We all want to improve lead conversion.
Every marketer wants to increase conversions on their website. The more conversions, the more MQLs, the more SQLs, the more customers. The approach is clear as day, but implementing improvements can be trickier. Here are 7 things you can do today, to start improving your conversion rate (and get a handy infographic of all 7 tips).
1. Make sure your marketing automation includes a multi-stage response funnel for your subscribers.
It is amazing how many businesses still have a one-off sign-up form on their website. People sign up for a newsletter, and that’s all they get. No targeted follow-up, no attempt at segmenting – and no offers of relevant information.
This is a lost opportunity to give real service to the people most recently interested in your site. Take advantage of it. (This can help you understand your target audience so you can create irresistible content.)
2. Review your PPC ads and make sure their message matches the landing page.
When the language of your ad is not reflected on your landing page, you are going to negatively impact conversion. So, if you promise “Guide to Outpatient Scheduling” and link to a page that says “Efficiency Solutions,” you have a problem. The last thing you want is to confuse someone when they show an interest in your business.
The language you use does not have to be an exact match – though that can be nice – but it does need to be logical. If you are promising to help hospitals with their EHR implementation, don’t link your ads to a vague web page about your consulting services.
3. Link ads, guest posts, and articles to tailored landing pages, not your homepage.
How many times have you seen PPC ads that go straight to a homepage? Or a generic information page? Heck, I’ve been guilty of this myself when we simply didn’t have more targeted landing pages, and couldn’t create them any time soon.
With all the options out there now, from WordPress to LeadPages, there is no excuse not to have tailored landing pages. If you go to the trouble of creating an ad or landing a guest post, go the extra step and create a landing page to match.
4. Have someone who does not know your business try out your website.
This is a classic bit of quality control that businesses frequently sidestep. It’s so easy to have your colleagues test the new site – but they already know the gist of what you want to communicate. Granted, it’s better than nothing, but not the ideal.
Instead, reach out to people outside your company’s inner circle and have them poke around your site. Note down where they get confused – and change it.
5. Do not clutter landing pages or lead generation emails with more than one CTA.
I see this every day – landing pages that don’t know where to direct you. They give you endless possibilities and leave you without guidance, just at the moment when you are showing the most interest.
Make sure you have one primary CTA on your landing pages or lead generation emails; you can repeat it, if you like, but stick with one.
Still, even as I write this, I know that, as with everything, there may be times where you need to break this rule. In those cases, where there really need to be two options on offer, work with your graphic design gurus to give visual cues to help guide people. Good design can let you provide more options, while still directing people onto the conversion path.
6. Make sure your graphics do not draw attention away from critical messaging and CTAs.
Visual stuff can be so fun that it can prevent you from seeing how it’s detracting from your messaging.
Think of the ubiquitous slideshow. There are a dozen ways to present these that are visually striking – but people forget to ask if showing just one thing at a time is really to their benefit. In some cases, a multi-column presentation of images has more impact.
The same thing can happen with fun mouse-overs; the information shows up when you hold your mouse there, but they don’t always work the same on mobile, and can be very finicky.
Visually striking design still needs to guide people; if it distracts, get rid of it.
7. Make sure your website is fully responsive.
Even in 2017, a full 21% of small businesses are not yet mobile-friendly. As the marketer, mobile-friendliness is one of the first things you need to test for and fix. Luckily, there are so many free responsive themes out there that no business today, no matter how small their marketing budget, need have problems on mobile.
Don’t forget to measure your results.
As you make these changes, keep an eye on your data. Just because something sounds like an improvement doesn’t mean you will get the results you want. Compare conversion rates before and after you make changes, so you can let the evidence steer you in the right direction.