-the-funnel necessity for building a community. Without a solid, informational marketing website to pique interest, their community will never grow.
Where to start
Building a good website is no easy task, especially in crypto. Many of your competitors will throw massive wads of cash at expert designers to make something extra fancy.
To compete, you’ll need an extra special website.
Ultimately, the best fit will be someone with lots of crypto experience. We’ve built websites for Axion, Sleepy Sloth Finance, and more. We even used to mine crypto right in the office.
If you want us to build you a custom-designed cryptocurrency website, please reach out with the form below. We’d love to chat about a free consultation.
Donovan Reeves 
Eric Daily