Blog

Introduction

In today’s hyper-connected world, creating seamless and dynamic digital experiences isn’t a luxury — it’s a necessity. Salesforce Experience Cloud (formerly Community Cloud) empowers businesses to build branded, data-driven websites, portals, help centers, and partner communities — all integrated tightly with the Salesforce CRM ecosystem.

But designing a website on Experience Cloud isn’t just about dragging and dropping components. It’s about leveraging its full suite of tools to build scalable, user-centric, and high-performing digital platforms. This blog will walk you through how to design a professional website using Salesforce Experience Cloud — step by step.

1. Understanding What Experience Cloud Offers

Salesforce Experience Cloud is more than just a site builder — it’s a comprehensive digital experience platform. Key capabilities include:

• Lightning-based site builder with drag-and-drop features

• Native integration with Salesforce CRM and data

• Component-based architecture for modular development

• Access control for users, roles, and partners

• Mobile responsiveness and accessibility

• Custom development via Apex, LWC (Lightning Web Components), and Visualforce

2. Define Your Website's Purpose and Audience

Before diving into design, ask:

• Who will use the site? (Customers, Partners, Employees, etc.)

• What should users be able to do? (Submit cases, access data, collaborate, etc.)

• What value should the experience provide?

Example Use Cases:

• Customer Portal: For case management and self-service

• Partner Portal: For lead registration and channel sales collaboration

• Microsite or Knowledge Hub: For marketing and brand storytelling

3. Choose the Right Template

Salesforce Experience Cloud offers several pre-built templates. Choose one based on your use case:

• Customer Account Portal

• Partner Central

• Help Center

• Build Your Own (LWR or Aura-based)

For a modern, high-performance website, choose the Lightning Web Runtime (LWR) template, which supports Salesforce’s latest front-end architecture.

Pro Tip: Use “Build Your Own (LWR)” for performance-focused sites and maximum design flexibility.

4. Customize Branding and UX

Under Theme → Branding:

• Upload your logo, set color palettes, typography, and favicon.

• Choose a layout structure that aligns with your brand (e.g., full-width hero banner, sidebar navigation).

• Enable mobile responsiveness — Experience Cloud is mobile-optimized by default.

Best Practices:

• Keep design consistent with your corporate brand.

• Use high-contrast elements for accessibility (WCAG compliance).

• Limit the number of fonts and colors to maintain visual harmony.

5. Design with Lightning Components (Standard + Custom)

Use the Experience Builder to drag-and-drop standard Lightning Components like:

• CMS Collections

• Knowledge Base Articles

• Case Creation Forms

• Dashboard and Reports

For more control:

• Create custom Lightning Web Components (LWCs)

• Fetch data via Apex controllers or REST APIs

• Deploy dynamic layouts using conditional visibility

Pro Example: Show a personalized dashboard to each partner using Apex and a custom LWC component inside your portal homepage.

6. Personalization & Dynamic Content

Use Audience Targeting:

• Show different content to users based on role, profile, region, or other Salesforce criteria.

• Example: Show “Welcome Partner!” and relevant promotions to partners, and “Welcome Customer!” to B2C users.

Dynamic content boosts engagement and conversions.

7. Set Up Navigation and Search

Good navigation is key to a professional site:

• Use the Navigation Menu component to build intuitive menus.

• Configure Search Settings to index relevant Salesforce Objects (Cases, Articles, Custom Objects).

• Integrate Einstein Search for smarter, predictive search experiences.

8. Integrate Salesforce Data

Use standard record pages or create custom record views.

• Display user-specific Cases, Orders, or Opportunities.

• Allow authenticated users to update records via forms.

This is where Experience Cloud truly shines — CRM data in real time, right in your digital experiences.

9. Configure Access, Security & Roles

Use Salesforce’s powerful sharing model:

• Assign users to profiles or permission sets.

• Control what users can view, create, or edit (object-level and field-level).

• Enable login via Salesforce, SSO, or third-party identity providers.

Make sure external sites are secure and compliant with your organization’s policies.

10. Test, Optimize, and Launch

Before going live:

• Preview your site for different roles and devices.

• Use Lighthouse or Salesforce Optimizer for performance audits.

• Conduct UAT (User Acceptance Testing) with real users.

After launch:

• Monitor engagement with built-in Salesforce dashboards.

• Use Feedback Surveys and Analytics to iterate and improve.

11. Real-World Example: Partner Portal Success

A plumbing equipment manufacturer used Experience Cloud to build a Partner Portal. Key features included:

• Partner lead registration via custom LWC

• Real-time product availability via ERP API integration

• Custom dashboards showing quarterly sales vs. targets

Outcome: 3x partner engagement and 2x increase in lead-to-deal conversion rate within six months.

Conclusion

Salesforce Experience Cloud gives you the power to build beautiful, robust, and intelligent websites that do more than just look good — they perform. Whether you're creating a customer service portal or a full-fledged partner community, the right design principles paired with Salesforce's capabilities can give your users an exceptional digital experience.

Start simple, design with purpose, and grow your digital footprint like a pro.