A website mockup will bring your vision to life and allow you to finalize website design concepts before developers begin work. The web design process starts with a sketch, which transitions into a wireframe, forming the foundation for website mockup creation.
In this guide, we'll discuss all you need to know about a web page mockup: what it is, why it matters, what tools to use, and how to go from a static image to an interactive model that developers can use to create a functional website.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Website Mockup?
- Why Is Creating a Web Design Mockup Important?
- When Do You Need a Website Mockup?
- 4 Steps To Create a Website Mockup
- Top 5 Webpage Mockup Tools for Your Design Projects
- How To Transition From a Static Mockup to an Interactive Prototype
- 3 Best Website Mockup Examples
- Find Your Inspiration and Start Designing
- Key Takeaways on Website Mockups
- Website Mockup FAQs
What Is a Website Mockup?
A website mockup is a full-size design model that demonstrates the website’s appearance. It can be a mid-fidelity image with interface elements, placeholder images, and texts. It can also be a high-fidelity image with a complete visual layout. Developers can turn a web design mockup into a prototype to provide dynamic functionalities.
Designers and stakeholders often use the terms “sketch,” “wireframe,” “mockup,” and “prototype” interchangeably as synonyms. However, there are slight differences between them:
- A sketch is a freehand drawing of the design concept. It is part of the initial phase of design visualization and can be drawn using pen and paper or a digital tool.
- A wireframe is a low-fidelity design that depicts only the basic elements of a user interface (UI), and it serves as a skeleton of the design concept.
- A mockup is a mid- to high-fidelity representation of a web design project. It's a static image depicting the visual look of the website.
- A prototype is a high-fidelity, interactive model of a website. Its primary purpose is to simulate the interaction between a user and an interface. It can also be used to evaluate user flow and test website usability and functionality.
Website mockups add form and style to navigation menus, links, buttons, forms, sliders, and other elements. They also provide core visual aspects of design accessibility and usability. That’s why they are an important part of every web design process.
Why Is Creating a Web Design Mockup Important?
Webpage mockups are valuable visualization tools for new designs and redesign projects, as they provide clear insight into the look and feel of the website. Since mockups are created in the middle of the design process, they are open to UI design experimentation and various element combinations.
Website mockups can be used to:
- Decide on color schemes and evaluate color contrast
- Choose typography elements like fonts and their corresponding sizes and spacing
- Integrate graphics, photos, videos, and other visual elements
- Evaluate relationships between website copy and images
- Comply with web accessibility recommendations
- Ensure that every page is consistent with the overall branding aesthetic
- Experiment with styles to create several different mockups
- Create a user-friendly website with responsive elements
Mockups are an excellent way to showcase website design. Designers often present them to their clients and other stakeholders for detailed feedback and advice on how to move forward with the project.
When Do You Need a Website Mockup?
As high-fidelity visual representations of each page’s layout, design, and overall functionality, you need a website mockup for the following:
- Early in the design process: It is important to explore many different design options and ideas long before coding begins.
- Client and stakeholder presentations: Show designs to clients and stakeholders for feedback.
- Team brainstorming: Website mockups facilitate discussions and collaboration among designers and developers.
- User testing: Solicit feedback from potential users to improve functionality and minimize the risk of bugs and issues.
- Before website development: Website mockups ensure developers have a detailed visual guide while coding.
- To prepare for marketing: Before the website is live, the marketing team can create promotional content.
4 Steps To Create a Website Mockup
If you have a website wireframe as a structural model of a website, you can upgrade it by adding color, typography, images, and other features to complete a mockup. Follow these steps to create a website mockup:
- Step #1: Create a wireframe
- Step #2: Design the mockup
- Step #3: Test and redesign
- Step #4: Turn the mockup into a prototype
Step #1: Create a Wireframe
Before designing your website, create a rough plan or a low-fidelity wireframe to understand what elements to include (like text, pictures, links, and buttons) and where each should go on the page.
