When it comes to having a professional website for your business, there is one simple truth. All the traffic in the world will be meaningless if it doesn’t result in generating leads and getting more calls. Not all websites are created equal. Some are flashy and others are effective. If you want your phone to ring, you need a lead generating website. Fortunately for you, we can offer a step-by-step solution.
How to Build a Lead Generation Website
It’s not as difficult as you may think. As long as you have a professional website that people can find on Google and other search engines, you can use it to generate leads. With the 11 key points we’ve included in this article, you can transform your website into a lead generation machine.
Here is how to create a lead generation website with a couple of easy tweaks!
#1 Include CTAs Across All Your Website Pages
The most important thing about having a website is to use it to get an actionable message across. In other words, you need to have a clear Call-to-Action. Aside from the useful information about your services and business contact details, you need to add a CTA on every page. That’s the number 1 must-have for all lead generation websites.
Examples can include:
- Call today to book an appointment
- Contact us for a free consultation/quote
- Click here to request more details about our service
- Schedule an appointment today
- Download our product/service brochure
- Sign up for your newsletter
#2 Offer a Free Consultation
Free consultations may not apply to every company, but it’s applicable to the majority of service-based businesses. No matter if you have a roofing, plumbing, moving, or catering company, people will always appreciate it when you offer them a free consultation upfront. It’s a way to build trust and help them understand more about the service and what their exact needs are. Once you provide that, they’ll be more likely to hire you for the job.
Now, in terms of lead generating sites, there is a way to use that free consultation to attract more prospects. Place a button on your website that prompts visitors to schedule a free consultation with you. This way, you will get the attention of potential customers. It’s a win-win because they get expert advice for free, and you get the opportunity to prove your business is the right choice for the job.
The goal of the consultation is to:
- Introduce your business and develop a working relationship with the prospect
- Understand the needs of the prospect
- Explain how your service can meet that need in full
Even if the prospect doesn’t hire you after the consultation, you can still use the opportunity to do a follow-up with them a week later.
#3 Always Include Your Phone Number on Top of Each Page
When it comes to lead generation websites, there is one simple truth – you must grab the attention at eye level.
The top section of each web page is known as “above the fold” since it is the first thing a web visitor sees without having to scroll down to the bottom of the page. That’s the section that people see the most, which is why you should use that space to the fullest. This means, put a header or another design feature that includes your phone number. People should be able to see your contact details from every page of your website without having to scroll to actively find it.
So, keep your phone number and contact details at eye level at the top of every page.
In addition, you can add call tracking to optimize your conversions. Doing that will tell you which page prompted people to call you. It’s one thing if they called you after landing on your roof installation service page and another if it came from your homepage, right? In the first case, you know that they’re interested in a specific service, while the second shows a general interest in your business.
Or, you can invest in a call screening service to make sure the calls you get are legit prospects and not annoying telemarketing pitches. It will save you time and headaches. That’s a great service to consider once you’ve created a lead generation website for your business, and the calls will just start pouring in.
#4 Create a Brochure With Your Services and Make It Downloadable
Very few businesses know about this approach, so you can be among the first to take advantage of the benefits. Creating a downloadable brochure with details about your services is a smart way to grow your email list by asking people to provide their email information in exchange for the brochure. It’s a fair exchange and one that can help you nurture leads through newsletters. It’s also a smart tactic some lead generating websites use to add visitors to their sales funnel.
Offering valuable content is a tried and tested method for generating leads. It’s important to keep your brochure informative, with a clean design that helps focus the attention on the content you’ve provided. There should be CTAs in the document, but not too many. At the top, middle, and bottom is typically the standard.
#5 Install a Chatbot for Instant Communication
Have you ever opened a website with an instant chatbox popup? Those are called chatbots.
Installing a chatbot to your website will help you provide real-time customer service to help retain visitors on your page. Nowadays, most users feel more comfortable communicating with a business via text rather than picking up the phone and calling. Having a chatbot makes it instantly easier for people to contact you in a way that feels comfortable to them.
Adding one to your website may sound a bit too technical for people who aren’t tech-savvy, but doing it is actually much easier than it sounds. There are many free options online, and a quick search will show you how to DIY the installation.
#6 Add Photos and Testimonials to Boost Credibility & Conversion
People are skeptical. They naturally doubt every new business they come across, so it’s your job as a business owner/manager to convince people you’re trustworthy and able to meet their needs. How do you do that on your lead generating website? Through testimonials!
