Lead Forensics

Let’s Talk About the Purpose of Website Design


Considering some website updates? SJC Marketing shares some key aspects to consider as you develop a new web design and content.

Your website is a bit dated. You’re rocking that earth-tone color scheme and the most innovative feature you’ve got going is a rotating banner across the top that seemed pretty awesome back in 2010. You know you need to invest in a new website design, but banishing the Italian countryside rustic ambiance isn’t all you’re going for.

Great website design isn’t just about the right color scheme and fonts, or a place to catalog your blog entries. Your website design is about lead generation and nurturing. It’s about turning casual visitors into loyal customers. It’s about improving the return on investment (ROI) for generating those leads.

You probably know you need a consistent look across your website, with colors and fonts that fit your brand messaging. After that, the big push is for your website to do the heavy lifting of lead generation. How do you do it?

Keep Your Goals in Mind. First, you need to work with your sales team and create a clear picture of what you’ll consider a lead. This step ensures that you can measure whether you’ve met your website design goals for improving your ROI on lead generation. It will also help you write effective calls to action and determine exactly what steps you’d like to see visitors take when they are browsing your website.

Focus on Credibility. Anybody can have a website, but does yours reassure visitors that they can trust you? Include a couple of elements to build credibility:

  • Include your phone number. This might seem counter-intuitive, because most visitors to your site are probably more likely to use messaging or an email, but it adds to the legitimacy of your brand. You’re an actual company, with an actual phone number.
  • Post trust seals prominently, particularly those with a guarantee behind them. Do you claim membership in industry groups that can be featured on your site? Don’t miss this opportunity to build your site’s credibility.
  • Use testimonials, and whenever possible, make them visual. It’s one thing to read a paragraph that could have easily been penned by the marketing team. A video adds credibility and authenticity to the testimonial.

Feature Opt-In Forms. These are most common on landing pages, but an opt-in form can be effective sprinkled throughout your website design. Keep it simple, asking for their name and email address, if it’s just to subscribe to your newsletter. If you need more information, be sure to keep it to essentials so your potential buyer doesn’t bail out before they reach the end of the form.

Include a Call to Action on Every Page. When someone visits your website, they likely didn’t land there by accident; they’re looking for something. Whether that’s information, a product or service, or merely checking out your brand, there’s a pretty good chance they want to know more. Include a prominent call to action (CTA) on every page. Make sure it’s in a color that will stand out, and consider using power language to make it more effective. Instead of simply putting “get more info” on your site for nutritional supplements, for instance, you could feature the words, “feel better today” to directly address a pain point.

It’s a good idea to have a primary and secondary CTA on any given page, with the primary CTA featured above the fold and inviting the visitor to do the most important action on that particular page.

Don’t Fear the Pop-Up. You’ve been conditioned to believe that pop-ups are the handiwork of the devil himself, but it’s not that they’re so bad. It’s that they’re often so badly done. Pop-ups are a welcome element when they add value to your visitor. Be sure to include these features when designing a pop-up for lead generation:

  • It adds to your visitor’s experience, rather than taking away from it.
  • It is well timed; it should appear when it’s triggered by particular activities and in a way that feels natural.
  • It uses clear language that’s actionable.
  • It improves, rather than compromises, the mobile experience.

Your pop-up doesn’t have to cover the whole page. Try out overlay style or a slide-in box that may be better for allowing visitors to view the pop-up without disrupting their overall experience.

Avoid the Generic. Sure, you can probably set up a website using loose change you found in the couch, but that’s not going to give you the customized, brand-magnifying website design you want. Website design is definitely a “you get what you pay for” kind of investment, and in order to take the high cost out of lead generation, it makes sense to spend a little more on your website.

Test Your Website. You’re trying to improve your ROI for lead generation, so don’t wait to watch visitors abandon your site before you figure out that your CTA is tucked too far into a banner or that your video takes too long to load. Test your website extensively to be sure that it’s ready to escort your leads through the nurturing process and on to a sale.

Ready to go crazy on lead generation? Our website design team at SJC Marketing is working on ideas for you already! Contact us to get started on a design that will not only provide an inviting, informative place for visitors to land, but also usher them along to the next step in their buying journey.

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