Websites – every business has one.
Chances are securing a site was one of the first things you did when setting up shop. E-commerce business or not, you might as well not even exist in today’s tech-savvy marketplace without one. But designing an attractive site is only half of the equation.
The other half is asking yourself what you want your Website to do for you, and implementing the appropriate systems for getting results. If you’re a B2B, we’ll assume you want your Website to increase your incoming qualified leads, as a minimum. Here are 10 simple ways you can do exactly that (without making any major changes to your existing site):
Hold a Conversion Audit
Motion graphics. Slick sliders. Beautiful colors – all of these can make an attractive site, but what many designers fail to realize is how little they matter. While aesthetics ARE important, they should never be the no. 1 priority for a business site.
If your primary goal is to capture leads, your primary goal should be optimization. And, oddly enough, what looks good doesn’t always convert. Hire an expert to perform a conversion audit. This person will be able to identify hindrances to conversions, point out missed opportunities and suggest small tweaks proven to capture interest. Take the time to conduct a proper audit and you’ll have a strong foundation to build a smart advertising campaign from. Translation: This can save you big bucks.
Track Interaction Patterns
Using special software, you can determine how prospects are interacting with your site and for how long. For example, the heat map tool CrazyEgg can show where site visitors are clicking, in what order and where they are coming from. CrazyEgg will also show how far down visitors are scrolling. With this data, you can test various “call to action” locations to determine which ones yield the best results This is one of those small tweaks that can surprisingly translate into substantially higher lead and sales numbers.
Use Exit Pop-Up Offers
It’s understandable – people want to review their options before making sizeable purchases. Why not get them off the fence by creating a pop-offer they can’t refuse?
Of course, not everyone will sign-up, but the ones who were this close to submitting their info before will. Whether you are running a pay-per-click campaign or sourcing content as part of an overall inbound strategy, you’re spending a lot of time and money to get that traffic. Since exit pop-ups are proven to generate results, why not get the most out of that money spent by maximizing your chances of conversion? And despite, common misconceptions, today’s pop-ups are designed to be sleek, stylish and inviting.
Get to Know Google Analytics
Want to avoid losing money on marketing strategies that don’t work? It’s time to make Google Analytics your new best friend. By installing a simple code provided by Google, you can easily track who is visiting your site, where they are coming from and how long they stay (among other things).
Say you notice much of your traffic is coming from LinkedIn, but hardly any is coming from Facebook. Armed with such data, you can divert more of your marketing budget to LinkedIn and maximize what’s already working. You may even decide to drop Facebook all together. What if you’re not getting much traffic in general? It’s never too late to implement a smart inbound and pay-per-click strategy. You can then get ahead of the game by tracking efforts from the beginning.
Get Live Chat Support
Live chat support is a fairly new way to interact with prospective and existing customers alike. Contrary to popular conception, there are actually real people behind those chat boxes! How it works is simple: You pay a support agency to “man” your site and answer common questions.
Entry point pricing starts at just $5 a month, although an increasing number of providers are actually offering free plans with reduced functionality. Once you’ve signed up, installation involves simply copying and pasting a few lines of given code onto your site. We recommend placing the button on the bottom-right corner, as this seems to be the place most users intuitively expect to find them. Again, just another small tweak that can be the difference between a prospective client gained or lost.
Include Social Proof
Social proof is any testimonial or endorsement that gives people peace of mind about working with you. It could be a written statement of praise from a previous client, the logo of a well-known news outlet you’ve been featured in or the emblem of an award you’ve received. Tastefully including such markers on your Website will definitely make others feel more comfortable reaching out. Case in point, more than 70 percent of Americans say they look at product reviews before making a purchase.
Great places to integrate proof on your site include the sidebar, footer and your About Page.
Split Test Your Landing Pages
This is one that surprises me every time – how a seemingly infinitesimal tweak can lead to huge conversion gains. I’m talking about something as small as changing the color of a button. While many layout practices are “tried and true,” there are certain elements that will always be unique to what you do. By using a tool such as Unbounce, you can create multiple landing pages with tiny differences to determine which design and content options convert better. It may not be rocket science, but the effects can be profound.
Simplify Your Fonts + Design
Your Website should first and foremost be reader friendly. And that means choosing fonts that are pleasing to look at and easy to read. As maintaining engaging content becomes further paramount to attracting customers online, today’s Web designs continue to become more content-based. The best sites and landing pages use plain, flat design and fonts. That means sans-serif typefaces with uniform strokes and designs. Think clean lines, bright colors and letting the typography “do the talking.” Here is an example of a site that does a great job of utilizing flat design. A final benefit: Simple fonts display better on tablets, mobile and variable sized devices.
Create a Welcome Video
As recently reported by The Guardian, video will soon account for 69 percent of all consumer Internet traffic. Depending on the nature of your business, a prominently placed video may be a great way to increase conversions on your site. Videos should be professionally produced and kept to around 2 minutes in length. The average attention span will not focus for longer than this.
As with all online content, you want to captivate, entertain and educate. Highlight a few key talking points that include your brand’s core message, what you do and the type of client/customer you are best equipped to serve.
Offer a Freemium
Consider producing a high-value piece of content that can only be accessed in exchange for a prospect’s contact information. That could be their email address, phone number or anything else that might be of value depending on your industry.
The key is to offer something genuinely useful to your prospects. For example, if you’re an interior design consultancy, you could offer a free whitepaper discussing the 7 most important things your prospect must take into consideration before hiring a designer. Or you might offer a 5-point checklist for creating a look that compliments their brand. Whatever you do, don’t guess – do as much research as you can to determine exactly what your potential clients want to know more about.
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