Small-business owners need to maximize every resource — including their websites. When someone makes it to your landing page, your goal is to get them to take a specific action, whether it’s signing up for your newsletter, asking for a quote, or purchasing goods or services.
If you’re not seeing the conversions you need from your website, here are four small tweaks that can create big results.
1. Maximize Headlines
Eighty percent of the people that make it to your website won’t read past the headlines. Grab their attention with headlines that draw them in. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out Buzzfeed. In a sea of information, their headlines often feature numbers and superlative or controversial statements that entice people to click, read, and share.
You don’t have to go over-the-top to get the job done, though. Review your headlines and try to add numbers and language like “best,” “worst,” and “most” where possible. Include questions and language that speaks directly to the reader for even more traction: “How Can You Make Your Workouts More Enjoyable?” is a more effective headline than “People Are More Likely to Work Out if They Enjoy Their Routine,” for example.
Try a few of these techniques, and start tracking where you get the best responses. Keep tweaking them as you learn what styles most appeal to your customers.
2. Stand Out in Searches
It doesn’t matter what’s on your landing page if no one ever gets there. Search engine optimization (SEO) sounds intimidating, but you don’t need to be a tech genius to optimize your website. Here are some of the basic rules for creating a landing page that shows up in searches.
- Write at least 250 words per page. This gives you enough copy to include three to five keyword phrases.
- Include a meta description on each landing page. A meta description is the short blurb that appears under a search result to describe your page and entice the searcher to click.
- Add keyword tags to your titles. Make sure the headline features your main keyword and wrap it in H1 tags. This lets Google know the most important words on the page, which helps improve the search ranking.
3. Establish Credibility
Potential customers and clients are more likely to use your services if they trust that you are a credible source. Your website should establish your credibility: make your contact information visible and share information about your business and key team members. Include testimonials and reviews from happy customers as an organic part of the page, interspersed within the copy to highlight a feature or benefit.
In addition, add any awards, certifications, or memberships help you stand out as a leader in your field. This helps visitors to your site validate your organization’s credentials and the quality of your products and services.
4. Go Mobile
If people can’t access your website on the go, you’re going to miss out on a lot of potential business. Mobile devices are rapidly overtaking PCs and laptops when it comes to Internet traffic. Your website must be mobile-friendly so functionality is not limited over mobile devices. Potential clients will get easily frustrated and move on to another site if your site isn’t functioning properly for the device they’re using.
Whether someone visits your website on their smartphone or a desktop computer, they should have a consistent experience. The landing page should respond to the user and conform to the screen size the viewer is using.
It’s not always easy to keep your business moving at the speed of technology, but it is possible to stay ahead of the curve without getting a degree in website design or coding. Simple tweaks like these help your business capitalize on every website visitor.
While you’re looking at improvements, your website modifications may be held up due to a slow Internet connection. Make sure your company is running with the right speeds to keep you at the head of the pack.