7 Tips For Creating A Lead-Generating Website

There is absolutely no point in having a website if it’s not generating leads for you. I don’t think anyone in business would argue that one. In fact these days it’s very common that a business will not launch until its website is ready. Delays with the website usually translate into delays with the business launch. That’s how important your website is.

How do I know what I’m talking about?

I’m drawing on a lot of my own recent experience for this post. We launched our website (Cuckoo Events) on the day we began our 2nd year in business. That was August 2013. Since then we’ve won 2 awards for the site but, much more importantly, it’s proven to be extremely effective in generating leads for us.

This is not meant as shameless self-promotion. It’s an effort to provide an insight into what worked for us in creating our award-winning and, MUCH more importantly, lead-generating website.

Here are my 7 tips.

#1. You need to care

This one may seem like a no-brainer but I’ve known many people who went about getting a website for their business without really caring what they got. They’ve got this ‘we just need a website’ attitude. An attitude like that is not going to get you the best result for your business. You need to care.

#2. Choose the right agency

There’s a tendency in business to just call in the usual suspects and let them all pitch for your business. That’s a lazy approach. YOU should be doing some leg work here. Find websites you like and check out who designed them.

When we found Artizan Creative we knew they were the agency we wanted to work with. We loved their work. They came in to meet with us, chatted for a couple of hours, went away and the first plan they presented was exactly what we wanted. They climbed into our heads and gave us things we wanted but didn’t even know we wanted. They were most definitely the right agency for us. Find the right one for you.

#3. Be involved in the process

It’s YOUR website so be involved in the process throughout. Do not just sit back and let the agency update you as per the project schedule. Get involved. Ask questions. Query decisions. Don’t be afraid to put forward ideas and suggestions. If you’re working with the right agency then they’ll be as keen for the best end result as you are. In that case they’ll be happy to have you be hands on with the project.

#4. Give your website a personality

This was one of the most important things for us when we set out to create our website, as well as wanting it to ultimately be lead-generating for us. We wanted the website to be a true reflection of us and how we operate. You may or may not like what you find but you’ll most definitely have a feel for us and our personality. If you don’t like it and you don’t get in touch with us then haven’t we just saved you time as well as saving ourselves time? You’re welcome. The personality is working very well for us.

#5. Invest in SEO

The greatest looking website in the world is not going to be lead-generating unless you’re appearing high in search results. That’s where SEO comes in. Search Engine Optimisation is the dark art of making sure your website is appearing at the top of those search results. Investing in your website without investing in SEO is ridiculous.

#6. Blog a bit

All the best SEO people understand the value of blogging. The days of just filling your site full of keywords are gone. If you’re creating good relevant content for your industry then it’s going to help you be visible and help people find you on the web. That’s the bottom line.

I recently had a very interesting conversation with a guy who was thinking of using the same SEO people as I do. He called me to pick my brain on how good the SEO people were. I spent some time explaining that what was effective for us was the SEO work along with the blogging, along with a good site and our social media activity. He ran an online office supplies business and told me  ‘My industry doesn’t blog. It’s too boring an industry. What could I blog about?’ I told him what he could be blogging about and now he blogs. Well, someone else in the office does. He says the blogging works well for them.

#7. Be active on social media

Social media is not the key to business success for the vast majority of us. It can, however, be a very effective tool and when used effectively in conjunction with a good site with good SEO practices and some blogging it can contribute greatly to your lead-generating activity.

If social media isn’t your thing, then I bet you someone in your business would be happy to do it. I’ve not yet spoken to someone in business who didn’t have someone happy to look after the social media stuff. You have one too. Go find them.

So there you have my 7 tips.

The bottom line

All I can tell you is that I know they’re working for us and I reckon they’ll work for you too. The awards were lovely to win but they’d be scant consolation if we’d a site that wasn’t lead-generating. Our website generates a lot of leads and we’ve secured some big new business as a direct result.

That’s the point of the website, right? Yes it is.

Images: ”Lead Generation road sign on the city / Shutterstock.com“

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