Don't get me wrong, traffic is a great thing (except when it's on the 805 North and you're already 10 minutes late to work), but is it what drives your business?
The reality is that no matter how much traffic your site is getting, if those visitors aren't turning into leads, they're also not turning into customers.
If you're ready to learn how to build a website that's destined to be a lead generating machine, here's what we're talking about. . .
“Tying the goal of increasing leads to the email form and offer (i.e. a whitepaper or coupon) ensures that you will move the needle toward that goal being achieved.”
Hey, there's nothing wrong with the basics! Before we jump into some of the more detailed and complex determinants of your website being a strong lead generator, let's talk about some basic components of what makes one good. Here we learn about 5 key indicators of whether or not your website will be a strong performer.
“Even if your customers don’t actually call, the presence of a phone number does bring them some comfort.”
Now that we've covered a few of the essentials, let's take a deeper dive. This article explains, in depth, the ways you can accomplish some of the key lead generating website features. For example, in order to build trust you can add a phone number to your page. Check out the full article to get some other tips!
“There are plenty of ways to increase the number of people visiting your site, but unless you convert these visitors into leads, you won't be able to ultimately get new customers.”
I hope you're ready to get into even more detail! As we know, Hubspot is the king of Inbound, so they probably know a thing or two about lead generating websites. Not only does Hubspot have some suggestions that you may not have though of such as pop-up forms and form scraping tools, but they give examples for each and every tip. If you're ready to see these guidelines in action, this article is for you!
“If a lead generation website is highly usable, it becomes a tool that is easy to work with and effective in helping the visitor find important information and take action.”
The reality is that too many marketers are focused on the visual aesthetic of their site, not the factors that actually make it a strong lead generator. Luckily, Straight North has broken it down for us into 5 major categories which must be fulfilled by your website to drive maximum performance (hint: the first is Usability; it's up to you to discover the rest!)
“People want to know what others have to say about you. It’s the same reason why we all read tons of reviews on Amazon before clicking the “buy now” button.”
How sad would it be to find out that people are actually interested in what you have to offer, but they couldn't access the right information because the design of your site wasn't optimized for mobile (which they were using to search)? These are the types of mistakes that too many marketers are making, and they're paying for it in the form of lost potential leads. Take a good look at these 19 things, and make sure you never ever do any of them again!
“I think they just don't know any better. . . they think its this 'if you build it they will come' approach.”
Ever heard of a “brochure website?” Well you're about to! Listen to Eric Sharp discuss how brochure websites are holding so many companies back from being strong lead generators. If you're ready to turn your site into one that builds trust and value, take a listen to what Eric has to say!
Why stop at one? Here are 13 podcasts all about optimization for marketers of all shapes and sizes. Check them out to stay up to date on whats going on in the industry, or to address a specific concern or question you may have. Happy listening!
This blog post is part of Your Definitive Guide to Lead Generation blog series.
Your website is one of the most important parts of lead generation. For 30 more tips and ideas on how to generate leads, get the full guide here.