11 Proven Tactics to Generate More Website Leads
"You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink," as the old saying goes. While this can apply to many of your relationships with people, it’s especially relevant in the context of website leads.
The fact is, generating leads on your website can be a frustrating process. It doesn’t happen as quickly as you want it to, people may not respond to your offer, or you simply run out of creative ideas. You can show customers what will benefit them, but there’s no guarantee that they’re actually going to accept it.
In lead generation, it's all about positioning yourself as trustworthy. Showing your audience that you are, in fact, a water bearer. Check out these 11 tactics below for convincing more website leads.
11 proven tactics to generate more website leads
- Understand human psychology
- Narrow your audience more than you think you need to
- Update old content first
- Create targeted content for each stage of the funnel
- Use a heatmap tool on your website
- Implement customer messaging on your website
- Carefully design pop-ups
- Use quizzes as a lead magnet
- Optimize your landing pages
- Use the right tools
- Offer free product trials
1
Understand human psychology
Specific marketing strategies might change over time; humans don't. If you want to generate more website leads, it all starts with understanding customer psychology. By recognizing how people think, and the things that influence their decisions the most, you are able to craft a more positive user experience for your website visitors. This increases the likelihood that they become a lead.
For example, your website visitors need to trust you before signing up for anything. That’s why testimonials and case studies always come in handy: they’re simply more effective than any amount of self-advertising. Just think about your own online shopping habits. If you’re anything like me, reviews are one of the first things you research.
Another thing to consider is how you design your website based on your target audience. Just look at Blue Tomato, one of our customers at Userlike. Everything on their website is customized, from the bright colors they use and the wording of their offers all the way down to how they present the Userlike chat window. Because the setup is appealing to their primarily younger demographic, it has a positive effect on their eventual decision to purchase.
To beef up your psychology-based sales skills, check out this G2 article by Rahul Varshneya on the psychology of sales. Also be sure to pick up some of these books on persuasion.
2
Narrow your audience more than you think you need to
You know those restaurants that seem to serve everything under the sun? Yeah - they’re usually not very good. Compare this to the restaurant with only a couple dishes that has a waiting list for months. They’re experts at what they do, and people love them for it.
Your website is much the same. You can’t be everything to everyone, and if you want to generate more leads, you really don’t want to be. You risk forfeiting quality and trust. As this Forbes article points out, being more specific in what you offer, and who you offer it to, is actually more likely to lead to success. So be sure to niche down.
3
Update old content first
You can’t downplay the usefulness of content in modern marketing. It’s how you build relationships with your audience: by educating them, positioning yourself as an expert and convincing them to buy.
That said, it’s often a good idea to prioritize updating old content over creating new stuff as part of your editorial plan. It’s an easy way to earn more traffic just by improving search rankings of existing content using a few key tactics, saving you time and money.
For example, our blog post on “chatbot benefits” jumped to the first page after just a few weeks once we implemented some simple changes, such as changing the title and adding an index. This is a great result for a minimal amount of work on our part.
Don’t know what to update? If you have a blog, here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Create a new and more engaging headline
- Rewrite your meta title and description to be more SEO-friendly
- Include a table of contents
- Link to new internal posts
4
Create targeted content for each stage of the funnel
Content creation is one of the main parts of lead generation through your website. However, it’s not enough to make quality content. Instead, you have to make sure you match it to the person that sees it.
Look at it this way: how you help people at different stages of the funnel with your content will vary. They are all on their own consumer decision journey and have differing needs and desires.
Indeed, as I point out in my article on lead generation funnels, leads at the top of the funnel are mostly looking for information. They shouldn’t be pitched to. In comparison, you have already built up a relationship with leads closer to the bottom of the funnel. With these leads, a direct sales message could actually be somewhat effective.
Regardless of the content you do make for them, remember this rule above all else: value. Education, and answers to your audience’s problems, is a sure path to turning strangers into website leads and eventually customers.
5
Use a heatmap tool on your website
A heatmap has to be one of the most underutilized tools that almost every business would benefit from. They show you where your website visitors most often click, how far they scroll down a page and where their attention lingers most. This gives you insight into what parts of your website they’re most drawn to.
Not only is this cool (who wouldn’t be interested in this kind of information?), but it gives you a distinct advantage in generating more website leads. By understanding your average user behavior, you can act on proven data instead of just what you assume people read on your site.
