You can make an LGBTQ+ friendly website by using inclusive images and language, gender neutral forms and security choices that welcome every visitor. Getting these details right is an everyday part of creating a website that respects everyone who lands on it. Inclusivity on the web is an essential part of website design and small, deliberate decisions can make browsing far more welcoming as you learn how to make a website. Wix provides an intuitive website builder with drag and drop editing, so you can put these choices into practice. Below you'll learn practical ways to make your site more welcoming, from imagery and gender neutral copy to metadata, security and product pages.
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TL;DR: how to create an LGBTQ+ friendly website
An LGBTQ+ friendly site comes from a few deliberate habits across design, content and community. Wix offers an AI website builder that creates a unique, business-ready site in no time, so you get an inclusive starting point you can shape from there.
What to focus on | Why it matters |
Diverse, authentic imagery | Shows real representation, not clichés |
Gender neutral language | Avoids assumptions in copy and forms |
Open, flexible forms | Lets people describe themselves accurately |
Accessibility | Makes the site usable for everyone |
Inclusive metadata | Helps the right audience find you |
Safe community spaces | Protects visitors from harassment |
Action over statements | Proves commitment beyond one campaign |
Why designing an LGBTQ+ friendly website matters
An LGBTQ+ friendly website is one that is designed to create an authentic and inclusive experience for members of this diverse community.
Before we get into the basics of how to make your site LGBTQ+ friendly, we sat down with Alejandro de la Torre, head of Wix Rainbow USA, to get a better understanding of why it matters. (Wix Rainbow is an internal and grassroots initiative that empowers, inspires, supports and encourages our employees to be inclusive, and advocate for, and support their local LGBTQ+ communities).
Create an inclusive user experience for LGBTQ+ visitors
When asked why a business or individual should pay attention to making their website LGBTQ+ friendly, de la Torre says that many people don’t recognize that there are unconscious biases in design and language. “The LGBTQ+ community is constantly experiencing microaggressions in everyday conversations or online visits that shouldn't be part of the speech to begin with,” he says.
Making your site inclusive starts with user experience. When you learn how to design a website, you’ll start to consider the visual elements that make your site look good and the functional elements that will ensure a positive browsing experience for users. But there are some properties of web design that go beyond form and function; the images, language and data you use can also impact your site visitors emotionally.
For businesses online, emotional engagement with a brand’s digital content is a powerful marketing tool that nurtures customer loyalty. When it comes to LGBTQ+ websites, designers should be cognizant of how their website ideas and content might make groups feel excluded and even discriminated against.
“The online platform, in general, should be more people-friendly and inclusive,” says de la Torre. "We should stop assuming, become less concerned about what our society thinks is right or wrong and instead focus on creating a better, more beautiful world for all.”
Learn more: What is web design?
Why an inclusive website is good for business
Making your website LGBTQ+ friendly is also smart for business, de la Torre points out. “Everything should be about inclusion. Businesses who pay attention to this are not only going to be inclusive and celebrate diversity, but also they will experience growth,” he says.
Running an inclusive business and website will help carve out space for your brand within the LGBTQ+ world and with 9 percent of adults in the United States alone identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender, it’s safe to say that market is significant. Most importantly, providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ customers to browse, shop and interact online will improve your brand image and foster a sense of loyalty.
Pro tip: Start with easy-to-use free web templates to build a site that looks great and helps you earn online.
8 ways to design an LGBTQ+ friendly website
Whether you're creating a website for a business, a blog, or an online portfolio, or any type of website, one of your goals should be to design a site for the wide range of people who will interact with it, including the LGBTQ+ community. Small steps can lead to big changes and here are seven ways to make your website more LGBTQ+ friendly.
01. Use diverse images of LGBTQ+ individuals
Visuals can be used throughout your website’s design to help visitors understand your business’s community, products or services. These visuals are not only representative, they also set the tone for your brand’s style and voice, shaping the public’s perception of what you stand for.
