The StoryBrand Website Framework
Five things every website must include to convert browsers into buyers
The StoryBrand Website Framework reduces website design to the five essential elements that convert browsers into buyers. Miller argues that the era of using websites as clearinghouses of information is over. Today, a website should function like an elevator pitch: communicate what you offer, how it improves the customer's life, and what to do next, all within five seconds.
The five elements are: (1) An offer above the fold that promises an aspirational identity, solves a problem, or states exactly what you do; (2) Obvious calls to action with the direct CTA in the top right corner and center of the page; (3) Images of success showing happy, satisfied customers who have engaged your brand; (4) A bite-sized breakdown of your revenue streams for diversified businesses; and (5) Very few words, because people scan websites, they do not read them.
Every word, image, and idea on the website must come from the StoryBrand BrandScript. If a message does not fit one of the seven SB7 categories, it is noise and should be removed. The most effective websites Miller has reviewed use ten sentences or fewer on the entire page.
- Pretty websites do not sell things; words sell things.
- People do not read websites; they scan them.
- Every word, image, and idea on your website must come from your StoryBrand BrandScript.
- Your website should be the equivalent of an elevator pitch, not a clearinghouse of information.
- The fewer words you use, the more likely it is that people will read them.
- Create an Offer Above the FoldThe very first thing visitors see must communicate what you offer and how it benefits them. Choose one of three approaches: promise an aspirational identity ('We Will Make You a Pro in the Kitchen'), promise to solve a problem ('Stop Your Cat from Clawing the Furniture'), or state exactly what you do ('We Sell Clothes. We Do Hair').Pro tipThe text should be bold and short, not buried in a paragraph that starts with 'We've been in business since 1979.' Get straight to the point like a great novelist hooks the reader.WarningDo not lead with an inside joke, a cartoon company origin story, or a beautiful image that does not communicate your offer. My wife's cooking school gift made her work for two hours to understand what it was.
- Make Calls to Action ObviousPlace the direct CTA button in the top right corner and in the center of the screen above the fold. The customer's eye moves in a Z pattern: logo top-left, CTA top-right, offer centered, CTA below the offer. Repeat the CTA as visitors scroll down.Pro tipMake the CTA button a different, brighter color than any other button on the site. Both CTA buttons should look identical to create a recurring visual theme.WarningPlace your transitional CTA in a less-bright button next to the direct CTA so both the 'Will you marry me?' and 'Can we go out again?' are visible without the transitional CTA stealing focus.
- Feature Images of SuccessShow images of happy, satisfied people who have engaged your brand and experienced a positive outcome. If you sell products, show those products in the hands of smiling customers. These images represent the emotional destination the customer wants to reach.Pro tipAvoid images of your building, your team at a company picnic, or your manufacturing facility unless you are a bed-and-breakfast. Show the 'after' state of the customer, not the 'about us' state of the brand.
- Break Down Revenue Streams ClearlyIf your business has multiple products or services, find an umbrella message that unifies them, then provide a bite-sized visual breakdown that lets customers choose their own adventure. Each division can link to a deeper page with its own BrandScript.Pro tipA life-planning and corporate-strategy company unified their diverse offerings under 'The Key to Success Is a Customized Plan' and let customers choose between personal and corporate tracks as they scrolled down.WarningWe may think our business is too diverse to communicate clearly, but it probably is not. Find the umbrella theme.
- Use Very Few WordsTreat every word as expensive real estate. Write in Morse code: brief, punchy, and relevant. Replace paragraphs with three to four bullet points. Replace lengthy explanations with 'read more' links. The most effective websites use ten sentences or fewer.Pro tipAs an experiment, try cutting half the words from your current website. Replace text with images where possible. Summarize paragraphs into soundbites.WarningA paragraph above the fold is being passed over. If visitors have to read a wall of text to understand your offer, they will leave.
Squarespace's homepage simply said 'We Help You Make Beautiful Websites.' No company history, no technical jargon, no insider language. Just a clear statement of what they do and how it helps the customer.
A shop called Local Honey could easily be mistaken for a honey retailer. They overcame this confusion with a simple tagline: 'We sell clothes. We do hair.'
Miller developed this framework after reviewing thousands of websites through StoryBrand workshops and discovering that the vast majority failed the Grunt Test: a caveman could not look at the site and immediately grunt what the company offers. Most websites were cluttered with company history, internal jargon, beautiful but meaningless imagery, and hundreds of links that answered questions no customer had ever asked.
The framework was validated when multiple StoryBrand clients saw immediate revenue increases after stripping their websites down to these five essential elements. One client removed 90% of the text on his sales page and saw a four-fold increase in sales from the same email list.