Lead generation is a must for any business taking their growth seriously. Actively prospecting, attracting and nurturing visitors must be a priority. But like anything else in life, if your foundation is not solid, what you build on top of it is at risk of falling apart. Your website is the foundation for your inbound marketing efforts and the design of your site plays a huge role in how your prospects will engage with your business. So how can an improved web design impact the conversion of SEO leads?
Related posts:
Build a solid foundation using our free SEO checklist. Get you copy here.
SEO is a powerful long-term strategy that serves both the website user and the search engines. Long gone are the days of keywords stuffing, link wheels and spamming your way to the top of the search engines. Google, Bing, Yahoo and the rest are more intelligent than ever and have figured out most of the tricks used to sway rankings. Even more important to realize is that internet users are also smarter than ever and want what they are searching for right now! In order to rank well and convert those SEO leads we must create an experience that encourages the users to continue in the buyers’ journey. By focusing on user intent first and creating a WOW experience on your website you will also impress the search engines. (Moz)
Table of Contents
Here’s My Number, Call Me Maybe
Ok, so this one seems like a no brainer, but there are so many businesses that bury their phone number on their website. If your phone number is hard to find, many of your leads will leave. Now, when it comes to lead generation you may rather have your prospects go through your nurturing process instead of calling out right. But having your number on the site increases trust and accountability. Even if they don’t call, having your number present does give them a level of comfort.
Does the Form Match The offer
Once an SEO lead has landed on your offer page, what you are asking them to do to receive the offer must be clear and appropriate for the offer you are giving them. If your offer is an eBook you shouldn’t ask the same amount of information from them as if they were requesting a consultation. The questions you ask can either deter or encourage your leads to connect with you.
Power Words Pack A Bigger Punch
Your text can be one of your most important design elements. The words you choose have weight. Use words that call your visitors to take action. Keep it simple and don’t over think it. Use verbs like “get”, “improve”, “upgrade” and “optimize”. All of this words are encouraging the lead to do something now.
White Space is Your Friend
White space can be your best friend, especially when you want to draw attention to a certain part of your page. If your page is covered in design elements it can overwhelm your user and cause them to leave rather than engage. More is not always better. By using the white space, you allow your lead generation elements to breathe. This is one small design technique that can have a huge impact!
Custom > “Cookie Cutter”
When it comes to nurturing SEO Leads a custom website site is infinitely better than a “cookie-cutter” website. Your website needs to reflect you and your business and speak directly to your lead. No pre-fab site will deliver exactly what you need. Having a well designed site will create trust with your leads and increase brand awareness.
At the end of the day each industry is different and each buyer persona presents it own set of unique challenges. This guide, used as a jumping off point, will get you started in the right direction, but you need to test! Never take anything as is. Implement, test, evaluate and adapt. Creating a better experience using web design you will convert more SEO leads and set your business up for long term success online.