Wireframes don't need to be detailed; you can make rough sketches on paper or using wireframe tools. You can also make a separate wireframe for mobile devices, ensuring your design looks good on all screens upon launch.
Step #2: Design the Mockup
Using the wireframe as a foundation, add visuals and refine the layouts to create a more detailed mockup. Incorporate your brand's colors, typography, content, imagery, and navigation menus using a robust website mockup tool.
Ensure consistency throughout your website. Add design features individually until you’re completely satisfied with the mockup’s look and feel.
Step #3: Test and Redesign
Conduct user testing by sharing your mockup with other design team members, user testing participants, and eventually clients. Get feedback on the interface and usability for specific tasks. Apply the most valuable suggestions and test again.
Remember that mockups are essentially website drafts; you can easily change them to produce the perfect final version.
Step #4: Turn the Mockup Into a Prototype
When all testing participants (including you) are happy with the website mockup, you can turn it into a prototype. This is an interactive model that simulates the experience of using a website as close to reality as possible.
Use a prototyping program to do the most of your usability testing, discover new areas for improvement, and tweak the design until you're confident enough to hand it off to developers.
Top 5 Webpage Mockup Tools for Your Design Projects
Website mockup tools streamline the design process by transforming sketches and concepts into finished products. Here are our top five picks, with their pros and cons:
1. Sketch
- Overview: Sketch is a design platform for macOS users that enables designers to create mockups and work on design solutions with team members, clients, and stakeholders.
- Pros: It’s fast and reliable. Beyond integrated options, Sketch provides more functionalities through implementing third-party plugins. It also offers a 30-day free trial.
- Cons: The biggest downside of Sketch is that it’s available only for macOS users and it requires macOS Mojave or a newer version.
- Price:
- Mac-only license for solo designers (one year of updates): $120 per seat
- Standard subscription: $10/month/editor (billed yearly) or $12/month/editor (billed monthly)
- Business subscription: $20/month/editor (billed yearly)
2. Figma
- Overview: Figma is a design tool for creating vector graphics, vector editing, and prototyping. It’s one of the most popular and best-rated website mockup tools available today.
- Pros: It’s an online tool with offline features for macOS and Windows. Its mobile app, Figma Mirror, is available on iOS and Android. The platform offers real-time collaboration and commenting features.
- Cons: The tool has a version control function, but it can sometimes change the whole project even if you just want to tweak a single element, which can lead to version mishaps.
- Price:
- Free (up to three projects)
- Professional Team: $15/seat/month (billed monthly)
- Organization: $45/seat/month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $75/seat/month (billed annually)
3. Whimsical
- Overview: Whimsical is a visual workspace with an infinite canvas that designers and project managers can use to create wireframes, mock up a page layout, and debug user flows.
- Pros: It includes a rich library of configurable UI elements and allows unlimited team members to collaborate in real-time. It has thousands of categorized searchable icons that can be used for free in wireframes and mockups.
- Cons: Users can only share links to mockups if the document is public. The platform also has limited capabilities for more complex wireframes and mockups.
- Price:
- Free version
- Pro: $12/editor (billed monthly) or $10/month/editor (billed annually)
- Org: $20/month/editor (billed annually)
4. Moqups
- Overview: Moqups is a powerful tool where designers can create professional wireframes and mockups for websites, apps, and dashboards. You can work on your web browser; no app installation is needed.
- Pros: The drag-and-drop interface streamlines the design process. Users can bring clarity to complex ideas with flowcharts, storyboards, sitemaps, UML diagrams, etc.
- Cons: Lacks sophisticated animation and interaction designs, which other platforms provide.
- Price:
- Free (one seat and two projects)
- Solo: $12/month (billed monthly) or $9/month (billed annually)
- Team: $24/month (billed monthly) or $15/month (billed annually)
- Unlimited: $65/month (billed monthly) or $40/month (billed annually)
5. Canva
- Overview: Canva is a comprehensive design tool with a free website mockup generator for designers to fine-tune website elements before presenting them to stakeholders.
