How to drive more business leads from your website

Your website should encourage your audience to engage with you. If it doesn't, then it's a dead end 🚧 — and then what's the point? Your website should support your biz, not just look pretty!

If you aren't successfully collecting any leads from your website, you may have a CTA problem.

So… what is a CTA, and how can you improve yours?

CTAs (short for calls to action) tell your audience exactly what you want them to do and why. CTAs nudge your website visitor to take a specific action that helps further your relationship with them, especially by collecting their information so you can communicate with them on other platforms.

This can include subscribing to your newsletter, downloading a lead magnet, filling out a contact form, purchasing a product, and so on. So, think of CTAs as the actual link or button that is the action, plus any text that precedes it.

Here are some things to consider to create effective CTAs:

1. Consider the primary way that you want website visitors to engage with you.

What are your business goals, and how should your website support them?

So with that in mind, what is the primary action you want someone to take when they visit your website? Do you want them to purchase something? Or, do you want their email address so you can communicate with them directly? If you want their email, are they more likely to fill out a form to contact you or download a freebie that introduces how you might solve a specific need?

2. Be clear, direct, and descriptive in your CTA.

“Learn more” or “click here” are not effective CTAs. Use action verbs to illustrate exactly what you want the reader to do (e.g. subscribe, purchase, register), and make it clear what’s going to happen as a result (e.g. “…to learn more about XYZ” or “to access your free dashboard,” or even just “book now”).

It’s also helpful to include supportive copy prior to the CTA that illustrates why they should care, and what’s in it for them (e.g. ”are you ready to find more freedom in your workday with our 1:1 support?").

3. Place your first CTA above the fold, and continue to sprinkle them throughout.

Don't assume that someone is going to read your entire webpage. In fact, let your reader do as little work as possible — place your first CTA high up on the page before they have to scroll.

Similarly, don't make them scroll back UP to find your CTA button (let's be real, we're all lazy!), so give them plenty of opportunities to engage by sprinkling CTAs throughout the entire page.

For some examples of CTAs that are effective IMO, watch this reel. (Pssst.. that was a CTA!! How'd I do?!)