Central to any inbound marketing strategy is a well-crafted B2B website design with a solid content strategy. The website is a critical component for converting visitors into leads. But what do you do when your website isn’t converting visitors?
Here we take a look at five common reasons why your website visitors aren’t converting and what you can do about it.
Lack of Information
Your B2B web design and content should educate visitors about the benefits of your firm’s products or services. It should tell them what you offer, who you work with, the history or experience of your company, and give them resources for making a decision. If your website lacks critical information, you won’t convert any visitors into prospects.
Your website is often the first interaction that a prospect has with your company. If they can’t glean what you do, offer, or who you are from your website, it tells them that your company can’t communicate basic information.
Fix it: Audit your website and make sure it answers basic questions like:
- Who – Who are you and who do you work with?
- What – What products or services do you offer?
- When – How long has your company been in business?
- Where – Where are you located and where are your customers located?
- Why – Why should they work with you versus working with your competitors?
Read more: Why Inbound Leads Should Be Your First Priority.
Confusion or Poor Flow
Ever see those grocery store print advertisements that have a ton of information and pricing with lots of pictures but no clear hierarchy? You don’t know where to look first or how to process all the information. Unfortunately, a lot of business websites are the same. They have a ton of great information but the B2B web design itself is poorly laid out and unorganized. The end result is a confusing website that lacks any clear flow for the visitor.
Fix it: Work with an experienced website designer or web design team. A strong B2B web design and content team will use their expertise to create a website that is clear and has an easy-to-follow flow.
Read more: How a Poor B2B Website Design Is Holding You Back.
No Clear Call to Action
Website visitors want to know the next step they should take. Yes, they need to be told and they WANT to be told. One of the major reasons why a B2B website doesn’t convert visitors into leads is often because it does not have a clear call to action. We see websites all the time that have a call to action, but it’s convoluted and not clear what the user should actually do. It may clearly show a form, but the outcome of submitting that form isn’t stated.
Another common issue with calls to action is that they are hidden or hard to find. In an effort at minimalist design, we’ve seen designers place calls to action in the bottom footer of a website or buried on tertiary pages in a website. This is not an Easter egg hunt. All CTAs should be clear and easy to locate without effort.
Fix it: Determine the 2 – 3 main actions you’d like your visitors to take. Draft up calls to action that are one sentence. Once you do that, cut it down to 4 – 5 words total. Good examples of clear CTAs:
- Request a quote.
- Contact us today.
- Schedule a consultation.
- Download ebook.
- Schedule a demo.
Lack of Credibility
Why should a prospect take your word for it? That’s the main thing that a website visitor is thinking when they arrive on a website. This is especially true if a firm is new or doesn’t have strong brand recognition in an industry. With the adoption of digital research for everything from cell phones to cars to services, it’s critical that you portray what makes your company credible and why prospects should trust you.
Fix it: The best types of credibility builders are current customer testimonials, case studies and third-party validation. Where possible, include actual reviews/testimonials from current customers. Include their name, position, company and photo if possible. For third-party validation, include any awards that you’ve won from reputable industry resources, certifications your company has achieved, or even a list of current clients that you work with.
Unprofessional Web Design
Not only will an unprofessional website design crush your conversions, it will establish your company as untrustworthy. If you can’t invest in a professional B2B website design, it shows that you don’t really care about what prospects think about your company and how they want to interact with you.
Fix it: Work with a seasoned B2B web design agency familiar with your industry. Make sure to allocate the right budget for what you expect from your website and the quality of leads that you’d like to attract and convert. A website design is an investment in inbound lead generation, not just marketing.
