Here are 44 things founders do on their websites

And what you can "steal" from them

(With practical examples)

For:

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="πŸš€" title="Rakete" aria-label="Emoji: Rakete"> Bootstrappers
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="πŸš€" title="Rakete" aria-label="Emoji: Rakete"> Micro-SaaS founders
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="πŸš€" title="Rakete" aria-label="Emoji: Rakete"> SaaS founders
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="πŸš€" title="Rakete" aria-label="Emoji: Rakete"> Calm companies
Actionable Advice: Embody the branding

Why: You& #39;ll be memorable. People understand (and keep in mind) what you stand for

Who: @llamalifeco

Founder: @threehourcoffee

Example: @KennethCassel put it best here: https://twitter.com/KennethCassel/status/1390263164634271745">https://twitter.com/KennethCa...
Actionable advice: Embody the branding, v2

just to show that it doesn& #39;t have to be only about CSS

Why: Champion what you stand for. People will rally behind your belief, if they share it

Who: @gumroad

Founder: @shl

Example:
Actionable advice: Use some number of customers/users/etc to show social proof

Why: It adds urgency, and reinforces people& #39;s need to do something & #39;someone else had made before& #39;

Who: @NomadList

Founder: @levelsio

Example:
Actionable advice: Set up a waitlist. Create hype

Why: People want what& #39;s scarce β€” we know that. The real value is in this: you& #39;ll have a stronger connection with those you give a preview

Who: @sayfloat

Founder: @heyblake, @wenquai

Example:
Actionable advice: Different audiences? Make a & #39;tab selector& #39;

Why: It helps people & #39;self-identify& #39; based on their need

Who: @waitlistapi

(which btw is used by the aforementioned @sayfloat https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="πŸ‘€" title="Augen" aria-label="Emoji: Augen">)

Founder: @banisgh

Example:
Actionable advice: Be an open startup. Share as much as you& #39;re comfortable (and a bit more)

Why: You& #39;ll build trust. People will join the journey

Who: @growsurf

Founder: @kevinyun

Example:
Actionable advice: Be an open startup β€” example 2

Why: You& #39;ll build trust. People will join the journey

Who: @bannerbearHQ

Founder: @yongfook

Example:
Actionable advice: Add a public demo. Show your face

Why: Big companies move slower - you can move fast, they can& #39;t do that. That& #39;s your advantage. A public demo builds trust and starts a connection

Who: http://permanent.link"> http://permanent.link 

Founder: @arvidkahl

Example:
Actionable advice: Use before-after clear comparisons

Why: You remind people of the & #39;pain& #39; β†’ the need becomes clearer

Who: @potion_so

Founder: @noahwbragg

Example:
Actionable advice: Have some fun

Why: If it& #39;s funny, people will associate a positive feeling with u

(Not on their website, I know, but still worth pointing out)

Who: @veedstudio is cheeky about the clunkiness of Premiere Pro

Founder: @sab8a and Tim Mamedov

Example:
Actionable advice: Embed social proof from logos people know

Why: Social proof doesn& #39;t have to be only people& #39;s quotes

Who: @shoutoutso_

Founder: @5harath

Example:
Actionable advice: If possible, have a LIVE, working demo in the & #39;hero& #39;

Why: It costs nothing to try. It costs you a few minutes to sign up and THEN try

Who: @copy_ai

Founder: @PaulYacoubian and @chris__lu

Example:
Actionable advice: Have the closest thing to a real, instant demo

Why: It costs nothing to try. It costs you a few minutes to sign up and THEN try

Who: @mailbrew

Founder: @linuz90 and @frankdilo

Example:
Actionable advice: Name the audiences that can use your product

Why: People self-identify, they learn that it& #39;s & #39;for them& #39;

If I know something is made for me, I& #39;ll assume a lot of good things

Who: @lunchmoney_app

Founder: @lunchbag

Example:
Actionable advice: Break conventional barriers - use quotes, if they& #39;re relevant

Why: Who said you can only use social proof from users? If you& #39;re selling a philosophy, you can tap into quotes from public figures

Who: @microacquire

Founder: @agazdecki

Example:
Actionable advice: Address REAL objections in FAQs, not just generic questions

Why: Even if the answer doesn& #39;t apply to a user, the transparency builds credibility

Who: @inkdrop_app

Founder: @inkdrop_app

Example:
Actionable advice: Write a letter for your users

Why: Honestly, why not. The band at the top is such an opportunity to temporarily try something.

Who: @help_wise

Founder: @sharmag88

Example:
Actionable advice: Integrate multiple use cases in a simple headline

Why: Too much info can be overwhelming. Keep it simple and that& #39;ll keep people reading (and interacting)

Who: @missiveapp

Founder: @plehoux

Example:
In fact, I learned and applied that myself for PriceUnlock

Actionable advice: Keep the headline simple

Why: Too much info can be overwhelming. Keep it simple and that& #39;ll keep people reading (and interacting)

Who: @priceunlockapp

Founder: @chddaniel

Example:
Actionable advice: & #39;Scratch off& #39; visually the pain point you& #39;re solving

Why: A cleaner way to do & #39;before/after& #39;. People get the problem and the solution

Who: http://vim.so"> http://vim.so 

Founder: @KennethCassel

Example:
Actionable advice: Put some skin in the game

Why: It becomes a "positive freeroll" for people: they either win, or they& #39;re back at 0 (not on a loss)