If you see that your website visitors are clicking away from your call-to-action button, for example, you can research strategies for improving its appearance and placement.
6
Implement customer messaging on your website
To understand why customer messaging is such a great tool for generating more website leads, consider how most of us communicate these days: messaging. It’s fast, convenient and has a much lower contact barrier than calling someone.
Customer messaging, in many ways, is the perfect tool for generating leads on your website. You are giving your visitors exactly what they want: a convenient channel for receiving instant answers without having to wait on hold.
Plus, customer messaging is both on-site and happens in real time. This makes it perfect for nurturing your website leads at any stage of the buyer’s journey. Check out the Userlike features page to learn more.
Userlike: Instant chats, long-term customer relationships
Over 10,000 companies like Toyota and Hermes trust Userlike to connect with their customers every day - via website chat, WhatsApp, chatbots and more.
Learn more
7
Carefully design pop-ups
Most people claim not to like pop-ups on websites. Still, they work. And usually quite well. If you’re not using them now, it’s worth at least considering how effective they could be. Here are a couple tips to get you started:
- Time your pop-up accordingly. Too soon and it’s annoying, too late and it’s ineffective. Check out the average time spent on your various pages and try to match it with your pop-up’s appearance.
- Match your lead magnets to the pages they are on. On our WhatsApp posts, for example, you will usually get a chance to sign up for our WhatsApp whitepaper. This match ensures we are only showing it to the most interested people.
- Offer specific benefits for signing up. People need a reason to join your email list. This could be a lead magnet or even a promise of value. See more information in point 10 below.
8
Use quizzes as a lead magnet
Acting on the tactics so far will start to win you more leads. However, if you really want to maximize the number of visitors you convert, you need to use some kind of lead magnet. These are free pieces of content you give a site visitor in exchange for their contact information, like an email address.
There are the usual magnets like subscriptions, whitepapers and newsletters, but quizzes are a creative option you should consider. According to Entrepreneur magazine, they consistently outperform almost every other lead magnet.
Of course, the result of the quiz should be something that your lead would find inherently valuable (“Take this quiz to find out your best morning routine” for example).
9
Optimize your landing pages
Even if you have a great lead magnet, a poorly designed landing page for generating signups can hurt your results. Follow the steps below to create successful landing pages:
- Use one call-to-action per page. Anything more is overwhelming and may result in less overall signups.
- Tell them what they will receive for signing up. No more boring “sign up for my newsletter” prompts, please.
- Use relatively simple language. It’s not that your site visitors are dim, but s Christina Wallace for Forbes points out, a simple language is more convincing.
For a landing page (and copywriter) I particularly like, check out the site Kings of Conversion. Rob Allen is the GOAT when it comes to crafting landing pages that keep you reading and reading.
10
Use the right tools
While these tactics can all help you win more website leads, it can be difficult to know how to get started with some of them. Here are a few tools we recommend:
- Sumo : Set up and activate popup forms on your website for more email signups.
- CoSchedule : Easily plan and organize all the content you are planning to publish.
- Lime : Set up awesome email automations to nurture your leads.
For a longer list of options, check out our post on lead capture software solutions. In it you’ll find something for just about every area of website lead generation.
11
Offer free product trials
The chance to try a product for free is enticing. It helps your visitors become familiar with your product and get a personalized look of how it might actually work for their business. This makes the decision to buy or adopt your solution much easier. The same goes with free demos and consultations.
Leads may have concerns about your product so being able to try it out for free is one of the best ways to counter these objections. Give it a try. While the duration of the trial and feature availability will vary, a chance to test your product for free is one of the best lead magnets you will ever offer.
Customer messaging features that capture leads
Customer messaging is a quick, modern and easy-to-use approach to generating more website leads. Here are some standout features for getting your customer’s attention:
- Widget routers. Different site visitors want different things. Customize their user experience by offering support in their preferred language or using a specific approach mode, like proactive chat.
- Video/audio calls. Chat is perfect for your first contact with a potential lead. And if a conversation gets particularly complex, Userlike makes it easy to escalate to a call.
- On-page guidance. Take the customer by the hand and guide them along your website. This will help them solve their problems more quickly and prevent any frustrating experiences.
These are just a few of the many features Userlike offers for more success with generating website leads. Interested in seeing it for yourself?
Sign up for a free Userlike trial and turn your website into a lead generation powerhouse
