Increase Visitor Conversion – Use Call To Actions

© 2011 bernie schmidt

Capturing Internet traffic and directing it to your site is only the beginning of developing prospective clients and customers -  for your website to be truly effective, your website must:

• convince visitors to stay on your site and
• convert them into site users willing to share data so that they become leads with names and email addresses.

CTAs, or Call to Actions, are the way your website creates ROI. Examples include: compelling buying offers, information-loaded PDFs, newsletters and blog/twitter signups.

Where and how these CTAs are positioned on your web pages is also key. Here are some ways to make your web site work harder and smarter for you:

1) Place CTAs “above the fold” i.e. the top part of the web page the visitor can see without having to scroll. This allows the visitor to begin interacting with your site and allows you to start directing their browsing behaviour, moving them towards the goals you have set for the visitor.

2) Use graphics, rather than text, as linked elements. Graphics allow you to make a CTA stand out with different colors and fonts.

3) Use action verbs to be clear on what you want the visitor to do – “Register for our FREE Webinar on (Topic)” or “Download this FREE Report on how to (Topic)” with Topic being the compelling subject that speaks to the knowledge they came looking for when they clicked on your site.

4) Make sure the landing page linked to the CTA reinforces that the visitor has come to the right page – use the same language “Free Webinar on (Topic)” to continue the train of thought. Add another benefit on why they should continue with registering or signing up to your offer

5) Keep the landing page simple – don’t distract the visitor with links or information that might cause them to navigate away from the page.

6) Make sure the sign-up form is “above the fold” as well – make sure you make the experience of signing up as effortless as possible.

7) Finish with a Thank You Page that keeps your new lead on your site.  Suggest another part of the site to explore, point them to your blog, ask them to subscribe to your blog or Twitter account.

And finally, measure results.  Use Google Analytics to track how people navigate your site using goals and sales funnels. Have more than one offer on your site.  Change up the language and your offers to see what works best.

It’s hard enough to win traffic – using conversion techniques such as those described above, you can make a difference in upgrading your website from a passive information giver to a sales lead generator.

Thanks for reading! Other articles on making your website work can be found at the TorontoSmallBusiness.com

© 2011 Bernie Schmidt. Article may be copied and distributed “as is” with attribution to
Bernie Schmidt and TorontoSmallBusiness.com