Tired of the endless cycle of marketing with minimal results? I hear ya.

Networking events, social media, and traditional marketing tactics often leave us feeling overwhelmed – and underwhelmed.

You’re getting inquiries, but they’re often just tire-kickers who don’t quite understand what you do.

Your website should be a lead-generating machine, working hard to attract and convert ideal clients. Let’s dive into five proven strategies to help you do just that.

Your time is valuable, so let’s keep this concise and actionable.

Strategy 1: Let your customers do the talking

From the moment we turn off our alarm in the morning (which is usually our phone and oh, there’s a notification and oh… it’s someone who wants us to buy something) to the moment we close our eyes again at night, we’re being marketed to.

Ads popping up everywhere, emails filling our inboxes, and social media feeds packed with sponsored content. It’s a lot.

When we’re ready to buy something, we’ve become pretty dang skeptical. We want to know what real people think, not just what the company says.

That’s where social proof comes in. Imagine seeing a restaurant with a line out the door. You’re instantly intrigued, right? Let’s replicate that for your business.

How do you get this social proof for your business?

First, start collecting everything. Every kind email, positive social media mention, or glowing review is gold. Don’t be shy about asking for feedback from your clients. A quick “how’s everything going?” can turn into a testimonial!

Next, think about how you can share this feedback. There are a few ways to do this:

• Dedicated testimonials page: Create a page on your website where you showcase your best reviews. We did this for a client a while back right here.
  
• Embed reviews directly on your service pages: This is a great way to build trust with potential clients.
  
  For the places where your review really needs to pack a punch, share either a screen shot or a link to the original review. When you can prove that these kind words are the real deal, they’re 10x more powerful. Have you seen our services page? See it in action right here.
  
  *Here’s a link to the widget.

• Use screenshots of positive feedback: This can be a fun and visually appealing way to share testimonials.
  
• Include client quotes in your marketing materials: Use them in your email newsletters, social media posts, and even on your website homepage – and make them match your brand! That way, we’ll stumble across them as we’re reading.

Remember: Always ask for permission before sharing someone’s testimonial. You want to make sure they’re comfortable with it. And if there’s anything sensitive in the feedback, consider asking if you can share it anonymously. A quick, “hey, do you mind if I share this?” usually does the trick.

By sharing authentic feedback from your clients, you’ll build trust and credibility, and at the end of the day, you’ll convert more leads into customers!

Strategy 2: Remove roadblocks to purchase

Let’s talk about toilet paper. Why is it always your job to swap out the empty roll? Because it’s a pain in the butt! Unhook the thingie, grab the new roll, rehook it, make sure it’s facing the right way… It’s way easier to ignore it, right?

Your website is no different. Little annoyances can stop people in their tracks. We need to make it as easy as possible for people to take the next step.

What do you want people to do? Book a call? Buy your product? Download something? Whatever it is, decide on one main goal for each page and then design the entire page around that goal.

People should know what to do within 15 seconds of landing on your page. Make it SIMPLER than grabbing a new roll of toilet paper. If it’s not easy, we’ll just move on.

Common roadblocks that can send your visitors running for the hills:

• Too many choices: Overwhelming people with options can lead to decision fatigue and them abandoning your site altogether.
  
• Complicated checkout process: Requiring too much information or making the process too long can frustrate customers.
  
• Slow loading times: People have short attention spans. A slow website will drive visitors away.
  
• Hidden costs: Surprise fees at checkout are a major turn-off.
  
• No clear call to action: If people don’t know what to do next, they won’t do anything.

How to create a clear and compelling call to action:

• Use strong action verbs: Instead of “Learn more,” try “Book Your Free Consultation” or “Start Your Free Trial.” Lay out the path for them, so they know exactly what to expect.
  
• Make it visually prominent: Use contrasting colors and clear buttons to draw attention to your call to action.
  
• Test different options: Experiment with different wording and placement to see what works best!

By removing these roadblocks and creating a clear path to purchase, you’ll boost your conversion rate!

Strategy 3: Nurture relationships with email

Even with all of the testimonials in the world and despite knowing exactly what you WANT to be doing, sometimes you’re straight up not quite ready to buy. Maybe you need to think about it, or do some more research. We’ve all been there.

If you don’t capture their interest or information at that moment, chances are they’ll forget about you completely.

That’s where email comes in.

