How to get more business leads from your website

Alongside word of mouth, the internet is a key source of leads for companies looking to grow (according to Search Engine Watch, 59% of consumers use Google every month to find a reputable, local business). But there’s a lot of competition out there – so simply having a website up and running is no longer enough.

A good business website will stand apart from the others in its sector, and do the hard work for you when it comes to attracting new customers. But how do you make it happen?

Get the look
Is your website unique to you? It should speak of the type of business you are, and the quality of service you offer. People make judgements fast (in the blink of an eye, in fact – the first five seconds after someone lands on your page is known as the “blink test” in the web marketing world). Careful design by a developer who knows their stuff, and can build a site to reflect your personality, is crucial.

Make things easy
If someone visits your website and they can’t find what they’re after quickly, they’re going to search elsewhere. Take some time to think about who will be using it, and what problems they might be trying to solve. Then check your site ticks all the boxes for usability – a good developer will ensure you have a smooth transition from one page to another, compatibility with different browsers and high-quality images in place, among other things.

Talk the talk
Your choice of words, as well as the information you provide, can either inspire trust in potential customers or send them running in the opposite direction. So reassess your website content and analyse if it’s doing the job. Does the copy give plenty of detail about the service you offer while still being concise? Does the tone of voice reflect your brand? And, crucially, will it all make sense to your target market?

Be accessible
If you want to reach as many people as possible, your site needs to be accessible on all platforms – desktop, tablet and mobile (see our free factsheet for more on why mobile matters). If you’ve already got a mobile site, check it’s up to scratch. The designer should have used a separate mobile stylesheet when putting it together – without this you risk difficulties such as poorly sized or distorted images, slow loading times and hard-to-access links.

Get your SEO sorted
Once you’ve got your ideal website in place, you need to make sure people actually find it. The top listing in Google’s organic search results gets 33% of the traffic (Search Engine Watch), and 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results (Imforza). SEO (search engine optimisation) needs to be worked not only into your main written content but the labelling for your pages and images. Without SEO you won’t be seen, and that’s just a waste of a website.

How MAKE can help

• We offer a full web design service in affordable packages, with the option to spread payment over key project milestones.
• For an example of our web design work, see the site for roofing and loft conversion company called Benchmark Lofts. The business has seen a steady flow of leads since we launched the website in March – of these, four have converted to sales, with an average order value of £40,000.

Want to talk to us about your website requirements? Email us at hi@makeagency.co.uk or call 0203 567 0860.