Adding the photos and testimonials of your past and current clients is a smart way to show social proof and build your credibility in the eyes of prospective customers. Stay away from generic testimonials that sound like they were written by a professional copywriter. Ask your customers to describe their experience with your business, what they liked, how your customer service was, etc.. If you lead them towards the type of answers they should provide in the testimonials, you will get much more unique and trustworthy comments.
Just think about it, how many times have you seen testimonials that encouraged you to buy a product or a service? Do you actively look for them when considering a purchase? Exactly! Your prospective leads are looking for them, too.
#7 Integrate Testimonials Within Your Content
You may need some professional content writing help with that one, but it’s not too difficult. Aside from dedicating a section of your homepage or a separate Testimonials page on your website, it’s also a good idea to include them within your content.
You can add testimonials within the content of your Services pages, your About us, or the Contact us page. Check your website analytics to find the page or section that visitors spend the most time reading, and include a testimonial there. It will seamlessly boost your credibility, and it will get you closer to creating a lead generation website.
It’s also important to carefully choose the testimonials you will feature at the top of the page. Look for reviews that clearly describe how your product or service has helped or solved a problem. This matters because it is what potential leads will be looking for in your testimonials.
#8 Consider the End-Goal First
In planning your website content, start by asking yourself this simple question:
What does a lead mean to me?
The answer will help you determine your CTAs and the type of progress you’re looking to make. Is your ideal lead someone who should fill out a form for a callback? Someone who will sign up for your company newsletter? A prospect who would request a quote?
Make sure you know what type of action you want website visitors to make at the end of their visit and communicate that through your CTAs. Multiple CTAs prompting users to take different actions can confuse users and result in zero conversions altogether.
#9 Focus Your Content on Benefits Rather Than Service Features
Start with the mindset that people don’t care about your service in particular. They care about their own needs and finding a service that can meet them. Instead of listing the features of your services, start by explaining the benefits for the customer. What’s in it for them?
For example, if you have a moving company, instead of saying:
Our moving service covers boxing, wrapping, padding, and transportation
You can be more creative and go with:
Get your belongings moved in a safe and orderly manner. Receive them arranged in boxes and padding (for furniture)!
If you have a landscaping business, instead of starting with:
We use this and that machine to trim your trees and keep them healthy.
You can start with:
You keep your trees healthy and shape them to perfection!
Can you spot the difference?
With this shift in focus, you will not only get your prospect to instantly relate your service to their needs, but you will also show that you care about helping them and not just taking their money.
#10 Add Contact Forms to Your Pages
The number one goal of a lead generating website is to make it quick and easy for people to contact the business. Since not everyone likes to do that over the phone, you should also add the option for visitors to fill out a form with their details and request a callback, a quote, or some other action on your part.
Don’t just add a form to your Contact us page, think about creative ways to incorporate it into your other pages too! It could be below the fold, or as a side bar, you have many options.
In addition, be sure to include links to your social media profiles so people can look you up and use them to message you as well.
#11 Consider Adding a Referral Form to Your Website
When it comes to website leads, you should consider that the people who have already used your service may decide to recommend it to others. Or just people looking to recommend a company to a friend, they don’t necessarily have to be your client for that.
Either way, be sure to include a referral form to your website. You can encourage people further by offering a discount or another incentive to refer someone to your business.
Creating a Lead Generating Website: The Recap
There is no shortcut to creating a website that generates leads for your business. However, with a couple of changes and content focused on conversions, you can do wonders and transform your website and your sales funnel altogether.
Here are the top 11 ways to achieve that:
- Include CTAs on every website page
- Offer free consultation
- Add your phone number at the top of every page
- Create a downloadable brochure with your services to collect emails and set up or expand your email list
- Install a chatbot to instantly communicate with the visitor
- Add photos and testimonials to show your credibility and to boost conversions
- Integrate testimonials within your web content, not just the design
- Consider your end goal first – what action do you want your ideal lead to take
- Focus your content on benefits as opposed to service features
- Add contact forms to your pages to make it as easy for people to contact you as possible
- Consider adding a referral form to your website
That concludes our tips for creating lead generation websites that are able to grab attention and convert visitors. Be sure to check the page frequently as we will be updating it periodically.
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