Most business owners show up at my (virtual) doorstep with the same kind of need: "we want a new website." What that often means is they've grown uncomfortable with how their current site looks, feels, functions—or more importantly, how it represents their brand. Lurking just beneath that request is something deeper: they're trying to reassert control over the story their business tells online.
And increasingly, that story is being told inside a scroll. Not a homepage hero or a static About Us page—but a journey. That’s where the trend of scrollytelling comes into play. It’s not just eye-candy or visual flare. When done intentionally, scrollytelling aligns beautifully with the cognitive way users process information, and done right, it can radically improve your messaging, conversions, and brand trust.
So let’s zoom in on this trend—understanding scrollytelling and its impact on your business. We’re going beyond surface-level aesthetics. We're unpacking how psychology, user behavior, and new design frameworks are rewriting how stories are being experienced online today—and where that places your brand if you aren't keeping up.
Scrollytelling (from "scroll" + "storytelling") refers to web experiences where narrative elements unfold as a user scrolls down a page, often incorporating animations, media, transitions, and new form factors that guide interaction.
It's not a new idea, but over the last few years, platforms like Webflow, Scrollama, and Lottie have made it more accessible. Combine that with the rise of no-code and low-code tools, and small teams suddenly have the creative firepower once reserved for major media companies like The New York Times.
Traditional websites present all their information at once—think menu bars, product lists, hero sections. Scrollytelling flips this by bringing the user through a sequence, almost like a tour guide showing you around a gallery.
This is especially relevant for service-based businesses (like local therapists, real estate agents, or boutique agencies), because your process and personality are part of your value proposition—but they're often buried in a cluster of tabs.
I’ve worked with clients across industries—from fitness studios in Nashville to B2B logistics chains in the Midwest. One trend is clear: people remember what they emotionally engaged with. Scrollytelling creates a layered, immersive experience that sticks in the mind more than blocks of content ever could.
Human attention behaves a lot like water—it flows toward whatever path seems easiest to follow. By guiding the user through a deliberate path, you lower their cognitive burden.
This reflects principles from behavioral psychology and UX research. One well-documented effect is the "Peak-End Rule": people judge an experience by its peak (the emotional high) and its end. Scrollytelling gives you the tools to manufacture those peaks and ends effectively.
I recently worked with a branding consultant in Franklin, TN who had a Squarespace site that read more like a résumé than a conversation. We rebuilt his website in Webflow using a scrollytelling format—starting with story, then service, then testimonials, each revealed with subtle animations. Leads increased by 53% over three months. People stayed longer because they weren’t reading a list—they were walking a path.
If you approach scrollytelling as pure decoration, it will probably backfire. We’ve all visited the site that was a festival of moving parts, autoplayed videos, and fade-ins—only to get frustrated and leave.
One e-commerce client came to me after running into user retention issues. Their product—a subscription-based coffee brand—used animated pathways where beans “flew” across the screen, cups filled, and labels changed dynamically. It worked great on desktop but crashed frequently on mobile, where 78% of their traffic came from. Redesigning a more accessible, streamlined scrollytelling sequence increased their product page load speed by 290% and nearly halved their bounce rate.
Ten years ago, you'd need a team of JavaScript-heavy developers to pull off immersive stories on the web. Now with platforms like Webflow or integrations like Lottie, you can create sequences even as a solo freelancer or small design team with limited code knowledge.
Not every business needs it—but many can use at least a light version. When I act as what some clients jokingly call their "marketing therapist," I dig into how their business earns trust. The more that trust is built on a story, experience, or distinctive point of view, the more I consider scrollytelling to be a good fit.
The best scrollytelling experiences aren’t about “style over substance.” Instead, the style exists to amplify and structure the substance—your product, your offer, your people.
Your copy should invite discovery. At Zach Sean Web Design, we treat scroll-based content almost like writing beats in a screenplay:
In scrollytelling, white space isn’t wasted space. It’s the pause between beats. Motion de-prioritizes the need for static visual hierarchy (like headers and subheaders), but that hierarchy still matters. Use scroll to reveal layers—not to obscure what needs to be instantly visible (like pricing or contact info).
There's a concern among some clients that scrollytelling hurts SEO. And it’s valid—if executed incorrectly. Some interactive pages rely too heavily on JavaScript-rendered content, which can only be partially indexed by Google.
One of our longer scrollytelling builds for a therapist in Nashville used a “session-style” scroll where users moved through different kinds of emotional states and services. Because the copy was embedded directly into clean HTML with minimal reliance on canvas elements or iframes, Google indexed all content within two days. After optimizing titles and image alts, the site climbed to rank #2 locally for cognitive behavioral therapy within the month. It ranked not just because of keywords—but because of dwell time, behavioral signals, and user engagement.
If you’re already on Webflow, you’re in the best position to implement this strategically. But even on platforms like WordPress or Squarespace, you can experiment with small transitions or reveal-based storytelling without overhauling everything.
Every great brand is a story. But more importantly—a story well-sequenced. Scrollytelling isn't about gimmicks or flexing your design skills. It's about helping a visitor become immersed in your business' identity without overwhelming them.
If your website is your online “front office,” think about what experience you're creating the moment someone walks in. Are they confronted with a menu and four choice paralysis? Or are they guided through a sense of purpose, clarity, and connection?
The businesses that resonate long-term don’t just transact—they narrate. With the tools you now have access to, scrollytelling has become less of a trend and more of a responsibility. And like your best stories—the ones you tell at dinner tables or client meetings—it works because it lives, breathes, and unfolds.
Copyright © Zach Sean Web Design
