How to Apply the StoryBrand Framework to Your Website for Higher Conversions

As a CEO, founder or small-to-medium business (SMB) owner, you’ve likely invested significant time, energy and budget into creating your website. Yet, when you look at your analytics, the conversion rates might not be where you’d like them to be. Studies show that 90% of website visitors will leave without converting, and many businesses struggle to connect with their audience in a way that drives action.

The truth is, most websites fail to convert because they focus too much on the business and not enough on the customer’s problems. That’s where the StoryBrand framework website strategy comes in. Developed by Donald Miller, the StoryBrand framework is a seven-part framework that helps businesses clarify their message by positioning their customers as the hero of the story, with your brand as their trusted guide. In the Donald Miller StoryBrand framework, he discusses how “StoryBrand helps you put your customer—not your brand—at the center of a clear message.”

From the homepage to the call-to-action (CTA), we’ll walk you through the core elements of applying the StoryBrand framework to your website strategy and explain how to implement them on your website for higher conversions.

The Core Building Blocks of a StoryBrand Website Framework

To create a StoryBrand website framework, you’ll want to focus on a few key sections that will engage your visitors and guide them through the buying process seamlessly.

These sections include:

The Hero/Header Section – What Makes a Strong First Impression?

The hero section, or header, is the first thing visitors see when they land on your website. This is a crucial moment to grab their attention, to help make sure that they stay on your website and explore it further. According to StoryBrand, you need to position your customer as the hero of the story — they should immediately see how your product or service can solve their specific problem.

A common mistake Donald Miller discusses in his StoryBrand Framework book, Building a StoryBrand, is using jargon-heavy copy that focuses too much on how great your company is, rather than enough on the customer’s pain points. Instead, use clear, concise language that speaks directly to your customer’s needs, as this will spark their curiosity to investigate your website further.

Best practice: Develop a headline that clearly states how you help your customer, followed by a subheading that reinforces your value. Make sure your messaging answers the critical question: “What’s in it for me?”

The Stakes – Creating Urgency

Once you’ve made a strong first impression, you need to communicate the stakes. Why should your visitor take action right now? Without creating a sense of urgency, many potential leads may put off making the decision to invest with you and instead look at what your competitors can offer them.

Best practice: Use language that emphasizes the consequences of inaction or the benefits of acting now, helping to create urgency and encouraging the reader to take immediate action. For example, ‘Don’t miss out on saving 20% if you sign up today,’ “Don’t wait until Q4 to fix your pipeline—schedule your lead gen strategy session now,” or “Only 3 onboarding slots left this month for new advisory clients—reserve yours today.”

The Value Proposition – Why Customers Should Care?

Your value proposition should clearly communicate why your solution matters and how it improves your customer’s life or business. Without the “why” behind your solution, you’re just pitching a list of features, and features alone won’t win over new customers. This is where you connect with their specific problem and show them a clear, simple path forward. Avoid jargon or complexity—clarity builds trust and drives action.

Best practice: Focus on the outcomes your customers will experience, not just the features of your product or service. Speak directly to their challenges and show how your offering solves them in a way that’s tangible and easy to understand.

The Guide Section – Positioning Your Brand as the Expert

The guide section is where you position your brand as the trusted expert–someone who understands your customer’s problem and knows how to solve it. This shifts the focus from saying “we’re great” to showing “we’re here to help,” which builds trust and credibility.

Best practice: Present your brand as a knowledgeable solution provider. Use empathetic, authoritative language that communicates you not only understand the problem–but also have the expertise to solve it.

The Call-to-Action (CTA) – How to Drive Action

A strong call-to-action (CTA) is a pivotal part of any StoryBrand website strategy. Without a clear, easy-to-find CTA, your audience won’t know what to do next. Include a primary CTA and supportive secondary CTAs throughout the page to guide users toward taking action. This not only drives conversions—but it also shows visitors that you understand their journey and are ready to support them.

Best practice: Use action-oriented language like “Get Started,” “Book a Free Consultation,” or “Claim Your Offer” to create urgency and clarity around the next step.

The Plan – Simplifying the Customer Journey

The plan section should simplify the customer journey. You should remove uncertainty by showing your prospects exactly how to engage with your business. A simple, step-by-step outline gives visitors confidence that the process is clear, manageable, and worth pursuing.

Best practice: Keep it to three clear steps, like: 1. Book a Call, 2. Discuss Your Needs, 3. Start Getting Results.

The clearer the plan, the more likely visitors will follow through.

FAQs & Testimonials – Overcoming Objections

This section provides an opportunity for you to proactively address potential objections and establish trust. Including answers to frequently asked questions helps reduce friction, while strong testimonials offer social proof that reinforces your credibility.

Best practice: Share client testimonials that highlight tangible results and positive experiences. Pair them with FAQs that speak to common concerns like pricing, onboarding, timeline or ROI—anything that might slow down a decision.

Case Study: Real Results Using the StoryBrand Framework

A mid-sized B2B SaaS client came to us with a clear problem: their website was getting traffic, but not conversions. Their messaging was unclear and generic, CTA placement was inconsistent, and the site focused too much on product features rather than customer outcomes.

We applied the StoryBrand framework to restructure their website, clarify their value proposition, and simplify the call-to-action. We also repositioned the company as the guide, not the hero—focusing the website message entirely on the customer’s pain points and path to success through strategically placed CTAs.

The result? Within 90 days, they saw a 28% increase in demo requests and a 44% boost in lead-to-opportunity conversions—without driving a single dollar of new traffic.

Next Steps – How to Audit and Optimize Your Site

If you’re ready to optimize your website using the StoryBrand framework, start by auditing your current site and content strategy. Ask yourself:

• Are you clearly addressing your customers’ needs and challenges?
• Is your call-to-action obvious and easy to follow?
• Does your value proposition messaging make the benefit crystal clear?

Once you identify gaps, start making improvements—one section at a time. Measure the impact, collect feedback, and refine as you go. Even small changes to messaging or layout can lead to meaningful gains in conversions when the framework is applied strategically.

At Rutkin Marketing, we have helped our clients successfully implement the Storybrand Framework into their business and build websites that not only look great–but drive growth and convert leads. From refining your brand narrative to mapping your customer journey, we guide growth-focused businesses through a clear, repeatable process that delivers results.

Curious what this could look like for your business? Let’s talk.