Turn your website into a lead generation machine
“Give your website visitors what they want, not what you want.”
The main objective of your website is to persuade visitors to contact you to generate leads for your company, to develop those prospects and convert them into new and repeat business.
One of the best ways to ensure your website is producing the most possible leads is to evaluate your site from a visitor’s perspective. Look at your website and ask yourself the following:
1) Establish credibility
Start building a rapport with visitors as soon as they arrive at your website. Try to capture their interest and engage them in your information. Now you have the opportunity to establish your credibility and earn their trust. Initial impressions have a lasting impact and what they first see influences their perception of the rest of your site and your brand.
2) Respond to inquiries quickly
Whether the inquiry comes by email, form or phone, a quick response on your part builds confidence and trust. It’s also the best way to capture a lead before they change their mind or find another provider.
3) Give facts, but promote the benefits
Provide brief descriptions of your services. Note your customers’ common questions and develop a FAQ with the answers. Above all, look for the emotional components that reveal the benefits of your solution and eliminate your prospects pain points.
4) Provide information during each phase of the buying cycle
Relevant content guides prospects from one phase to the next. In the research phase, they gather information. Tell them what then need to know. In the comparison phase, they evaluate your company relative to your competitors. Highlight content like customer lists and case studies and guides. In the decision phase, value-added offers and guarantees provide reassurance and help them feel good about making their decision.
5) Address the pricing question
Prospects need to know if your offerings are within their budget. They don’t expect to see a final price on your website, but look for budget ranges to qualify your company as a viable option.
6) Include images of your people
It is important for service businesses to include photos of key staff members on the “About Us” page to “connect” with your potential customers.
7) Make it easy for prospects to contact you
Phone numbers should be prominent on every page, along with a link to your contact page. Visitors should not have to scroll to see them. And repeat your contact information in the footer of each page. Consider including short forms on key pages of your site, not just your contact page.
8) Make action steps obvious
When visitors arrive at a page they should see a clear page title and the text should be brief and easy to scan. Use the colour, style, and position of your call-to-action so visitors have no doubt where they’re supposed to click. Minimize elements that detract from the action steps. Each word, image, button, and graphic on a page adds to the level of visual noise and competes for attention.
9) Link actions with benefits
A “submit” button is never a good idea. It isn’t enough to say: “Contact us for more information.” Every call-to-action should have a related benefit. What will the visitor gain by taking the action? For example: “Let Us Help You Achieve Better Results” paired with a “Please Contact Me” button.
10) Keep forms brief
Require only the contact information you need to respond and don’t ask for much more. If you must have additional information to qualify leads, consider a two-part form. Ask if they prefer a phone or email reply. Periodically test your forms, make sure they work, and send an auto-reply message acknowledging receipt of every inquiry.
Even if you’re really good at what you do, it can be a struggle to generate enough leads in tough economic times. Make sure your website is working for you. Take the time to evaluate how it builds credibility, delivers useful content, and motivates visitors to take action and you will ignite your lead generation process.
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