Why a Google Doc Converts Better Than Your Fancy Website

I saw something on Threads the other day that stopped me scrolling. Someone said their Google Doc converts better than their fancy website. The comments were full of surprise-how is that possible? A bare document outperforming a polished site?

I chimed in: because fancy animations, logos and imagery are like makeup. Wipe it away, and you're left with the core offer. That's more authentic-people see it more clearly, so they trust it easier. If the core offer is good, you don't need all that. And that's precisely how I view web design. No flashy, over-the-top bullshit. Just candid, clear and simple. It works for my clients and it will work for you.

A quick caveat: someone sharing a Google Doc might already be further along in the buyer journey-they're engaged, they've asked for it. That's another factor. But the principle still stands. Clarity beats clutter every time.

The core offer comes first

Too many sites are built backwards. The brief starts with 'we need something that looks impressive' or 'our competitors have parallax and 3D, we need that too.' The result is a site that dazzles for five seconds and then leaves visitors wondering what you actually do. The Google Doc works because it has no choice: it's just the offer, the value, the reason to act. Nothing gets in the way.

That doesn't mean your site should look like a Google Doc. It means the hierarchy should be the same. Lead with clarity. Make the offer obvious. Use design to support the message, not to compete with it. Every animation, every image, every flourish should earn its place. If it doesn't help someone understand or act, it's noise.

Less is more

The best sites I've built are the ones where we removed things. A client wants six sections on the homepage; we cut it to three. They want a carousel; we suggest a single, strong headline instead. The instinct is to add-more social proof, more features, more wow. The discipline is to subtract until what's left is essential.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry put it better than I ever could: 'Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.' He was writing about aircraft design, but the principle applies everywhere. A site that converts is one where every element has a job. Take one away and something breaks. That's when you know you're done.

Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

So yes-a Google Doc can outperform a fancy website. Not because design doesn't matter, but because the best design is often the kind you barely notice. It gets out of the way. It makes the offer impossible to miss. That's the bar we aim for.