To get someone to share their email address, you need to offer something truly valuable. It’s not enough to just say, “Sign up for our newsletter!” You need to give them a reason to opt-in. A freebie, a discount, or exclusive content can work wonders. Remember, you’re not just giving something away, you’re building trust and establishing yourself as an expert.

What makes a good opt-in offer?

• Quick and easy to create: Don’t overthink it. A simple checklist or guide is often more effective than a long, complicated report. Your freebie should be digestible in about 10 minutes.
  
• Relevant to your business: Sure, you’ll get a million opt ins if you give away the latest iPhone for free, but chances are none of those people actually need what you have to offer. Make it relevant & logical to follow up by purchasing from you.
  
• Provides value: Give us something we can actually use and benefit from. Your reader should get enough of a taste of your expertise to fix a pain point, but not so much that they don’t need you anymore.

Once you’ve built your email list, the next step is to nurture those relationships. Don’t stress it! Email is another one of those things that we tend to overthink.

Keep it simple.

Focus on providing value and building trust. Send occasional emails with helpful tips, industry news, or behind-the-scenes glimpses. And most importantly, listen to your audience. What are they interested in? What questions are they asking?

1. Remember our headspace when we’re opening our inbox. We don’t want to read a novel and we FOR SURE don’t want your junk drawer of information that didn’t fit anywhere else. You’re going to get higher opens, more enthusiastic reads, and best of all, a far better response if you keep it simple.
   
2. I highly recommend Liz Wilcox’s membership (link) if you’re looking for an easy, practical place to start. You can’t go wrong for $9 and she has lots of ideas to get you going!

Remember: Quality over quantity. A few well-crafted emails are better than a flood of irrelevant content.

Strategy 4: Update your look

If your website looks like it was designed in 1998 2008, we’re going to go ahead and assume that the rest of your business is the same – archaic, out of the loop, not relevant.

It doesn’t have to be fancy, but it needs to be up to date and professional. Your website is often the first impression people get of your business, so make it a good one!

Brand photos are also crucial.

They help people connect with you and your business on a personal level. If you’re in the Lethbridge, Calgary, or Medicine Hat area, we can’t recommend Jess Eliz Brands (for service business), Kinsey Holt Photography (for product business), or StandOut Photography (for business professionals) enough.

If you’re looking for a fresh, modern website that covers everything that we’ve talked about and then some, peep our services right here!

Strategy 5: Optimize for search engines

YESSSS I KNOW THAT SEO SOUNDS LIKE A SNOOZEFEST but hear me out, I’ll keep this super simple. SEO is all about making your website easy for search engines (like Google, or even Pinterest) to understand and show to the people who are looking for what you offer.

1. Pick a keyword (or phrase). Literally just think about what someone would type into Google to find a business like yours. That’s a great place to start! For example, if you’re a bakery, your keyword could be “best cupcakes in [your city].” Choose one keyword per page of your website.
   
2. Write compelling titles & descriptions. Your page title and meta descriptions are like little billboards for your pages in search results. Use your keyword naturally, but also write something that grabs attention.
   
3. Optimize your images. This might sound fancy, but it’s actually quite simple. Give your images descriptive filenames that include your keyword. (For example, “best-cupcakes-[your-city].jpg”)
   
4. Boost your website speed. A slow website frustrates everyone, including search engines. Use a free tool like GTmetrix to test your website speed and get tips on how to improve it. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a tech whiz to understand the report!
   
   Here’s what you’re looking for:

• Remember: You probably won’t get a perfect score on that website speed test, and that’s okay! (I’m shocked and delighted by our 99 percent, if I’m being honest!)
  
  Focus on making small improvements over time.

tl;dr

Want more leads and conversions from your website? Here’s where to focus your efforts:

• Leverage social proof:
  Share customer testimonials and reviews to build trust.
  
• Create a smooth user experience:
  Remove obstacles and make it easy for visitors to take action.
  
• Nurture relationships with email:
  Build an email list and send valuable content to stay top of mind.
  
• Update your website’s look:
  A modern design leaves a positive impression.
  
• Optimize for search engines:
  Make your website easy for search engines to find and understand.

Implementing these strategies will take time, but it’s worth the effort. Download our full website conversion checklist for a step-by-step guide.

And if you’re ready to hand it off to someone who knows what they’re doing, we specialize in SEO-friendly, conversion-optimized website design. Let us help you create a website that works hard for your business. View our website design services right here.