Whilst many businesses invest in flashy, modern designs, with technical bells and whistles, you may get lots of visitors but how many are turning into leads and taking action on your website?
In this insight, we’ll discuss the reasons why you are lacking leads on your website and some practical tips for adding trust-boosting elements, optimising your follow-up strategies and packing your pages with valuable content.
CTA (Call to Action)
A CTA is the final nudge that turns a visitor into a lead. Without a strong call to action, visitors are left aimlessly wandering around the site, unsure where to contact you and where to go next. Here’s a few tips for crafting a call to action that will drive more leads.
Strategically placed CTA’s- Think of CTA’s as signposts. Without a CTA after content, users can get lost in content overload. A well-placed CTA can give users purpose and direction.
Create urgency- Gentle pressure pushes users to take action now rather than later. Such as “limited spaces available”, “limited offer”, “join now”.
Build trust and transparency- Be clear about what the next steps are in the journey after they take action. The clearer the CTA, the more confident users have in the process, and that trust leads to more lead conversions. An example of this is “Book in a FREE discovery call with our team”, or “Take our free digital audit”.
Add personalisation- A well-targeted CTA speaks to what the user needs. Customising CTAs based on different stages in the buyer’s journey. A good mix of CTA’s ensures you are reaching different users at different stages. “Start your free trial”, speaks directly to the user. Add your own personality too! If you have content that fits a certain CTA incorporate this and your brand voice.
Not enough trust signals
But what exactly is a ‘trust signal’? A trust signal is any element on a website or even social media platform that reassures your users about your credibility, and reliability of the business. Imagine walking into a shop where everything’s hidden behind locked cabinets with no prices on display, and the sales assistant won’t even look you in the eye- how likely are you to stick around, let alone make a purchase?
This same principle applies to your website. Without trust signals, such as reviews, testimonials, client logos, and industry accreditations, your visitors are left guessing and ‘assuming’. People won’t make a decision based on an assumption.
Solution:
Layer in genuine, verifiable cues that make potential clients feel confident in your brand. Start by gathering social proof: reach out to your previous satisfied clients for testimonials. Creating case studies and sharing insights into a full project, shows transparency. Showcase your industry accreditations and certifications.
An ‘About Us’ page is a great trust signal. Although it may not be reassuring your potential customer in terms of the success of a product or service like a case study or review will, but people like to buy from people and by showcasing your team you are showing your brand personality creates a sense of reliability. “We can keep you in safe hands!” The more you demonstrate credibility, the more likely your visitors are to convert into leads.
Lack of incentives
Potential leads often need that little extra push to hand over their contact details or commit to the next step. If there’s nothing in it for them, they’ll just float away to a competitor who is rolling out an irresistible offer on the same service or product you’re providing! By providing meaningful incentives, you’re saying “We’re willing to invest in you first” which can be a game-changer in converting site visitors into genuine leads. These incentives don’t necessarily mean you have to be giving away discounted products and services. Incentives like free trials, useful downloads and other resources can create a reason for visitors to actually do something on your site.
However, while incentives are great for drawing people in, don’t let them be a mask for mediocre content- if you slack on valuable content, even the best freebies won’t keep leads around for long.
No follow-up strategy
Are you gathering lead information?
A follow-up strategy is crucial. Most leads aren’t ready to commit on their first interaction. If a visitor fills out a form on your website but does not hear back promptly, you are allowing interest to cool and competitors to swoop in.
Solution:
Optimise your lead capture forms. To follow up you need to make sure there is something to follow up on. These could be incentives such as a free guide, exclusive discounts etc.
Segment your leads properly. Don’t just go and throw all your leads into one long email list. Categorise them based on your research. For example, their industry, behaviour or pages they have followed.
You can automate email sequences to ensure efficiency. Add a personal touch to these, including your brand personality, an introduction or some more exclusive tips to keep them informed and engaged. Be human!
Consider a follow-up call. For some businesses, a follow-up call might work wonders. It’s about reminding and checking in rather than pushing them to commit.
Lack of valuable content
Your website users have visited your website for an answer or help to their problem. They want insights, proof of expertise, and maybe some inspiration. If your content is thin or vague, or just doesn’t answer their questions, they’ll quickly bounce off to competitors. It doesn’t just hurt your leads in that moment; it erodes trust and damages your brand credibility in the long run.
Solution:
Now when it comes to practical tips for valuable content, we could talk about this for hours. Here’s an overview of some advice to make sure your content is pulling its weight:
Know your audience. This is arguably the most important point to focus on when evaluating your content. Who is your ideal client? And what are they looking for? Research into their pain points. When your content speaks directly to their interests and challenges, it instantly becomes more valuable and engaging. Don’t forget about your brand’s tone of voice though!
Add unique value. Content marketing is on and isn’t predicted to be leaving any time soon. This means there is endless content out there. To make sure you stand out, provide fresh insights, original data and a unique perspective. Let’s be real, everyone is using AI these days to assist with day-to-day tasks such as content writing. It can help with efficiency and is a great tool to spark ideas. However, content that is completely generated using AI can lose value, as it is not unique and doesn’t suggest your company know what they are talking about. We use AI in a lot of our work. Check out some of our tips for using ChatGPT effectively.
Showcase trustworthiness. Following on from the previous point, adding case studies and testimonials is a great way of incorporating your own unique.
Not optimised for user experience
- Your website isn’t just about looking good, it needs to be driving results and ultimately leads. If your website has:
- A confusing layout
- Slow loading times
- A cluttered design
- Poor Accessibility
- Bad navigation
… you are losing leads. Website optimisation helps to create a clear path for your website visitors. Every extra second it takes for your page to load coudk mean another potential lead bailing out early.
SEO Optimisation can also help your website rank higher. This means it is easier for the right audience to find you, visibility is the first step to lead generation. However, you still have to make sure your site looks good, has good performance so that once visitors land on your website, they aren’t put off by clunky designs and slow loading times.
Poor mobile experience
Failing to cater to mobile users is like turning half of your potential leads away at the door. More than half of web traffic now comes from mobile devices.
Users are impatient, especially on a mobile. Optimisation is key here. A site that is slow, and hard to navigate on mobiles has a much higher bounce rate.
Google’s search engine ranking algorithm considers mobile-friendliness as a significant factor. Websites that aren’t optimised for mobile can take a nosedive in search results, making them harder for potential leads to find. 50% of people say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site.
Solution:
Make sure your site has a responsive design. This means that it adjusts automatically to any screen size. This not only helps with visuals but also reconstructs content and adjusts buttons.
Use tools such as GTmetrix to find what is dragging down your site’s speed. Consider image compression and caching. You can read more about website speed and performance here.
Filling out forms on a phone can feel like a test of patience. Keep mobile forms short and sweet by only asking for essential information. Make use of features lke autofill and input fields optimised for mobiles.
Conclusion
It is key to remember that a high-performing website isn’t just about looking good; it is about delivering value, building trust, and making it easy for users to connect with you. With optimisation, strong CTA’s and focus on content for the right audience you can drive more leads through your website and deliver a smooth customer journey for your clients. Unsure how your website is scoring with clients? Take our FREE digital audit to find out how your website is performing.
