The most common problem business owners are looking to solve with their website marketing efforts is the lack of leads they are currently generating. It’s easy to think that just because you have a website, it will naturally generate business. Maybe you’re a little more tech savvy and have spent some time or money on paid ads, SEO or social media, but in the end your lead generation fell well short of your goals. While the internet does even the playing ground for small and mid-size business owners, in order to succeed in creating a lead generating machine, out of your website, a clear and focused inbound marketing strategy is a must.
Inbound works because it addresses the leads at each stage of the buyer’s journey. Whether the prospect is just realizing they have a problem or they are ready to buy, inbound will help you deliver the right content, at the right time. The following 3 questions and their answers should give you a better idea of how and where you turn your website into a lead generation machine!
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Are You Easy to Find?
Having a website is not enough. Search engine optimization is a must if you’re going to attract leads to your website. 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. Ranking for terms that users are searching for is essential. SEO is a two-fold strategy. The first is on-page elements and second is all about building trust and equity with the search engines to earn better rankings.
On-page SEO is about making sure your site is easy to understand for the search engines and the users. Do you have optimized title tags? Does your content back up the long-tailed keywords you are targeting? For a full list check out this SEO Checklist.
When it comes to building a solid off-page SEO strategy, planning, patience and persistence are key. Having a plan helps keep you focused around the end goals and helps ensure you don’t get off track. SEO is a long-term strategy and in order to see the lead generation success that lasts, patience is a must. Normally you won’t see much benefit until 3 to 6 months in. Lastly persistence is key to push through the times when nothing is moving.
Are You Solving or Selling?
One of the fastest ways to drive potential leads away is constant selling. The content on your website and your blog needs to solve your prospects problems first and foremost.
Yes, you need to sell to make money, but if your website and its content are all about the sale, people leave. But focusing your content around the pain your buyer persona is experiencing and how you can solve that pain will help drive more qualified leads that are looking for the very solutions you are offering.
Are You Nurturing Your Leads?
Just attracting visits to your site is worthless unless some of them are converting and being nurtured into customers. Having a lead nurturing process that you can track and duplicate is essential in creating a lasting lead generation funnel. Make sure that your content addresses every stage of the buyer’s journey and that the path to action is clear and defined. Don’t make people guess the next step.
Your website is the key to your success online. Having a solid business website marketing strategy is the difference between the companies that generate leads and those that do not. While this post answered a few question on lead generation, of you’re serious about growing your website, check out our free eBook, “The Ultimate Employee”. This guide will give you the tools you need to turn your website into a 24/7 sales and marketing machine.