When it comes to choosing the imagery for your site, you’ll want to prove that your brand is inclusive of all people. You can include the LGBTQ+ community by using images of gay and lesbian couples, transgender people and other groups. This will allow your brand to tell a more diverse story, while showing the LGBTQ+ community they are represented.
Before you start your image search, keep in mind that many free stock photo sites are still concentrated with cliches. When seeking more diverse options, we recommend checking out Shutterstock and Unsplash, each offering hundreds of free high-quality images and curated diversity collections.
When you design a site with Wix, you can add images to your site from the Wix Media Manager, where you’ll find many options for Pride photographs and vector art.
02. Use gender neutral language in your copy
Written content plays a big role in your website’s perception and performance, whether it’s how you describe yourself in an About Us page, product details on your online store, or the copy used in contact forms.
When writing your web content, you’ll need to be mindful that not everyone within the LGBTQ+ community puts themselves in a “male” or “female” box. For many individuals, coming out with their sexual orientation is just the first step toward understanding or defining their gender identification. It’s not uncommon for a transgender individual to experience frustrations when, for example, they are asked to confirm their gender online but aren’t provided with an option that’s relevant for them.
“Businesses should remove questions about gender from the conversation,” says de la Torre. “Questions like ‘what's your gender?’ make everyone transitioning or identifying themselves with a gender outside the gender roles that our society built feel discriminated against and alienated.”
You can use more inclusive language online by applying gender neutral syntax throughout your site’s text. For instance, you may opt for gender neutral occupations (e.g. using “server” instead of “waitress” and “waiter”) or using “they” instead of “he” or “she” when relevant.
As de la Torre emphasizes, you’ll want to be especially cognizant when requesting information from users on your site. One place to consider is your email signup form. “We should be using a more neutral language that supports and enforces inclusion and online businesses should embrace the change,” he says. “Instead of pre-populating answers for gender-related questions, why not leave a blank space for users to share whatever they want?”
If there is a form on your website that requests visitors to check off a box for “male” or “female,” you should also have an option for “other.” Alternatively, you may choose to skip this step altogether.
03. Make your website accessible to everyone
Inclusivity and accessibility go hand in hand. A website that is hard to navigate excludes people just as much as language or imagery that overlooks them. Building an accessible site means adding alt text to images, keeping strong color contrast, making sure the site works with a keyboard and screen readers, and writing clear, readable content.
These choices help everyone, including LGBTQ+ visitors with disabilities who are too often left out of the conversation. When you design a site with Wix, built-in accessibility tools help you check and improve how usable your site is, so more people can engage with your brand comfortably.
04. Use LGBTQ+ friendly security practice
Imagine a user signing up for an account or filling in a checkout form on your site. They move through their details smoothly until they reach a field that does not fit their life. A prompt asks for a title like "Mr" or "Mrs" with no other option, or a form assumes a traditional family setup that does not match theirs.
Microinteractions like this may seem trivial, but they create a barrier between you and the customer. Keep sign-up, checkout and account forms as open as possible, use secure and modern login options rather than rigid personal questions, and only ask for details you genuinely need. Your site can facilitate a more welcoming experience for LGBTQ+ visitors by removing moments where they feel a sense of cyber-alienation.
05. Optimize for LGBTQ+ searches
Metadata are short bits of text used throughout your website that let search engines know how you should appear in search results. These include meta (or SEO) descriptions, alt text and tags. Strategic incorporation of metadata can boost your site’s traffic and let you reach the right audiences, including the LGBTQ+ community.
This isn’t simply a hack to perform better on search results. When members of the LGBTQ+ community seek a product or service online, it’s likely that they’re specifying their search further to find the brands that welcome them. For example, if you’re running a fitness website, including “LGBTQ friendly” in the meta description of a group class will grab the attention of LGBTQ+ customers looking for a safe and inclusive space to workout.
When it's relevant, you might want to include phrases like "LGBTQ+ friendly" within your website's metadata. This will allow your site to be more easily found, used and embraced by the LGBTQ+ community. It will also help drive traffic to your website.
