How to Make Your Website a Lead Magnet

Lead generation is just as much of an art as it is a science. In order to increase your ability to generate quality leads, you have to be willing to maximize the use of every tool you have, the most important of which is your website. Ever since the advent of interactive web-based technologies such as social media and user-generated content, the old mentality of treating your online presence as a static, non-interactive “digital billboard” will virtually guarantee a sub-par level of performance when it comes to lead generation. Since so much of your ability to acquire leads revolves around the structure and effectiveness of your website, it’s absolutely necessary for you to take a closer look at what you can do to make your website more attractive to potential prospects. Below are seven ways to make your website a lead generation magnet.

1. Determine who it is you’re targeting.

The best way to do this is by examining your inbound traffic statistics through an online analytics tool (e.g., StatCounter, Google Analytics, etc.). What search terms are people using to find your site? How long is the average visit? What are the most common entry and exit pages? What are your most popular pages? Use this data to form a profile of your typical prospect.

2. Use the information gathered above to develop content that directly addresses the needs, questions and opinions of your prospects.

What is it they seek to gain from a product/service like yours? Provide them with valuable, relevant content that gives them greater insight into how your product or service can help. Create blog posts that target the most popular search terms people are using to find your site. Reinforce the strength and authority of your most popular pages by linking to them internally from other pages. In all of your content creation efforts, your primary focus should always be to address the ideas and topics your customers care about the most.

3. Give away some type of free resource to your visitors in exchange for their email address.

This can be an ebook, an audio download, a whitepaper or some other type of digital resource that provides informative and educational content. Your aim is to provide something of value in return for their contact information, so that you can position yourself to turn more visitors into interested leads, and ultimately into sales.

4. Offer samples or free trials of your products or services.

Simply put, “free” is a currency in and of itself, and providing something free of charge can pay great dividends in terms of exposing potential leads to your product or service offerings. Adopting this approach makes continued engagement a low-risk affair for your prospects. This will do wonders for your company image as well; it helps you appear unobtrusive and genuinely interested in solving their problems above making a sale.

5. Make converting an easy task for the prospect.

Make the process as simple as possible with clear calls-to-action (e.g. “Download Now”, “Sign Up Here”, etc.) and uncomplicated visuals. If you’re capturing information with online forms, keep them as simple and hassle-free. Only ask for the information that you absolutely need; nobody wants to feel like they’re filling out a mortgage application just to engage with your site.

6. Be professional, but be warm.

People appreciate the “human element” in website content. Add personality to your website by including a little humor, storytelling or multimedia (e.g. video or pictures) into the mix. Of course, use your better judgment with these items, as some websites may call for a more serious tone than others. For example, a website about cancer treatment obviously cannot be as lighthearted as one about dog sweaters.

7. Develop a solid follow-up system for visitors that respond to your offers.

Determine which phase of the conversion process they fall into, and follow up with them accordingly.

Using the above points as your guide, you can transform your website from little more than an “online brochure” into an engaging, informative and interactive lead generation machine!