How to Optimise Website for Enhanced Lead Generation
Starting a new business? Oh, let’s build a website. Almost any entrepreneur has “building a website” at the top of their priority list and justifiably so. In today’s digital world, running a Google search is the starting point for almost all consumers needs and wants. And, what gets you to the top of Google’s search results and pulls customers in? Your website, of course! Your website is your top salesperson and the fuel for inbound marketing efforts.
However, simply having a website highlighting your product and contact information with a “Buy Now” button does not mean that sales will automatically start coming through. Marketers and business owners need to take a strategic, long-term approach towards building a website, which functions like the ultimate lead generation machine.
But, before we dive into how to optimise your website for enhanced lead performance, let’s understand why leads are important. Regardless of whether you are a multi-million dollar conglomerate or a local mom and pop shop, leads are like the oxygen to your marketing program and your business. The more qualified leads you get, the higher the chances of converting and closing the sale. Simply put, increased leads give you a better chance at hitting the “sixer.”
There are a lot of things you can do to enhance your website’s lead generation capabilities. Here are a few steps you should be taking into consideration to ensure that your website is performing as your MVP sales representative.
Know Where you are Today
It might sound like a no-brainer, but this is usually the most overlooked step when it comes to website optimisation. Get a paper and pen and literally chalk out each step in your lead generation process, from sketching out buyer personas to defining the definition of a Marketing Qualified Lead across the board, marketing qualified lead versus sales-qualified lead. Understanding and researching what your buyer wants, throughout their journey, lay the foundation for the rest of your lead generation process.
If you already know your lead generation process and conversion paths, go a step further and assess what is working or not. You can use Google Analytics to visualise and track conversion rates of certain paths. How?
- Go to Google Analytics
- Set a Goal. For example, you want to check how many people fill out the “Contact Form.”
- Add a funnel by clicking on “use funnel” option.
- Hypothesize about which pages people will click on before completing the “Contact Form.” You could outline the path where people go to “About Us” and “Blogs” and “Pricing” pages before they complete the goal action.
This process delivers an immediate snapshot of areas that you could start working on. Website Grader is another evaluation tool that can be used to measure the performance of existing CTAs & landing pages.
Design for Lead Generation
It is a given that design and aesthetics of your website are essential but you need to go beyond using impactful visuals and optimising for mobile and laptop. Use design to focus on the two most important prongs of lead generation - CTAs and landing pages.
1. Rules of Call-to-Action
Without CTAs, your website visitors will not have a clear idea as to where to go next (i.e conversion path). If visitors do not know what they should do next, and will most likely bounce. Maximise the CTAs by doing one of the following:
- Have a clear, easy-to-find CTA for each landing page.
- Considering using Smart CTAs which allow you to customise content based on who is viewing the page. Personalised CTAs have been shown to convert 42% more visitors.
- Get Creative - Use different colours, shapes, or placement options for your CTAs. Run an A/B test to decide what gives your better clicks.
If you need more guidance, get some inspiration from these CTA examples.
2. Build Landing Pages that Convert
According to a HubSpot study, companies that have over 30 landing pages on their website do 7 times more business than companies that don’t! It is clear that conversion optimised landing pages are crucial to lead generation.
Here are a few tips to boost the lead generation ability of your landing page with design.
- Don’t use navigation bars on landing pages because they are a distraction that directs attention away from the offer.
- Have a clear headline that states the offer on the top of the page.
- Ensure your headline and CTA match.
- Include a relevant image. For example, if you are offering an e-book, then including a picture of the cover of the ebook will support the offer.
- Bullet point the benefits of the offer. Follow the KISS principle here of keeping it short and simple.
- Use action-oriented language that will give definitive instructions for your visitors and orients them to what your offer can do for them.
You can read more about designing landing pages that convert here.
Create Content That Is Customer Centric
Within the inbound marketing paradigm, creating customer centric content is the most efficient way to generate the highest amount of leads. With the right, customer centric content, lead generation becomes easier. Yes, blogs are a great way to bring in leads, but you can do more.
Most organic visitors that come from search engines like Google or Bing are focused on finding a solution to their needs. Your content should address the problems they want to be solved. Deliver relevant and varied content that addresses users across all the stages of the buyer’s journey which are awareness, consideration, and decision-making.
The most effective content offers for driving lead generation are
- E-Books or Guides
- Presentations
- Research Papers
- White Papers
- Kits or Brochures
- Live and On-Demand Webinar
Most importantly, don’t forget to consistently update the content you have created. The easiest way to lose trust is to offer an e-book dated in 2000 for free download! Your buyers want to understand and know about the latest solutions, and not historic solutions.
Quick Tip: Update titles regularly to make them more relevant and enticing. You can also re-promote content via email to attract new leads.
Leverage Live Chat
Live chats are now common in most websites because today’s buyers are almost expecting them to be there to serve their needs right then and there. You are missing out on a major lead generation source if you are not leveraging lice chat. Live chats can help you capture vital insights about your visitors that could convert a visitor into a lead.
How to go about using live chat for lead generation? First, identify pages where visitors spend the majority of their time. Automate and customise your chatbots to address the user needs immediately. With the right automation tools and CRM, you can even integrate customer service with the live chat function.
Test, Measure, Repeat
We can’t say this enough, but test, test, test. Build a feedback loop into your lead generation process so you are aware of how your strategies and changes are performing. Running tests and tracking your funnel on Google Analytics or your marketing and sales automation tool will verify if you have capitalised on the right opportunities for improvement.
The Takeaway
Generating more leads is the key to measuring your marketing efforts and company ROI. Companies that have a well thought out lead generation process are always two steps ahead of the competition. The current market is rapidly changing, what is “in” today won’t necessarily work tomorrow. Today’s sales process is more complex than ever, the well-informed buyers are in the driver’s seat, quickly alternating their methods of engagement. Businesses that don’t invest in optimising their website and stick to traditional lead generation techniques will quickly find themselves slipping into oblivion (and we don’t want that!).
Use our simple steps to enhance your website’s performance and lead generation capacity.
Want to upgrade your lead generation program? The experts at Transfunnel can help. Talk to us today!