Search is also changing. People increasingly find businesses through AI search tools and AI overviews, so write clear, natural descriptions of who you serve and what makes your space inclusive. Straightforward language like "an inclusive salon welcoming LGBTQ+ clients" helps both traditional search engines and AI tools understand and surface your site to the right people.
06. Protect LGBTQ+ users from harassment
A website has the power to build a community around your personal brand or business. But that relationship isn’t a one-way street. As a business, it’s your responsibility to protect your community of customers when they’re in your space.
This is especially true of the language used in the comments sections, online forums and blogs; LGBTQ+ users might experience harassment and discrimintation due to insensitive or hateful remarks in any of these forums. To protect the LGBTQ+ community on your site, you can monitor comments and posts on your website, help a user if they tell you they’re uncomfortable and investigate or resolve other problems.
07. Support LGBTQ+ products
The booming eCommerce industry provides us with manifold opportunities for supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Many companies will show solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community during Pride by creating special collections of products and merchandise, often donating a percentage of sales to mark the occasion.
That said when you make a website LGBTQ+ friendly, try to think beyond rainbow merch and the month of June alone. One way is to consider adding a non-gendered section to your product page. This provides potential shoppers with a break from fashion gender norms and will likely inspire them to share this with their community.
08. Show inclusivity, don't just talk about it
It’s easy to talk about your love for the LGTBQ+ community online, but proving your business is friendly to the community requires action. Even brands that back Pride Month in big ways by investing in sponsorships, merch, or social media campaigns still overlook the issues LGBTQ+ users regularly experience on the web.
De la Torre points out that some brands “create Pride collections and then force you to select either male or female to see the items.” So although they are ostensibly showing support for the LGBTQ+ community, they’re not doing it in a thoughtful, deliberate and inclusive way.
While there’s nothing wrong with gestures big and small playing a positive role in normalizing LGBTQ+ culture, as individuals we can make an impact by concentrating on the people we interact with on a daily basis. As owners of business websites, blogs, online stores and more, this must include making an LGBTQ+ friendly website.
We hope you’ve learned how to apply these important, inclusive changes to the different parts of your site. We also recommend reviewing resources about LGBTQ+ awareness, talking to members of the community and if the opportunity presents itself, ask a friend, family member or colleague from the LGBTQ+ community to review your website and listen to their suggestions.
How Wix helps you build an LGBTQ+ friendly website
Building an inclusive website is easier when your tools give you room to shape every detail. Wix provides an easy-to-use website builder with designer-made, fully customizable templates, so you can adapt imagery, language and layout to reflect the community you welcome. You control the words on every page, the images you feature and the way your forms are set up, which means inclusivity is built into your choices rather than bolted on afterward. Paired with built-in SEO and accessibility features, that flexibility helps you create a site that feels welcoming to every visitor who lands on it.
LGBTQ+ friendly website FAQ
Is Wix good for creating an LGBTQ+ friendly website?
Yes. Wix provides flexible design tools, customizable forms, accessibility features and SEO capabilities that help businesses create more inclusive websites for diverse audiences. Website owners can also tailor content, imagery and user experiences to reflect their brand's commitment to inclusion.
Why is an LGBTQ+ friendly website important?
An inclusive website helps create a welcoming experience for all visitors, strengthens brand trust and demonstrates your commitment to diversity. It can also improve customer loyalty by making more people feel represented and respected.
How can I make my website more inclusive?
Use diverse imagery, inclusive language, accessible forms, thoughtful moderation policies and content that reflects a genuine commitment to diversity. Small design and content changes can make a meaningful difference for visitors.
Can I create an LGBTQ+ friendly website for free?
Yes. Many website builders offer free plans that let you build an inclusive website. As your needs grow, you can upgrade for features like a custom domain, eCommerce and advanced marketing tools.
Can AI help create an inclusive website?
AI can help generate layouts, website copy and design suggestions, but you should review the language, imagery and user experience to ensure they are genuinely inclusive and representative.
