Now that we discussed about what it takes to drive traffic and engage visitors with great content, the next step is to get your visitors to convert from a prospect into a lead. You don’t want the visitor leaving without providing some information or you’ll lose the opportunity to nurture them until they are ready to buy. Here are some must-haves for increasing your website conversions.

EFFECTIVE CALLS-TO-ACTION

Effective call-to-action (CTA) drives a visitor to take a desired action. CTAs are typically kept above the fold or in clear sight on a page so visitors know where to take the next step. CTAs are the key to lead generation, but they need to be done right to convert traffic into leads.

• Make them bigger and bolder than most other elements on the page, but don’t overdo it.
• Consider colours of the CTA, whether it is a link, button or image. Make them look so good people will want to click on them.
• Offer CTAs that provide value, like guides, whitepapers, estimates, etc. “Contact Us” is the worst form of a CTA. Don’t rely on that as your only option for conversion.
• Make the CTA look clickable. You can do this by making a button or adding a hover effect to an element.
• Be clear and use simple language about what is being offered. Less is more.
• Test when possible. Try testing different colours (e.g. red versus green buttons), language, and placement to see which CTAs get more clicks and drive more leads.

TESTED CTA POSITIONING

You have calls-to-action, but how will visitors find them? You want to think about where you will be placing your CTAs. You don’t want to dump CTAs everywhere. That will confuse people by giving them too many options, likely at the wrong time. Consider this:

• Segment your top-of-the-funnel and middle-of-the-funnel offers. Place top-of-funnel type offers (whitepapers, downloads) on top-level pages. Add middle-of-funnel offers (request a quote, trial, pricing) as the prospect is digging deeper and learning more about your offering.
• Place CTAs both above and below the fold. The area above the fold gets the most views. However, there are still other areas of a page to promote your CTAs, such as at the bottom of pages and within body content.
• Some studies suggest placing CTAs to the right of the page work better, but testing this will ultimately determine what’s best for your website.
• Use thank-you pages for additional CTAs. There is plenty of real estate to offer more downloads and CTAs without requiring them to complete another form.
• Test, test, test! Sometimes what you predict will work best isn’t the case. Test different placements to know which one works best for your website.

LANDING PAGES

CTAs should ideally link to landing pages. Landing pages are used to convert visitors into leads by completing a transaction or by collecting contact information from them. Landing pages direct your visitors to one offer without the distractions of everything else on your website, and they consist of:

• A headline and (optional) sub-headline
• A brief description of the offer/CTA
• At least one supporting image
• (Optional) supporting elements such as testimonials or security badges
• And most importantly, a form to capture contact information
• Include only what is needed to minimize distractions.
• Remove main site navigation from the landing page so visitors can focus on completing the form and not continuing to search your site.
• Make it very clear what the offer is and make it irresistible.
• Makes sure that the content on your landing page matches your call-to-action. If there is a disconnect in your messaging visitors will hit the Back button.
• Reduce friction. Don’t make visitors think too much or do too much work (i.e. reading).
• Use the right form and only collect the information you absolutely need (see the next section on Forms for more details).

FORMS

Forms allow visitors to sign-up, subscribe, or download an offer. There is no magic answer to how many fields your form should contain, but a rule of thumb is to only collect the information you really need. The fewer the form fields, the more likely visitors will convert since a longer form looks like more work. On the other hand, the more fields you require, the better contact information you’ll get. The only way to know for sure is to test.

A few recommendations for landing page forms:

• Only ask for the information you need for you or your team.
• Avoid asking for sensitive information that companies or consumers may not want to disclose.
• Consider the value of the offer. The more valuable an offer may be perceived, the more information you may be able to ask for in return. If it’s a newsletter subscription, only ask for email address (and maybe first name, at most).
• Reduce anxiety. Visitors are more resistant to give up their information these days, especially because of the increase in spam. Add a privacy message (or link to your privacy policy) that indicates their email will not be shared or sold.

Don’t use the word “SUBMIT” on your form buttons! No one wants to submit anything. Instead, try “Download Whitepaper,” “Get Your Free eBook,” or “Join Our Newsletter.”

• If you’re advertising a downloadable offer as your CTA, fulfil the request instantly. For example, if your form is for a whitepaper download, include a link to download that whitepaper on the very next thank-you page. Another option is to send an auto-responder email containing a link to the offer, but it’s recommended it’s given right away upon form submission so visitors don’t have to dig in their email for your content.

AN OPTION TO SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL

Not all CTAs need to direct visitors to eBooks, sales, or other substantial offers. You can drive people to subscribe to your content as well.

Whether you have an email newsletter or blog, ensure your website encourages visitors to subscribe to it. Newsletters or mailing lists are the perfect way to collect email addresses so you can nurture prospects over time to become leads. Just make sure it’s easy for people to find your subscription form.

If you need help with anything website related, contact us on 02 8011 3737 or email hello@chevrontechnologies.com.au and setup a time to connect you with technology today. We are your local Website Support and Development business in the Campbelltown & Macarthur region.

 

Some information from:

http://www.hubspot.com