All web traffic is not created equal when it comes to hits on your site.
Most people think they have a traffic problem: “If I could just get more traffic, I'd make more money.”
But in almost all cases, the problem is converting the traffic you have into leads.
After all, its leads that matter the most in regards to website traffic.
Creating leads is accomplished through the promotion of various products or services via follow up marketing, such as email campaigns.
Ideally, your website traffic will garner you leads that will then become customers as this really is the purpose of making a great website in the first place.
To learn more about how to convert your website traffic into leads and then customers, read the five helpful tips listed below:
1.) Create Good Content…But Gate The Best Stuff
Teach customers, don’t just sell to them. Offer content like blog posts, free reports, e-books, whitepapers, infographics and webinars that answer your targets’ most frequently asked questions. Help them solve their biggest challenges.
The right content marketing puts your company in the position of thought leader, problem solver and advisor.
But, don’t give your best content away. Require prospects to exchange their email addresses or contact information for your more informative or valuable pieces of content.
In your free content, direct users toward your gated, lead-generating pieces with compelling calls-to-action.
2.) Add a Pop-Up
We have just talked about the importance of getting site visitors to sign up for your more valuable content.
Now, you have to make sure that the visitors that come to your site notice the subscription option. To ensure this, add a pop-up welcome to your site that will tell visitors about your subscription option and its many benefits.
Although you might cringe at the thought of having a pop-up placed on your site, the presence of this tool has been proven effective.
For example, Chris Penn at WhatCounts recently tested the theory that pop-up invitations actually do increase subscribers. He found that his blog subscribers increased an amazing 733% in just two months after installing a pop-up welcome and subscription invitation on his site.
You can’t argue with the results, so even though you might not care for pop-ups, they have been proven effective, at least in terms of generating subscribers.
3.) Get the Call to Action Right
Every site or blog should include a call to action that is relevant to what you are trying to promote.
However, just having a call to action isn’t enough. You have to have the right call to action.
As a means of example, consider how you would feel if you were asked to commit to owning a home immediately after a tour.
In the same way, you don’t want to demand too much of your site visitors too quickly. For example, they don’t likely know enough about your business or your product to be at the point where they want to try a demo.
Therefore, make sure your call to action is a soft sale with relevant and helpful information about your business and is not too demanding.
4.) Make Sure Your Landing Pages Are Optimized With Your Offers
Another important step in generating leads not just website traffic is to ensure that your landing page is optimized to convert a visitor into a lead.
Remember, a good landing page will broker the exchange of information between you and the interested party.
Experts agree that the more landing pages you have, the better your chance at success in regards to generating leads.
In fact, HubSpot.com, which is a leader in Inbound marketing software, recommends you have as many as 40 to 50 landing pages, all containing different offers.
While we don't have that many (yet), we have dozens…and they are all very focused offers.
Read below for some tips on how to create engaging, eye-catching landing pages:
Keep it simple: When visitors arrive at your landing page, don’t overwhelm them with a plethora of questions or content. Instead, cater the content they see based on how they arrived on the page.
For example, if they arrived at your page because they clicked on a link that says, “learn more about remodeling your kitchen“ you will know they want to know more about kitchen furnishings, so make sure that is present on the page.
Make it short and sweet: Keep your questions to a minimum as too many will drive potential customers away.
Look it over objectively: After your landing page is designed, give it a once over and ask yourself if you would like it if you visited the page. Ensure any and all questions make sense, and make sure there is not too much personal information requested.
5.) Add Notification Bars
Notification bars are the wide banners that run across the top of a website.
Use the notification bar to link to a landing page or include an email opt-in form.
Notification bars are attention grabbers, since most people are trained to pay attention to them due to the fact that many browsers use them to display warning messages.
You can configure your notification bar to stay at the top or move down as the reader scrolls down the page.
As you can now see, although web traffic is great, it in and of itself does not result in leads or customers.
Therefore, apply the five suggestions listed above and your website traffic will begin to yield results.
