The Secret To Crushing Your Website in 2025 (It’s Not What You Think)
Have you ever walked into the middle of a conversation and try to pick up the gist of the topic midway through?
Standing there, you quickly grasp bits of the conversation. In less than 30 seconds or so, you’ve put enough pieces together to get the general idea. Then you do one of three things:
You keep listening
You jump in
Or you mosey on
Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. At parties, at conferences, at work socials, in line for free birthday cake.
This little scenario is an oversimplified version of what happens when leads land on your website.
Curious leads find your website one way or another. As they scroll, they decide–do they listen in, engage, or mosey on to another more interesting “conversation” elsewhere? In this example, your website is the virtual room where your dialogue builds and engages your curious visitors.
But—what’s the secret to creating a kick-ass webpages that capitalize on your website traffic every time?
Sure, your website design helps. And yes, messaging plays a part. But that’s not it.
The secret?
Storytelling, my friend.
Why?
The same reason why our mammal brains can buzz into a conversation mid-sentence and quickly put a conversation together in under 30 seconds.
Nearly all of us humans have the natural instinct to sense where a story is going. And when that happens, we can instantly decide if we’re in the right place or not.
But here is where most websites go wrong. When leads land on your website and can’t pick up those clues to get a sense of where you’re driving the conversation, then you’ve likely lost them–before they even scroll past your first headline.
Let’s talk about the main reasons why storytelling is important on your website right now.
Why Storytelling Is A Requirement For Your Website
1. Relevancy
It may be obvious, but storytelling helps us answer the question, “Does this matter to me?”
Introducing those storytelling techniques as soon as leads land on your website is a prime way to hook your ideal audience in. You create an image that your ideal customers can see themselves fitting into.
Now, the story you showcase for your business boils down to one question. How well do you solve your ideal customer’s problem? You could consider using visual story flow or sequencing to help your ideal audience quickly identify if you offer what they are looking for.
And with the right storytelling techniques applied on each page of your website allows your business to continue the dialogue. Meaning, your leads feel like they are in the right place.
Plus, you make it easier for leads to keep scrolling through your website. Not to mention, Google will love you for it, too.
2. Build Memorable Bonds Quickly
When leads know they’re in the right place, the next step is building trust.
Modern storytelling creates momentum across your web pages and helps build bridges with newcomers fast. Defining a shared narrative through testimonials via mini-case studies or strategically using the voice of the customer (VOC) correctly helps you forge a sturdy foundation with your audience.
That bond also piques curiosity and can keep customers on your website even longer—aka increase dwell times. Bottom line, they stick around expecting to hear the story that solves their specific problem. And a memorable story resonates.
One theory on why we remember great stories is that stories help us make meaning out of total chaos. Awesome stories cut through the noise when many are competing for your attention.
Why? Because stories help establish an emotional connection with your reader, hence reinforcing the bond.
3. You Stand Out
Establishing that emotional connection through storytelling creates pockets for golden memorable moments on your website.
Remember the Super Bowl commercials from last year? (Or if you’re not a football fan)
Remember the end of How I Met Your Mother? (Or if you don’t like American TV sitcoms)
Remember when Mary lost her little lamb?
The point is, if your leads can remember your story, they’re more likely to think of you again the next time they consider your product or service (which is where email marketing, opt-ins, and funnel building come in, but that’s a separate article).
Standing out is also a great opportunity for origin stories or before/after scenarios—or sometimes both.
A great example of this is IT Cosmetics’ founder story of Jamie Kern Lima’s battle with rosacea. The before-and-after reveal footage is still a very memorable moment in beauty history that defined the brand forever. Not only did Jamie Kern Lima’s makeup removal stop everyone in their tracks, it was also a brilliant move for the company. This true story highlighted the company’s backbone by speaking to the vulnerability of real women who are seeking awesome products that deliver and unify on beauty standards.
How is this different than brand awareness, you ask? It’s simple. Great storytelling techniques on your website address how well you solve your ideal customer’s problem. Leveling up each web page with storytelling techniques increases your business growth, and more importantly, prepares your audience to take action.
4. Frame Your Objection-Handling
Handling objections is sales 101, especially in conversion copy. In my mind, objection-handling is the precursor to taking the action you want your audience to take. Adding storytelling techniques throughout your website is an excellent backdrop to help your objection-handling feel more natural.
Tackling objections thoughtfully also showcases to your audience that you’ve done this before. You know what it’s like to walk in their shoes which helps lead feel more confident. Case studies are a great way to combine outcome, storytelling, and objection-handling all in one.
Some common objection categories that can be tackled by storytelling include:
Credibility and the legitimacy of your product or service
Cost vs. value and justifying pricing
Time, commitment and effort levels to expect or look forward to
Mindset and beliefs around making a purchase from you
Situational conditions surround the demographics of your buyers
I love handling objections through storytelling because it’s an opportunity to create a culture of “we”. By sharing your company values, your customers’ struggles and micro-stories, your case studies on your website help to maintain that emotional connection and trust with your audience over and over.
5. Inspire Action
As Anecdote puts it, “Story is likely to inspire action.”
Maybe your goal is to drive more inbound leads or perhaps to bulk up your subscriber list before your next launch, the right storytelling components combined with a clear strategy can definitely help your audience to take action.
Find more on how to inspire your audience into action in this article.
