What separates a professional services website that builds your business from one that simply describes it is the ability to be found online by new clients, to showcase your work in the best light, and close new business deals.
This first type of business asset actively works to improve the business, drawing in a continual supply of potential clients and helping them move forward in the sales process. This site is key to the firm’s expansion.
The second type of website is much more common, but doesn’t do any of the things mentioned above. These websites are mostly passive, and are only meant to be online brochures – places where people you can’t meet in person can go to learn more about your business and what it has to offer.
This article provides the best practices for lead generation website design so you can build a better site.
1. Produce Valuable Educational Content
The way people market professional services websites has to change in order to be successful. You can’t just rely on talking about your expertise – you need to show it through great content that is helpful, informative, and engaging.
You can show you’re an excellent resource for your clients when it comes to solving common problems. You write and speak openly about how your clients can benefit from your advice. You describe specific techniques and provide critical context.
You tend to use language that is relatively simple and easy to understand.
People want to hire somebody who can make difficult topics appear easy. This is a sign of a true specialist, and many future clients are attracted to this type of information. Their businesses may be going through a lot of challenges, and the people responsible for solving them are given a lot of pressure. But before they employ a service, they need to comprehend their dilemma and what solutions are available to fix the problem.
Your website should be a place where you can post your expert content and use it to promote your business. This content can help you reach more people and attract interested and motivated visitors.
2. Take Search Engine Optimization Seriously
Many successful companies invest a lot in content marketing, and they know that SEO is a big part of their success.
An SEO campaign is not a one-time event; it is an ongoing process that should be built into your site’s development from the outset. It is not a single technique that you apply to your web pages, then sit back. Instead, it is a suite of techniques that involve a variety of skills – some technical and some softer, such as reaching out and negotiating with third-party online publications.
At its most fundamental level, search engine optimization comprises two components:
- On-site optimization
- Off-site optimization
The former’s focus is on creating a website that can deliver high-ranking pages and thereby meet Google’s increasingly high standards. Onsite optimization requires a wide range of skills such as researching keyword phrases, writing, and building your pages to meet the standards of Google’s search algorithm.
Offsite optimization is about improving your website’s visibility and ranking by improving the quality and quantity of links from other websites. This can be done by creating content that other websites want to link to, writing guest articles and blog posts on reputable websites, and including links back to your website.
3. Employ Offers Throughout Your Site
You can’t just attract visitors to your website, you need a way to make them fans. And that transformation can only happen if you create content for people at every stage of your sales funnel.
You need to produce a variety of content that will keep people engaged and show that you have a deep understanding of the topic. This can be done by creating executive guides, eBooks, and webinar recordings on topics that are related to your area of expertise.
You can also use offers to increase conversion by asking your visitors to sign up for your email list, answer a survey, or redeem a coupon. You can use offers to introduce long-format content to new visitors by placing them on pages that are highly relevant to what they are looking for. This will help point readers to the next stage of the material they are interested in. Additionally, you can use offers to increase conversion rates by asking visitors to sign up for your email list, answer a survey, or redeem a coupon.
4. Place Your Most Valuable Content Behind Forms
If you want to turn your website visitors into prospective clients, you should use forms. By putting your most valuable content behind forms, you can create a sense of scarcity that will entice people to hand over their personal information. This strategy works because people are generally willing to trade a small amount of information for something they see as being valuable.
If you have a person’s email address, you can use it to create a marketing relationship with them by sending them educational materials over time, instead of spamming them with sales pitches.
The use of forms can act as a barrier to some people enjoying content; however it is a trade-off worth making as those who do fill out forms are generally more serious about the topic. It is also true that the more fields there are on a form, the fewer people will fill it out.
5. You Should Use Analytics And Testing To Monitor And Improve Your Performance
This way, you can identify areas that need improvement and work on them.
Firms that are growing quickly are monitoring 22% more metrics than firms that are not growing as quickly, according to our latest research. They are also much more likely to track online performance metrics such as conversions and social media engagement.
The reason for this is that you cannot steer a boat if you cannot see where you are going. Analytics provides a strong light to see in the darkness and also allows you to change course if you do not like what you see. There are many analytics tools available that can be overwhelming, so it is best to start with the basics.
There are more features in Google Analytics than most people will ever need. It is a free program and easy to use.
You can track likes and shares of your posts on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Alternatively, you can try using a third-party social analytics tool, like Hootsuite or Kissmetrics.
Firms that are aware of what they’re doing conduct scientific tests called A/B tests to see if small changes to a web page, such as changing a headline or the color of a button, will have an effect on performance.
