If your homepage starts with "Welcome to" or "We are," it's probably about you. That's natural; it's your business, and you're proud of it. But a visitor arrives with their own problem and one question: can you help me? The fix is to make your customer the hero of the story and position your business as the guide who helps them win.
The hero and the guide
This idea comes from the StoryBrand framework, from Donald Miller's book Building a StoryBrand. In nearly every story we love, the hero has a problem, meets a guide who understands it, gets a plan, and is called to act. The guide is never the hero. Luke Skywalker is the hero; Yoda is the guide.
Them, not us. Your customer is the hero. Your business is the guide with the plan.
When your website plays the hero, talking about itself, customers have to work to find themselves in the story. When it plays the guide, they recognize their problem right away and see a clear way forward.
Signs your site is the hero
- The first headline is your name, your slogan or "Welcome."
- "We" and "our" show up far more often than "you" and "your."
- The homepage leads with your history, equipment or awards.
- Visitors have to scroll to find out what you actually do for them.
How to flip it
- Name their problem in their words. "Tired of a website that doesn't bring in calls?" beats "Award-winning digital solutions."
- Show empathy and authority, briefly. One line that says you understand, and one bit of proof that you can help.
- Give them a simple plan, three steps, so the next move feels easy.
- Ask them to act, with one clear button, repeated down the page.
- Show what life looks like after, the result they get, not the features you offer.
A quick test you can do today
Print your homepage, or open it on your phone. Count every "we," "our" and "us," then every "you" and "your." If the first count wins, rewrite your top section so the customer comes first. Your history and team still belong on the site. They just make more sense after a visitor has decided you might be the right fit, usually on your About page.
[Your example: a headline you rewrote from "we" to "you," labeled as a client or concept project.]
Sources
- StoryBrand, Donald Miller, Building a StoryBrand (HarperCollins Leadership)