Who: http://testimonial.to"> http://testimonial.to 

Founder: @damengchen

Example:
Actionable advice: Keep it simple with interactive pricing

Why: Instead of a table or a slider, add interactivity in the pricing card and keep the design cleaner

Who: http://embed.so"> http://embed.so 

Founder: @damengchen

Example:
Actionable advice: Make a slider-calculator

Why: People can calculate the & #39;ROI& #39; of using your product

Who: @Mailman_HQ

Founder: @mohitmamoria

Example:
Actionable advice: Make a slider-calculator (example 2)

Why: People can calculate the & #39;ROI& #39; of using your product

Who: @karmabot_chat

Founder: @stas_kulesh

Example:
Actionable advice: Simplify mockups. Apply your branding style to the mockups

Why: It eliminates the noise of a real-life screenshot, making people focus on what you want to display

Who: @whereby

Example:
Actionable advice: Add stats from your product

Why: It& #39;s social proof that& #39;s been automatically created, as ppl used your product

Who: @PlausibleHQ

Founder: @ukutaht @markosaric

Example:
Actionable advice: Use content to make content

Why: You champion those who use what you made. You then build a stronger connection, as others find out *they* can be there

Who: @indiehackers show these on their & #39;loading& #39; page

Founder: @csallen @ChanningAllen

Example:
Actionable advice: Have a CTA with personality

Why: People are getting & #39;it& #39; faster

Who: http://roastmylandingpage.com"> http://roastmylandingpage.com 

Founder: @helloitsolly

Example:
Actionable advice: Put as little friction as possible between & #39;I want to start& #39; and & #39;Started& #39;

Why: It costs nothing to try. It costs you a few minutes to sign up and THEN try

Who: @buymeacoffee

Founder: @jijosunny

Example:
Actionable advice: Put as little friction as possible between & #39;I want to start& #39; and & #39;Started& #39;

Why: It costs nothing to try. It costs you a few minutes to sign up and THEN try

Who: @tailwindcss

Founder: @adamwathan

Example:
Actionable advice: If you& #39;re replacing multiple other services, put it like this

Why: Clear, better ROI for the user

Who: @hyperping

Founder: @sinequanonh

Example:
Actionable advice: If you& #39;re replacing multiple other services, put it like this

Why: Clear, better ROI for the user

Who: @basecamp

Founder: @jasonfried @dhh

Example:
Actionable advice: Create a public page/embeddable for your users

Why: Enables a growth loop. Now you& #39;re piggybacking the growth of your users, if they use it.

Who: @usefathom

Founder: @jackellis @pjrvs

Example:
Intermission. More business moats you can build, like the one earlier β†’ in this thread: https://twitter.com/chddaniel/status/1387108519917363208">https://twitter.com/chddaniel...
Intermission 2: More GOOD pricing strategies found in this thread: https://twitter.com/chddaniel/status/1386759483729321988">https://twitter.com/chddaniel...
Actionable advice: Highlight with contrast (Use darker backgrounds on the area where you want to draw attention)

Why: It puts what& #39;s important into the best light

Who: @splitbee

Founder: @linstobias @timolins

Example:
Actionable advice: Tailor different journeys

Why: It starts the engagement like... right there on the website! Self-identification with the tool they& #39;re already using is an easy start

Who: @SimpleAnalytic

Founder: @AdriaanvRossum

Example:
Actionable advice: Show what commitment it requires

Why: People will know in an instant whether they can afford the time/money

Who: http://feedback.fish"> http://feedback.fish 

Founder: @lauridskern and @mxstbr

Example:
Actionable advice: Show what commitment it requires (v2)

Why: People will know in an instant whether they can afford the time/money

Who: http://roastmylandingpage.com"> http://roastmylandingpage.com 

Founder: @helloitsolly

Example:
Actionable advice: Show what commitment it requires (v3)

Why: People will know in an instant whether they can afford the time/money

Who: @priceunlockapp

Founder: @chddaniel

Example:
Actionable advice: Publish internal documents

Why: You& #39;re creating them anyway, so no extra work really. Now you& #39;re publishing some other pieces of content, which build trust β†’ make you memorable

Who: @indiebitespod

Founder: @jmckinven

Example:
Actionable advice: Show your community

Why: People like to see faces. But more than that, they like to see groups of faces.

Who: @weekendclubHQ

Founder: @charlierward

Example:
Actionable advice: Add urgency

Why: Scarcity + a limited-time offer β†’ People want to get the deal before it& #39;s gone (FOMO)

Who: http://Publiclab.co"> http://Publiclab.co 

Founder: @MeetKevon

Example:
Actionable advice: Show how you& #39;re challenging the status-quo

Why: People want the 10x better, faster way, but may be reluctant to try something now. However, trying something new is do-able if they KNOW it& #39;s 10x

Who: @AdafaceAI

Founder: @deeptivchopra

Example:
Actionable advice: Self-identification for countries

Why: Allowing users to self-identify can even be made by country, it doesn& #39;t have to be by user type. People recognize themselves β†’ understand it& #39;s made for them

Who: @honeycoinapp

Founder: @justvibesncode

Example:
Gonna take this moment to ask

Which article I should write next?

A. I make $200,000/year through WordPress& #39; & #39;add order notes& #39; field

B. How I (23) and my 17 y.o. brother built a $200k/yr business with 0 lines of code

C. What I learned growing my mobile app to 6M users in 4y
Hey, thx for reading this! https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🧑" title="Orangefarbenes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Orangefarbenes Herz">

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