Lead Generation Website Best Practices

For today’s customers, everything is digital. They communicate online every hour of the day, and they shop just as frequently. More than that, consumers are continually researching and looking for solutions to solve a problem or one that makes their lives easier. This is where the following lead generation best practices matter.

Business websites today need to focus on how to increase their value to customers, but to do that, you need to be as visible and present as possible to your audience.

Although businesses have different marketing objectives, one thing that always helps is a list of customers interested in your products and who want to sign up to learn more or even buy something online.‍

8 Lead Generation Website Best Practices‍

We created a guide to the best practices for lead generation so you can quickly get started on a new campaign that will change your website into an ROI machine.‍

1. First, Build Your Target Audiences‍

Do you know all of the different types of customers visiting your website? While it’s easy to start with design and goals, you first need to understand your target audience base. You likely have 1 or 2 primary audiences with a few niche buyer personas that also would like your products.

Here’s something to remember, but it may be a bit uncomfortable to consider:

Websites aren’t built for what you want. They’re made for what your customers need.

So the first step is to think about your audiences and what they’re searching for. What is their intent when they search for keywords that relate to your products or services? How would you describe them?

Once you understand your audience and study what they’re purchasing already, you’ll get an idea of what lead generation campaign would work best to capture their attention--and their contact information.‍

2. Focus on User Experience‍

The next step in building a lead generation campaign is understanding where your audience lives online and providing the perfect funnel or customer experience. You want to guide your customer towards what you want them to do and then make it easy to click that call-to-action button underneath the form.

All lead generation campaigns have opt-in forms. Your website design should make it easy for a customer to drop on the page, see the benefits, and almost instantly see the value in your offer.

Again, your design should guide the customer with unique graphics, bright colors (still stay on-brand), and other visuals that your customers will connect with. For example, your photos should emulate the buyer personas or audiences that you built in step one.

Some websites with memorable lead generation experiences include:

1. MailChimp: https://mailchimp.com/
2. SproutSocial.com https://sproutsocial.com/
3. Flywheel: https://getflywheel.com/
4. Bluehost: https://www.bluehost.com/

Ideally, you have a website that loads fast and makes it easy to fill in the form, generating a lead in no time at all.‍

3. Be Consistent and Trustworthy‍

Nothing turns off a potential lead than a scammy website that loads a ton of pop-ups, the wrong fonts, and an offensive color scheme. Every page on your website, including your opt-in page, should all come from one brand. Your company should be recognizable on every page.

Here are some tips:

1. Stick to consistent colors throughout your website
2. Keep the style and color of your CTA buttons similar
3. Use the same font styles on each page
4. Format your content in the same style
5. Add trust logos and security symbols
6. Make sure you update your privacy and ToS with friendly language
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If you look at the websites listed in the previous tip, you’ll notice that they all have a similar theme and style. This is precisely how you help your customers navigate and go to the exact call-to-action you want them to.‍

4. Add Testimonials, Case Studies, and Social Links‍

What are your current customers saying about you? This is extremely important if you’re a new brand or trying to reach new audiences. Businesses have to provide a lot of assurances and trust for their customers today. They’ve been scammed and taken advantage of so often that most people won’t buy something without reading a positive review or researching your products on social media.

You can take this research burden away by simply publishing testimonials right on your website, as well as separate pages for in-depth case studies that give the customer a behind-the-scenes look at what your products can do for them.

Lastly, make sure your social media channels are verified and that you have a lot of followers. If you get a ton of positive engagement and have a high follow rate, you’ll likely get more leads without having to spend so much on paid advertising.‍

5. Designing Your Funnel‍

There is a lot that goes into designing online lead generation funnels. The goal is to earn customers’ trust, so they complete your opt-in form, allowing you to make a sale later on down the road.

However, many businesses need qualified leads that meet certain income requirements or live in a certain area. This is why you’ll need to think about your audience and the ideal customer before designing your funnel.

A typical lead generation funnel works like this:

1. Customer spots your social media post, email, Google ad, or display ad
2. One-click takes them to your “sell page,” which could be a standalone landing page or even a blog post.
3. Your opt-in form advertises an irresistible offer that takes 2 seconds to sign up for
4. Make sure the offer is something they will like, but that teases a larger product
5. Completing the form takes them to a thank you page that gives them all the details on claiming the offer and how to check their email for more information
6. Your email service provider starts an email series nurturing this lead
7. Your sales team connects to your lead, or you email your actual offer, which is a link to your product/service page

It helps to offer a discount to get these leads to sign up and gifts or downloadable guides, depending on the industry.

Ultimately, you want your customer to see how you’ll help them and build trust that providing their information is worth it, especially if you’re a relatively new company.‍

6. Make the Best Offer Possible‍

Lead generation success ultimately comes down to fulfilling a promise to your lead. If you offer something so enticing, they quickly provide their information, but you have to make sure your business can come through on that promise.

Customers are quick to like an offer, but they may not take advantage right away if it’s not something that directly relates to their needs. That’s why your request must directly be tied to what your customers are looking for, helping them get closer to achieving their goals.

Most lead generation offers should include special discounts, gifts, giveaways, downloadable guides, access to webinars, trial offers, or free samples. The better your offer, the more likely it will be to get a signup.‍

7. Create Urgency‍

Many lead generation campaigns have time limits or expiration dates listed right within the ad or on the landing page above the header. This is because it creates urgency for the visitor to sign up immediately before time runs out.

Urgency is created through your language and visuals. Here are some ways to urge your customer to sign up without pushing so far as to be “scammy” or “salesy” (which turns customers offer):

1. Bold taglines near the form that includes “While supplies last” or “limited supply available”
2. Animated timers that count down to offer deadline
3. X spots/tickets available, typically used for webinars, tours, or live events
4. Offer expires XX/XX/XXX, best for discount or giveaway offers

As you create this urgency, customers have to come to a decision quickly on a product that they know would be somewhat beneficial or completely solve a need they have.

When writing content on your lead generation page, you should always cater to your buyer personas and address their pain points. Only after you do that should you add in urgency. Working with a marketing web design business can make this easier for you.‍

8. The Tools You'll Need‍

Finally, you'll need different resources to set up a successful lead generation campaign. Here are some of the tools you'll need.

1. Opt-in form creation
2. An email service provider like Constant Contact or Mailchimp
3. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software
4. Call routing software with call tracking for phone sales and follow-ups
5. Social media management software (if marketing for leads through social networks)

Final Thoughts: Lead Generation Website Best Practices

In addition to managing leads online, it's also a good idea to use customer service feedback software to ask past customers to review their purchases.