My goodness there are  a lot of ugly websites out there.

Doing research on social media and internet marketing (as I constantly am) I come across loads of websites that have that greasy, snake-oil salesman feel about them.

You know the ones I mean? They reek of synthetic suits, cheap aftershave and knock-off watches.

They use A LOT OF CAPITAL LETTERS in Lolcats font.

[FYI, it's Impact, if you've accidentally stumbled upon this post searching for a "How to" on creating lols.]

I'm not saying I'm a world expert on creating beautiful websites although I am a great appreciator of them.

Just for us website-style enthusiasts, the peeps at Styleboost have created an online gallery of the hottest little sites getting around on the interwebs.

Some of these sites had me gasping in awe at their craftily created beauties, their beautiful balance of images, text and negative space and their fantastic fonts matched with gorgeous graphics. (I'm having an alliterative kind of day).

As a bonus, there's some fantastic copy on these sites too. Copy + design = match made in internet heaven.

The simple combination of aesthetic and functionality is what makes these pages so beautiful. There's no need to crowd your page with images. A well-balanced website will have more impact [read: click-through, which is what we're all here for] than one loaded with images and crowded with multiple, confusing calls-to-action.

Some websites make me feel I'm being shouted at when really I'd prefer my groovy new-found web friend to huskily say, "You're new around here. Come on in and make yourself comfortable".

This page from Wilson Miner encouraged me to have a QR tag tattooed on my wrist to save me printing business cards; Cloudberry's site I adore and their style is something I will endeavour to emulate for my own business website (when I actually get the time to re-do my web page) and I love love love the colours Big Noise have used on their site (a lot of "Tangerine Tango" on here - see my previous post Colour me happy! on the use of the Pantone Color of the Year).

What are some of your favourite, most beautiful websites?