Almost every business has a website, but not all websites are successful at winning more leads and customers. Your website is like a digital storefront welcoming customers and inviting them to explore what you have to offer. And you obviously want people to buy what you’re selling. You work hard and spend lots of money on the perfect, pretty website, but if your customers are not converting or buying, something is wrong. And we’re going to talk about a simple change you can make to fix the problem.
This is part 6 of a series we are sharing on the Wayfind Marketing blog in which we are exploring ways to get more leads and better results from your website. I have worked with many small business owners over the past 20 years. Many come to me for help with their website. They initially believe that they need a new website but often what their site needs is greater clarity. In this post we are focusing on having a clear call to action.
What’s the one thing you want someone to do on your website?
Depending on the products or services you offer, you may want your website visitors to:
- Schedule a call
- Sign up for a free trial
- Download a sample
- Buy now
If any of those are desirable actions, go take a look at your website and see if you are intentionally making that ask? Is it obvious to your visitor how to take the next step in doing business with you?
If you have a store, you won’t hide the cash register where people can’t find it. The same logic applies to your website — don’t hide what you want people to do next.
Pick One Thing You Want Your Customer to Do Next and Ask Them To Do It
A big mistake I see on websites is a missing call to action (CTA). Websites that lack a clearly defined and prominently placed call to action assume that the site visitors will automatically know what to do next. This is a mistake because people don’t read websites—they scan them. Your website visitor wants you to make it super easy to know what they are supposed to do next. So you need to help them out by making the call to action clear and direct.
This may seem challenging as there might be multiple things you want them to do. However, too many CTAs on a page will overwhelm your customer and dilute your message which increases the likelihood they won’t do anything. Decide what is the most important action you want them to take and clearly state that choice in multiple places on your homepage and throughout your website. Give your customers a clear path to follow to do business with you. Once they’re in your funnel you can provide more details and options.
Avoid Lazy or Weak Calls to Action
It would be a mistake to assume that ‘get started’ or ‘contact us’ is clear enough to get someone to take an action on your website. This wording is vague and overused so website readers skim over it. Use words that get their attention and stop their scrolling. Give them something more specific to consider. You are asking them to make a choice, so do your best to tell them what you want them to choose in the call to action. Descriptive words such as ‘order a sample’ or ‘schedule a call’ prompts customers to understand exactly what will happen next, e.g. this click will deliver something to me. Don’t assume that customers know what you mean with canned, vague language. And be sure that you tell them what happens next so they know what to expect.
Give Your Customer Multiple Opportunities to Take the Next Step
In addition to telling your customer exactly what to do next with a clear call to action, give them multiple opportunities to take that action. Put it on your website navigation bar, on your homepage hero image, and throughout your website. Get it on your homepage at least four times. As people are scanning your site and growing more convinced by your pitch, you want the call to action to be right there waiting for them. Once you do this it will increase the likelihood that you get more leads and better results from your website.
Some people are concerned that they’ll list the CTA too many times and effectively hitting their prospect or customer over the head. Usually that’s not the problem. Typically the call to action is not prominent enough. As we’ve said before, if you confuse you will lose. Make it easy for your customer to know what to do next.
Now It’s Your Turn: Let’s Look At Your Website Together
Our marketing team can advise you on how to place your call to action in the right spots to gain traction with your readers and get more clicks. Schedule a call today and we will do a free 30 minute assessment of your website.
