How it looks when websites aren't built to convert
You need a leads boost in the final quarter of your financial year, but your efforts aren't working so you decide to invest in some Google ads. Everyone else seems to be doing it, so it must work. Three months later and the numbers are in: but that expected rise in leads hasn't materialised.
You did everything that the gurus on LinkedIn said you should - you targeted the right keywords, used compelling ad copy, added sitelinks and call-outs, and set the right budget, but still nothing.
So, what happened?
Your website didn't convert visitors into leads.
The traffic 'dead end'
This is an all-too-familiar story.
Businesses and charities do all the right things to get traffic to their websites but then the websites fail to get results.
The problem is many websites just aren't actually designed to convert visitors into leads, and so even if you can get traffic to them as a result of running ads, investing in SEO, and being active on social media, you're basically driving all that traffic into a dead end.
Common issues that can affect whether a website visitor converts into a lead or customer include:
🐌 Slow page load speeds
🧭 Confusing navigation
😖 Unpleasant aesthetic
💤 Dull, uninspiring content
🚫 Not built to convert
The ingredients of a conversion-ready website
So, what does a website consist of when it has been built to work as a conversion tool?
Firstly, it loads in under 3 seconds. Any longer than that and people just won't hang around these days. There are a couple of ways to check this, start by using Google's Pagespeed Insights tool to find out how quickly your website loads on mobile and desktop.
It should be blindingly obvious to visitors how they can move around your site to access the content that's of interest to them. It needs to look good and appear professional.
You want the content to appeal to your visitors, not bore them.
But here's the really important stuff: you need to:
actually ask people to take the actions you want them to
make it easy for them, and
manage their expectations
For instance, if you want visitors to book a discovery call, say that. Make it clear, with a Call To Action (CTA) button and some directive wording nearby. And let people know what they can expect to happen next:
Click here to book your free discovery call and we'll be in touch within 48 hours to arrange your call with a pro
See how that works?
Nobody seeing that would be in any doubt what you expect of them, and what they can expect if they click to book a call.
You have to be clear and upfront about it. Nobody ever got anything without asking!
What if you still don't get website conversions?
If you're still not getting conversions, it's time to consider some other ideas.
Firstly, think about other things you could do to compel people to take the action you want them to. Can you offer them something for free as an inducement or promise a future discount?
After exhausting everything else, it's time to think about taking conversions off your website altogether...
Instead, send traffic to dedicated landing pages that reside at a subdomain and are built to broadly mirror your brand style.
The advantages of this approach is that landing pages have no additional navigation menus or other distractions, and are solely focused on a single objective: getting people to take action.
For example, let's say you're a HR consultancy and you want visitors to your website to enquire about pricing for your services. Instead of a simple pricing page on your main website, accessed through the primary navigation menu, send people to a separate landing page. And instead of just presenting generic prices, why not build a calculator into that page that allows visitors to enter details of how many staff they have in order to get a more tailored idea what their investment in your services might look like, where this is the only thing they can do on this page? But instead of just displaying the resulting price on the page, insist on getting an email address so you can send people their bespoke pricing... Now, you've funnelled people to a place where they are presented with a binary choice: proceed with the calculator or leave; there's nothing else to distract them. You give them a clear instruction, make it more personalised, and set expectations.
Key takeaways about website conversions
So, before wasting money on ads that send traffic to a website that doesn't work, invest some time and effort critically evaluating your website to fix any and all of the issues listed above.
Remember, you want your website and landing pages to load quickly or people won't hang around. Then you need them to look attractive, and be easy for people to find relevant content. Make the content engaging and phrased around customer pain points. And be sure to ask people to take action, make it super easy to do so, and let them know what to expect 👍