Here at www.getsalesleads.co.uk we are working daily to convert website visitors into Sales Leads, so we think we have a good idea of what it takes. But does the average business owner know? Do you know? Sure it’s rare to find a company that doesn’t have a website these days. However, how many of these either don’t produce any Sales Leads or very few. Are you shocked by that? Well think about how many websites you visit and simply hit the “back button” because you didn’t engage with the website. If you own a business and its website did you test it with a potential customer or did you just give them what you thought they wanted? It’s so easy to fall into this trap and not think they way a potential customer thinks. For example is it reasonable to assume that a potential customer will use the same terminology as you the seasoned business professional?
Anyway after looking back at some older blog posts by others we came across one from Richard Foshee which asks 5 key questions which maybe you should also be asking.
As Richard explains in his article (republished below here are 5 tests to consider when determining whether a website is fit to deliver the Leads that it should:-
1. Can Your Copy Pass the 10-Second Test?
2. How’s Your Loading Time?
3. Who Are You Picturing?
4. Can You Take Them Where They Need?
5. Can They Become Leads?
Is Your Website Pulling It’s Lead Generation Weight?
Posted by Richard Foshee on Thu, Sep 06, 2012 @ 07:05 AM
Lead Generation Starts at Home
If you can show me a small business owner who doesn’t want more leads from their website, I’ll be shocked. If there is anything we hear on a regular basis from the Presidents, Partners and CEOs at small and mid-sized companies, it’s that they want to put their websites to work. Branding and thought leadership are two valuable aspects of maintaining an active online presence, but let’s be honest about the fact that we all want to see some ROI. If you’re out to increase your bottom line, it may be time to give your homepage a serious performance evaluation. Here are the top 5 questions to determine if your website is a lead generation master or if you need some help:
1. Can Your Copy Pass the 10-Second Test?
10 seconds. According to Microsoft, that’s typically all the time it takes a website visitor to decide whether or not they’ll stick around. Not even the shortest lunch meeting in history or your best sales person can compete with how fast a home page needs to pack a punch. Remember, no one would be performing Google searches for your product or service unless they had a need, so it’s critical to write copy that can pass the 10-second test. That means it needs to be succinct, value driven and explain exactly what you have to offer in just a short sentence.
There’s a lot to love about the AmeriFirst Home Mortgage home page from a marketing perspective, but the fact that they succinctly summarize their value in a visible way is a real winner:
Their “value statement” is found in the right-hand corner: “Your First Time Home Buyer Resource Partner.” It’s just a sentence, but it’s clear who their target audience is and what they can do to help.
2. How’s Your Loading Time?
No one likes slow websites, but it turns out that mobile users hate them even more. If you thought the 10-second rule was tough, wait until you hear that 70% of tablet users expect a website to load in 2 seconds or less. At the time of writing, mobile devices are responsible for around 10% of web traffic worldwide, though the number is quickly increasing.
The best way to ensure your website is mobile-friendly is to just keep it simple. Remove flash, simplify navigation and avoid massive, high-resolution images whenever possible. Best-selling business writer Jeff Haden recommends that you take the “fast food” approach to web design for mobile: your website visitors know what they want, they don’t want to wait and they’re not after ambiance.
