Your website’s #1 most important job is to help you capture new leads. That’s what websites do best, and that’s what your website should be doing for you 24/7/365 nonstop. So it makes sense that you should spend a lot of time testing, tweaking, and tuning up your website lead capture system. The absolute best place to begin is with a reality check. Here are the 4 ways your website is driving away new leads every single day…
1. You Don’t Have A Lead Magnet
A lead magnet is something you give away for free to entice your suspects to become prospects. It’s a free report, a free white paper, a free download, a free sample, or a free massage (just be sure to send me the link if you’re giving away free massages). A lead magnet is so essential. Every single business on planet earth needs a lead magnet. Ok, maybe there are a few exceptions, but by-and-large this rule applies across the board. One of the best ways to figure out what kind of lead magnet you should offer is to think about the major pain point your prospects have. Then, simply turn that pain point into a piece of content or a deliverable that helps them get some immediate relief to their problem.
2. Your Lead Magnet Isn’t Seductive Enough
Even if you’re already giving away something for free in exchange for contact information, you need to keep working on your lead magnet to improve your conversion rate. Experiment and test with different headlines, different graphic design, different placement, etc. Your lead magnet should be so seductive that your best prospects simply cannot resist handing over their information to get it. You should also work on reducing the “barrier to entry” to get your free offer. Try asking for “First Name” and “Email” only and then moving onto more detailed information in a second form. Seduction isn’t just about improving the lead magnet — it’s also about making the process easy.
3. Your Phone Number Is M.I.A.
This one just kills me. Your business phone number should be readily apparent and easy to find on your website. I recommend placing it in your website header for best results. Don’t make the cardinal sin of burying this information on a Contact Us page. Remember: website visitors are inherently lazy. Make getting in touch with you and your business as easy as humanly possible. Also, if you don’t have a business phone number, you should get one immediately. Even if you just use a Google Voice number that leads prospects to your voicemail, this is vastly better than not having one at all.
4. Your USP Isn’t Obvious
Every business needs a Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and your website should make your USP immediately obvious and easy to understand. If it takes your website visitors more than a minute or two to figure out what you do, what you sell, or how you can help them, you’re going to lose out on precious new leads. The truth is, people want to do business with you. But they will resist you if they don’t “get you” right away.
We’re just scratching the surface here, but improving these 4 key elements will go a long way towards reducing your bounce rate, increasing your conversion rate, and bringing fresh new leads into your business day-after-day.