6. Focus On The User Experience
If you want to be successful in generating leads from your website, you need to design it with your audience in mind. Although the website is for your business, it is important to remember that your audience will be the ones browsing it.
a. Get your pages loading fast
Users do not want to wait for slow-loading pages. You should use Google PageSpeed Insights to find out how you can make your site’s loading time faster.
b. Utilize white space
Many companies think they need to fill their website with text, photos, or multimedia. In reality, having white space on your site can help break up a busy page and make it easier to look at and browse. Use white space in your design to create a cleaner design that makes it easy for your audience to browse through your site.
c. Create simple navigation
A clear and well-organized navigation system will improve the user experience on your website. If users can easily find the content they want, they are more likely to keep using your site. Use clear headings and sub-categories to organize your pages and make it easy for viewers to find what they need.
7. Choose The Right Design For Your Website
The visual design of your website is extremely important for generating leads, as 94% of first impressions are based on web design.
Follow these lead generation website design best practices to be successful with user-focused web design:
a. Establish a style guide
If you want your website to look consistent and trustworthy to potential leads, a web design style guide can help. A style guide can assist you in creating pages that all look cohesive, leading to a more professional overall appearance for your site.
A brand guidelines document helps you to specify things like your website’s colors, font style, and image style.
b. Make your design reflective of your business
It is essential that you create a design that reflects your business to help potential clients remember your brand. For example, if you are a luxury brand that sells plain-colored watches, a black and white color scheme will fit your brand better than a rainbow of colors. Your aesthetics should be as unique as your business.
c. Opt for a custom design
If you want to make sure your brand is remembered by your audience, go for a custom design. This will help you stand out from the competition and give your audience a unique and unforgettable experience.
8. Add Testimonials To Boost Credibility
Did you know that 92% of users trust recommendations from others over a brand? A great way to build trust is by sharing others’ experiences with your business. Word-of-mouth is a powerful marketing tool because it is seen as more credible than a brand saying nice things about itself. When clients see that you are sharing stories about your business from other people, they are more likely to trust your brand.
There are a few ways you can build trust with your audience:
a. Add testimonials to your website
Testimonials can help potential clients understand how past clients feel about your brand. You can add testimonials to your website as part of your web design. This will give people insight into how your brand is perceived by others.
b. Integrate Google reviews into your website
Google reviews can help show potential clients an authentic experience with your company, which could help them decide if your company is a good option for them.
c. Integrate reviews from other sites
There are multiple places online where people can leave reviews about businesses. Well-known examples are Yelp and Consumer Reports. By including these types of reviews on your own website, potential clients can get a better sense of what it would be like to work with you or purchase your products.
9. Add Call To Action (CTA) Buttons To Get Users To Take The Next Step
Another essential element of successful website lead generation design is call to action (CTA) buttons. To create the most effective CTA buttons, follow these best practices:
a. Make them pop
Your CTA buttons need to be noticeable if you want to create an effective web design for lead generation. Make sure they stand out from the rest of your page by using contrasting colors. This will make it easy for users to find and click on the button so they can proceed to the next stage in the purchasing process.
b. Don’t use plain CTAs
To get people to take the next step on your website, you need a CTA that is interesting and makes them want to click. Avoid generic CTAs like “Click here” or “Download now.” Try something more informative, like “Download your free guide now!”
c. Choose the right shape
You can test different button shapes to see which one your audience responds to best. A common choice is between a rounded rectangular button, rectangular button, or extended oval button.
Creating compelling and noticeable CTAs is essential for guiding your audience to take the next step.
10. Add Visuals To Make Your Site Engaging
If your website is mostly text, visitors may feel overwhelmed and not want to stay on your site. A good lead generation website design practice is to add visuals. Visuals help break up the text on your site and make it easier for your audience to understand the information.
Here are some tips for using visuals as part of your site’s design:
a. Use authentic photos
While stock photos are an easy way of adding visuals of real people to a site, many companies try to use them as a way of cutting corners. It’s therefore worth making the effort to take some genuine photos of your staff to use instead.
When a site visitor has a personal experience, they feel closer to the brand.
b. Create videos to explain complex topics
Videos can help to increase engagement on your website and make people more interested in your business. You can use videos to showcase your products, explain complicated concepts, or provide more information about your business.
c. Use infographics to present data
Infographics are a great way to present complex data sets or highlight facts about your products or services. You can use infographics to visually present statistics, essential facts, and more. This is an excellent way to catch your audience’s attention and help them pull valuable information from your site.
Put These Lead Generation Website Design Best Practices Into Action
In order to start growing your business online, you need to invest in web design that will generate leads. By following the best practices for lead generation website design, you can help your business create a website that is focused on attracting and capturing leads.
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