Is Your Website a Lead Generation Machine? 10 Tips to Make it SO!

Posted by Clark Morgan, Company Director of Vessel Media. on 14 March 2011 | 222 Comments

Tags: website development, website design, lead generation, leads, sales leads, seo, inbound marketing, content marketing

It’s amazing how many websites I run across that are no more than stagnant brochures. Often I find myself more confused after leaving these websites than when I first arrived. To make matters worse, many of them never even knew I was there. These companies are killing any ROI they could be gleaning from their web real estate. Your website shouldn’t be a stagnant brochure. Your website should be a living, breathing, and money making asset. One that delivers an ROI that can not only be measured, but continually improved. It should be a lead generation machine that educates your visitors and highlights your offer and value proposition. A website that captures visitors and converts them into sales leads for your business. Keep in mind that if your website is not making you money, it’s costing you money. Take heart if your site falls into this “stagnant” category. If you’re website is not a lead generation machine, I’d like to share with you 10 tips that can help make it so!

1)    Content location is vital. Make sure your website content is structured so that it’s easy to find. Keep key information you want your visitors to see near the top fold of your site, so that it’s visible and requires no scrolling to access. First time visitors to your site may not know to scroll down your homepage to find that critical piece of information about your company.

2)    Have conversion forms or “lead forms” on your home page along with other highly visited pages on your site. The conversion forms don’t have to be necessarily on the page itself. I rather prefer the use of a graphical offer that links off your home page to a landing page with a strong call-to-action. Entice your new visitors to provide their contact information in exchange for something they would find valuable. Make sure the lead form is short and to the point, only capturing relevant information you need. Longer forms may get abandoned before completion.

3)    Make sure your landing page forms are up-to-date. Nothing is worse than having someone get an offer that’s expired, or that misrepresents your product/service because it's outdated.

4)    Be sure to test your landing pages frequently to make sure they load and deliver lead information to the appropriate staff members. Leads lost in transit cost you money and may give your prospects the impression of poor service if no one replies.

5)    Avoid using pop-ups all together. They are usually viewed as annoying by site visitors. Especially when they’re getting the same pop-up every time they come to your site.

6)    Allow multiple ways for your visitors to become a “lead” on your website. Ex. online form, phone number, email, etc.

7)    Make sure your content and website are built with your target customer(s) in mind. Ex. 8pt font for a website geared to reach seniors…bad idea. Your product or service should sell itself on your website based on research you’ve done to identify and communicate to your target prospects.

8)    Is your website mobile friendly? More and more prospects are accessing information via mobile devices. If your site is not mobile friendly, you could be missing out on an opportunity to connect at just the right time.

9)    In sales, I’m sure you’ve probably heard the acronym “ABC” (Always Be Closing). If I had to throw an acronym at you here, it would be “ABT” (Always Be Testing). Test your landing pages, offers, and call-to-action. Then test them again. The goal is consistent improvement in lead conversions.

10)   Measure for Treasure. You can’t manage what you can’t measure. Make sure you have systems in place to analyze your lead generation campaign so you can make tweaks for continual improvement.