- Pros: Extensive design functionalities and thousands of templates that can be used for website mockups and other design projects.
- Cons: Not a dedicated website mockup tool, so UI/UX features are limited.
- Price:
- Free version
- Pro (for one user): $15/month or $120/year
- Teams (minimum of 3 users): $10/month/person or $100/year/person
- Enterprise: inquire
How To Transition From a Static Mockup to an Interactive Prototype
Prototypes are interactive, working models of a website that you can use to test the usability of a website, evaluate user flow, and identify issues before launch.
Cutting-edge mockup tools like Sketch and Figma provide built-in solutions to create interactive prototypes out of a website mockup. This can save a lot of time in the web development process. These platforms are also the most popular tools for real-time collaboration and quick design iteration. A library of reusable components can be essential to a modular web design process.
3 Best Website Mockup Examples
Mockups outline the general layout and design elements of a website. Here are some fantastic website mockup examples that will lead to a streamlined development process and a user-friendly experience:
1. eCommerce Landing Page Mockup
This landing page mockup for a furniture eCommerce website clearly represents its features, including distinct branding elements, general website navigation, products being offered in the store, and various calls to action that encourage visitors to click.
2. Pricing Page Mockup
This pricing page mockup showcases the company’s pricing plans and their corresponding features. Key elements include a toggle for monthly or annual billing, call-to-action buttons for free trials and purchases, answers to frequently asked questions, and a showcase for illustrious clients.
3. Restaurant Website Mockup
This website mockup depicts an engaging and compelling layout for a restaurant’s most popular dishes, along with calls to action to place an order or reserve a table. It has a cohesive brand aesthetic, with sparse text content to center the visitors’ attention on the delicious food on offer.
Find Your Inspiration and Start Designing
Your website design (or redesign) process will depend on its purpose, your niche, current trends, and desired functionalities. If you don’t know where to start or need a boost of inspiration, you can browse through online collections of visuals, mockups, and prototypes from designers around the world.
You can find inspiration from our list of best website designs of 2024 to unleash your creativity for your own design project.
Alternatively, here are other top platforms you can find inspiration from:
- Muzli by InVision – A Chrome extension that helps you discover inspiring design
- One Page Love – A collection of inspiring one-page websites spanning across 30 categories
- pttrns – A collection of interface patterns and design resources categorized by OS platform, interface category, year of creation, and UI elements
- Typewolf – A valuable resource for typography enthusiasts and everyone who wants to find font inspiration for upcoming design projects
- Hoverstat – A collection of alternative web design, code, and content solutions that experiment with interactivity, typography, copy, and other elements
Key Takeaways on Website Mockups
Creating a useful and highly functional website mockup includes these essential steps:
- Start with a freehand sketch to capture a rough design idea on paper
- Choose the right mockup tool based on the needs of your design project
- Transform the sketch into a wireframe to add structure to web pages
- Add colors, typography, content, visuals, and other UI elements to create a mockup
- Transition from a static mockup to a dynamic state by creating an interactive prototype
- Collaborate with your teammates, clients, and stakeholders to create the best possible website design
- Test your website design prototype for usability, functionality, and user flow
- Iterate patterns as you go to complete the design before handing it over to developers
Make sure to create pages that are consistent in look and feel and align with your brand aesthetic.
If you need help creating website mockups, contact some of the best web design agencies.
Website Mockup FAQs
1. Should I make mockups for my website design?
Using mockups is optional, but they can facilitate and streamline the rest of your design process. This will lead to a professional and polished product. Furthermore, clients and stakeholders will get a picture of the finished project even while you’re in the early design stage.
2. What is the best website mockup tool?
Sketch and Figma are two of the best website mockup tools available today. Both have advanced design features and a prototyping tool that can help you transition from a static mockup to an interactive prototype.
