6 Strategies to Convert Website Visitors into Clients
Want to know the secrets to convert website visitors into clients?
It seems like a mystery, right?! But in fact, there are strategies you can implement to optimize your site for conversions and book more sales calls. while you're working hard to drive traffic through social media, networking, and all of your marketing efforts, don't let your website homepage be the reason people don't buy in.
As a coach or consultant, your website is a crucial step in closing the deal with your ideal client. Having a stellar social media presence but a generic website or no website could hurt your credibility.
Even if you have a beautiful website, if it's not strategically designed for conversions, it could be hurting your bottom line.
Creating a high-converting website doesn't have to be complicated…
Your homepage is a high-converting landing page that does the work for you: it attracts your ideal client, showcases you as the expert, and converts them into paying clients.
LET'S START WITH YOUR GOALS
What is your ultimate conversion goal? What are you measuring?
Examples of objectives for coaches would include booking more consultation calls to speak directly to your prospect for your 1:1 or group coaching program.
As a speaker, your goal may be to secure more corporate speaking engagements by increasing leads.
Or, as an author, your goal may be to increase pre-sale book orders to generate excitement and increase the publisher's initial print run.
Whatever your goal is, make sure it's realistic and aligns with your brand story.
LEAD WITH YOUR BRAND STORY
As you have your goals in mind, remember that your website should be about your customer and their journey to reaching their goals.
As we discovered in the post: How to Develop an Authentic and Compelling Brand Story, your website should be a carefully crafted dance that guides your ideal client to reach their goals with your support as the expert. Your website will tell your brand story and show them why you're the one to lead them.
We now see why it's crucial to have a strategic website that takes your visitors from just browsing to taking action. Here are six elements you need to include on your website homepage to increase conversions.
1. Strong Hero Image and Unique Selling Proposition
Your "hero image" is the main banner image on your homepage. An area known as the space "above the fold" is the first impression your visitor will have of your site. You only have a few seconds to capture the attention of your audience.
You want your main banner area to surprise and delight your audience. Using an emotion-stirring image and your unique selling proposition (USP) will let your audience know who you are, who you're for, and how you can support them.
Creating a 2-3 sentence statement or elevator pitch based on your brand story will keep this introductory section about your client and their needs. You want to be as clear and engaging as possible so they feel excited to scroll down and read more.
What image or images will capture their attention? How can you showcase yourself or an example of your service?
For example, if you're a coach, you can show a strong, confident image of yourself or a photo of you with a group of your clients having a great time.
If you're an author, show a graphic mock-up of your book cover or an image that sets the stage for the book's context.
2. Clear Service Offerings
When it comes to your service offerings, you want to keep them simple. So we can start with understanding exactly what our ideal clients need. Then, dive into their pain points related to your products and services.
They have a need, want, or desire that you can help them solve. It's our job to understand them, so we can show how our services will support them on the journey to success.
When our ideal client sees that you know their struggles and what keeps them up at night, your brand story will attract loyal clients who want to experience your products and services.
Here are questions you can start to ask to dig deep into your ideal client's problems:
Where does your ideal client need clarity?
What is their most significant pain point?
What's causing them to feel insecure?
What solutions are they currently trying that aren't working?
Take this information and craft offerings around what your clients need and the transformation they desire.
On your homepage, you want to paint a picture of what their life will look like after working with you or experiencing your services.
Here we must speak on the transformation or what's possible for them. And yes, get specific! After working with you, they will save time, increase revenue, or improve their lifestyle?
When you're ideal clients see that you understand them on a deeper level, they'll view you as the only one who can serve them. So they'll be happy to click that Call to Action and get started on their transformation.
3. Showcase Your Expertise
Next, your homepage should position you as the guide. You are the guru, the sage, the wise one that will show your ideal client, the hero, the way to victory!
Create a section on your homepage that frames your personal story, values, mission, vision, and "why" statement in a concise way to show you as the one who can support them. I also recommend adding social proof such as logos of media outlets you’ve been featured in, quantitative statistics on what you’ve accomplished, or how long you’ve been in business and the number of clients you’ve served.
Remember: the focus is on the client's needs and the transformation they desire. So let's keep it about them!
Start with a few questions you can ask to begin framing your story around your ideal client's success.
Why are you in business? What makes you unique? What makes you qualified to support them? How do your values align with theirs? What do they need and want to hear to convince themselves you’re the expert for them?
Establishing yourself as the guide and expert shows your ideal client that you’re more than capable of serving them and meeting their needs. In addition, you'll build trust and be seen as the expert you are.
4. Transformative Testimonials
So, what results have you achieved for your past clients? Displaying social proof through testimonials, feature logos, and success stories will build trust with your audience and credibility with your brand.
As we mentioned in the How to Develop an Authentic and Compelling Brand Story, the finale of your brand story and the hero's journey is their great transformation.
Showcasing the testimonials and, more importantly, the transformation of past clients gives your audience examples of what's possible for them.
For example, as a business coach, a transformation may be that client X achieved her sales goal or client Y increased productivity and has been able to achieve greater output.
Again, this is an opportunity to show the mountain they climbed and the challenge they overcame to reach success.
Wyzowl studied testimonials and found that "9 out of 10 people trust what a customer says about a business more than what that business says about itself." There is so much power in displaying our client's experiences with your services!
5. Valuable Email Opt-in Offer
Capturing emails is gold in the age of social media and quick content. Email is important because it's an opportunity for you to nurture a relationship with your ideal clients on your terms. Provide them with value and content that can serve them.
For instance, someone lands on your website, but they aren't ready to buy your service. Instead of turning your visitor away, give them a reason to want to stay in touch with you.
Create a free email opt-in that speaks to their needs and supports their journey. That could be a free guide, workbook, webinar, or discount code for your product.
As they continue to learn from you on your email list, that potential client may want to work with you in the future.
6. Direct Call to Action
High-converting homepages have a clear and direct call to action. First, think about your conversion goals. What is the most crucial step you want your audience to take?
It's a best practice to have a final, bold call to action before the page footer. What do you want your audience to do next?
Take a look at your brand story and how we can lead our audience to the desired destination. For example, does your homepage guide them to book a call with you? Or does this button take them to the services or product page to learn more about how you can support them?
Guide your audience through an experience that encourages them to take the next step in their journey and work with you.
Surprisingly many entrepreneurs miss this crucial step. This is your opportunity to affirm your expertise and guide your audience to leap. Make sure your call to action is clear, bold, and visually eye-catching. Be sure to speak the language of your audience.
Whether booking a call, joining your email list, or learning more about your services, motivate them to take that next step.
Be clear and direct with what they are to do next. This is your moment!
Creating a strategic, high converting website is undoubtedly an investment, but the long-term gain is well worth it. Having a space to guide your audience deeper into who you are, what you offer, and how you'll support them will drive connections and conversion.
When your audience knows, likes, and trusts you, you'll create raving fans who want to experience all you offer.
To get you started on your high-converting web design process, I've created a FREE GUIDE: 5 Strategies to Instantly Elevate Your Web Design outlining my five designer secrets to elevating your website and how you can achieve them.
You have so much to offer! Why let your website stand in the way?!
