In one of my recent articles, I discussed the value of the StoryBrand framework – an engaging storytelling formula created by Donald Miller to help businesses communicate their most powerful messages simply and clearly.

You might have been thinking: ‘this is great and all, but how do I actually apply this framework to my business?’. 

One of the easiest ways to do so is through your website. 

After all, every business has a website. And if there’s anywhere you want your message to be simple and clear… it’s on your website’s homepage. People nowadays simply don’t have the patience or attention span for much beyond this anymore. 

In the penultimate chapter of the StoryBrand book, there’s a chapter solely dedicated to how you can improve your web pages using the StoryBrand framework. And if you ask me, it’s one of the most powerful chapters of the book.

In this article, I will share 5 tips on how to improve the website of your business using the StoryBrand framework.

Tip #1: Make your customer the hero 🦸

The most important thing to keep in mind when designing your website is that your customer is the hero in this story. Not you, nor your business. 

I see so many businesses make the mistake of talking about themselves, while potential customers come to your website with one main question:

“How does this help me?”

If they can’t immediately answer this question when on your homepage, landing page or about page, chances are they will leave your website within 5 seconds or less. 

That’s why the headline ‘above the fold’ on your homepage is the most important part of your entire web page to think about.

Share in big, bold letters what the main benefit of your product or service is for your customer. Answer the question how you can help them, right off the bat. So that you can persuade them to read more.

One of my favourite examples is the way Apple marketed its first iPod.

Its main headline was not “We created the latest audio technology with 5GB storage capacity”. It was simply: “1000 songs in your pocket”. 

This slogan communicates the main benefit for the customer in a plain and simple way. You don’t have to think about what it means, you understand it instantly.

And best of all, it makes the customer the hero. Not the company.

Tip #2: Show images of success 😄🎉

If you write your entire website from the perspective that your customer is the hero, the images you use should reflect this as well.

Instead of getting tempted to show off your team, your products, your office or your city, show what success looks like for the customer instead. Let your images tell a story of what life will look like if your potential customers buy your product or service. How will their life change?

Will they sleep better? Will they feel more energised? Will they be outdoors more? Will they be happier? Show the transformation through your website’s images. 

The human brain can process images about 60,000 times faster than text. With the average user spending less than 15 seconds on your website in total (after being convinced it’s worth reading more in the first 5 seconds), it’s extremely important to let your images do most of the talking.

Images are a powerful – and often overlooked – part of your website. Give them the attention they deserve. 

Tip #3: Create trust by showing authority 🧙

In the StoryBrand framework, your business takes the role of “the guide”. Like Yoda in Star Wars or Haymitch in The Hunger Games, your business gets to guide the hero – your customer – to a positive outcome. 

Not all guides are created equal, however, and your potential customers know this. Before they are willing to buy your products or services, they want to make sure that you can actually solve their problems. 

How do you convince potential customers that you are, in fact, their Yoda? 

One of the ways in which you can do that on your homepage is by establishing authority. You can build authority in multiple ways.

✅ Display the logos of your previous customers
✅ Show data regarding the number of users or transactions in your product
✅ Share company awards, media appearances or published works
✅ And my personal favourite: include testimonials

I recently wrote about the power of video testimonials, but you can of course use “simple” text as well. 

It’s good to keep in mind that in most cases a simple “loved it!” won’t do. Let your customers get specific. Let them tell the story of how your product or service helped to improve their lives. 

A short paragraph or 1-minute video will do. Short is good. 

Tip #4: Go for short, then make it even shorter 📃

People these days don’t read websites anymore. They scan them.

But as business owners, we tend to want to tell everything there is to know about our products. And generally, there’s a lot to tell. All of that effort is wasted, however, if nobody cares to read it. 

So what can you do? 

Keep all your text as short as possible. It’s as simple as that. 

✍️ Got 5 pages on your website? See if you can make it 2.
✍️ Got one long paragraph on your homepage? See if you can make it 3 bullet points instead.
✍️ Got a longer section you deem important? Hide it after a ‘read more’ button.

In general, the advice is to keep your entire website as short and simple as it can be. Only include the essential information people need to make a decision and take action. 

After all, you only have 15 seconds or less.

Tip #5: Repeat one clear call to action ▶️

A call to action is the step you want your potential customers to take after they visited your website. This could be as simple as a ‘Buy Now’ button, but it could also be ‘Schedule a Call’ or ‘Sign Up for My Newsletter’. 

The best place for your call to action is in your menu, on the top right corner of the screen and throughout your website. 

A call to action on a website is usually a button in a bright colour – a colour that’s ideally different from other buttons on your website. It has the same text, always. In other words: you want your call to action to stand out and you want to repeat it often. 

It’s the main reason why you built this website in the first place, right? So don’t hide it! 😉

People need to hear the same message over and over until they make a decision, so you’re actually helping your potential customers decide by adding a bright coloured button after most sections on your website. 

Time for a website review! 🥳

These were my 5 most important tips on how to improve your website based on the StoryBrand framework. I hope that these inspired you to improve your own website and get more customers for your business. 

In case you’d like a few more practical examples first, I included a video from one of our online KREW Meetings where we review each other’s websites.

Even though we’re not absolute experts on the topic, it’s pretty cool to see how the StoryBrand book enables us to give great advice relatively easily. 

There are so many websites out there that could be massively improved by just applying the 5 tips I just shared. 

Just remember that having a great website is not enough. You’ll need to invest in getting people to your website as well. Please don’t fall into the trap of trying to improve your website over and over until it’s “perfect” (been there, done that – trust me, not worth it).

It will never be perfect 🤷

Just focus on the basics, until it’s good enough to show to potential customers. Then, based on their feedback, keep improving it little by little.

And the shorter it is, the easier that will be.