We’re not a marketing agency, but very often marketers will ask us advice.
They want to get more calls, they want to improve their marketing, and they want to make more money. And at the core of each of these objectives is one thing: improving your website.
Improving your website will generate more calls, it will improve your marketing and it will allow you to make more money. This is true whether you’re a single location SMB in Des Moines, a web design and SEO firm in Los Angeles, or a Fortune 100 company based in New York.
Every company can evaluate their website and improve it. Based on our research and data from experts like Brian Massey, Tim Ash and Jeremy Schoemaker (all of whom have been guests on our webinar series), we present, 5 Quick Ways to Improve Your Website.
What do you want the visitor to do? This is generally not clearly delineated and it is generally the number one problem we see on websites.
Your website should explain clearly what you do and what you offer. It should do this in a clear, crisp, clean way. But then it should have a clear CTA. Do you want the visitor to call your company? Do you want them to click on a button to request a demo. Do you want them to download something, or fill out a form? What do you want them to do?
As a visitor I should know the answer to this question in mere seconds. I should never be confused about how I take action.
If someone is confused about what you want them to do, you have failed.
Sometimes marketers–especially at large companies–are afraid of generating too many calls. They’re terrified of the phone ringing.
Why?
Our data shows that callers convert to customers 12x to 15x more frequently than web leads convert to customers. Callers are lower in the funnel. If they call you, they are ready (or nearly ready) to buy.
Don’t dissuade calls. Encourage calls. You can do this by prominently displaying a phone number–preferable a call tracking number–on your website.
Websites with pictures convert 2x to 3x more than those that don’t have pictures. These pictures can be pictures of your products, your building, your employees, your mom, your wife, your dog, your city…ANYTHING is better than nothing.
Social proof could be a quote from a satisfied customer that appears on your website’s homepage. It could be a series of client logos. It could be reviews. It could be a Better Business Bureau badge. Social proof could be examples of your work, or a picture of you.
Social proof is something that will give the visitor confidence that you’re legitimate, that you do good work, and that they should do business with you.
Sites that have social proof–quotes and logos especially–convert 40%+ more than sites that don’t. Boom.
If you want to rank for search terms, you must have a blog that regularly discusses those search terms.
That’s it. Simple.
Bonus – Use call tracking and marketing analytics solutions. If you don’t use Google Analytics or a call tracking software like Convirza, you should start. Otherwise, you won’t know if your website is improving or getting worse. You will have no way of knowing if you’re improving–generating more visitors and calls, or failing–generating fewer visitors and calls.