KristenApr 23, 20197 min read

Website Redesign Must-Haves for Converting Leads & Improving Sales

Now that you’ve engaged website visitors with great content, how do you turn those browsers into buyers?

This is the third and final post in a three-part series that's focused on website redesign must-haves that will help you increase your website traffic, convert more leads, and drive up sales.

Converting traffic into leads starts with a well-phrased and well-positioned call-to-action (CTA). When a lead fills out an online form, be sure to follow up with them — you need to have a strategy in place. Having these pieces in place will position your website and your business to be a lead-generating machine.

A compelling 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.

Here are some tips for creating lead-generating CTAs.

Make them bigger and bolder than most other elements on the page, but don’t overdo it.
Consider colors 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, such as guides, white papers, 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.
Less is more. Keep it simple and clear what is being offered.
Test whenever possible. Try testing different colors (e.g., red versus green buttons), language, and placement to see which CTAs get more clicks and drive more leads (refer to the “Messaging” section above for A/B testing tools).

So, you have call-to-actions, but how will people find them? You want to think about where you will be placing your CTAs. You don’t want to dump CTAs everywhere. That will give people too many options or not the right options at the right time. Here are some tips.

Segment your top-of-funnel and middle-of-funnel offers. Place top-of-funnel type offers (white papers, 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. Placing CTAs above the fold is important because that area of a page gets the most views. However, there are still other areas of a page to promote your CTAs. Add some at the bottom of pages and within body content as well.
Placing CTAs to the right of the page works best according to some studies, but testing this will ultimately determine what’s best for your website.
Use thank-you pages for additional CTAs. A thank-you page or message is what is seen right after someone completes a web form. Many times there is plenty of real estate to offer more downloads and CTAs. Once a prospect completes a form, don’t stop there. Offer them additional downloads, but do so without requiring them to complete another form.
Test, test, test! As indicated in the example above, it’s unclear which version will drive the most conversions. Test different placements to know which one works best for your website.

Now that you have some awesome CTAs, you need to drive those links to landing pages.

What are landing pages, and why should I care?

Landing pages, sometimes called a “Lead Capture Page,” are used to convert visitors into leads by completing a transaction or by collecting contact information from them.

Most landing pages consist of:

A headline and sub-headline
A brief description of the offer
At least one supporting image
A form to capture information
Supporting elements such as testimonials or security badges (optional)

Landing pages are necessary to implement. Landing pages direct your visitors to one particular offer without the distractions of everything else on your website. Visitors are on a landing page for one and only one purpose: to complete the lead capture form!

What is a landing page?

So what makes an effective landing page?

Include the elements on the previous page and only what is needed. Keep your pages simple and minimize distractions.
Never ever use your homepage as a landing page.
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.
Absolutely make 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.
Use the right form and only collect the information you absolutely need.

Forms are the key to a landing page. Without them, there is nothing for the visitor to do on that page. Forms come in handy when it’s time for people to sign-up, subscribe to your site, or download an offer.

You might be wondering how much or how little information you should require with a form. There is no magic answer when it comes to how many fields your form should contain but the best balance would be to collect only the information you really need.

The fewer fields you have in a form, the more likely you will receive more conversions. This is because with each new field you add to a form, it creates friction (more work for the visitor) and fewer conversions. A longer form looks like more work, and sometimes it will be avoided altogether. But on the other hand, the more fields you require, the better quality those leads might be. The best way to determine what works best is to test it.

The right form on the right landing page will help generate leads and improve sales.

Here are our recommendations for creating landing page forms.

Only ask for the information you need for you or your sales team. Also, 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 an email address (and maybe first name, at most).
Reduce anxiety. People 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 white paper,” “Get your free eBook,” or “Join our newsletter.”
Fulfill the request instantly if advertising a downloadable offer as your CTA. For example, if your form is for a white paper download, include a link to download that white paper on the very next page (typically called a “thank you” page). Another option is to send an auto-responder email containing a link to the offer, but it’s recommended that it's given right away upon form submission so people don’t have to dig in their email for your content.

Use your website to its fullest potential, and your business will grow.

Internet usage is growing rapidly, and you need to be there when potential buyers come looking. A business website may be the most important factor in your inbound marketing strategy, but it’s more than just having a website, it’s the integration of SEO, social media, blogging, content, CTAs, and landing pages that will drive traffic, leads, and sales. After all, it is these components that generate sales and revenue for your business. Inbound marketing is the key to filling your sales funnel with qualified leads, and your website is where education, engagement, and conversion take place.

Follow these guidelines, and you will soon have a great website that generates traffic, leads, and sales. But don’t stop there. A website never truly stops growing. Keep learning and stay tuned for more updates from your favorite digital marketing agency.

If you want more website redesign must-haves that will generate leads and improve sales download our eBook, 26 Website Redesign Must-Haves for Driving Traffic, Leads, and Sales.

Website Redesign Must-Have Blog Series

Kristen

Content Strategist at TANK New Media