How to convert website visitors into inquiries
Driving visitors to your site is only half the battle. If they leave without contacting you, requesting a quote, or making a purchase, all your time and money spent driving traffic is wasted. The process of converting visitors into desired actions is called conversion rate optimisation (CRO). This process is especially important for small businesses and their websites, and is a clear pathway to improving inquiries and ultimately revenue.
Maximise the effectiveness of your website improvement by using the following checklists.
✅ Clearly State Your Services
When visitors arrive on your home page, they should immediately understand your business and what you provide. Generic or vague titles serve no purpose. “Welcome to our site” is far too vague to be of any assistance. A much better example would be “Commercial Electrical Contractors in West Midlands”. It is clear, descriptive and relevant.
✅ Your Phone Number Should Stand Out
Many service businesses receive most of their inquiries over the phone. That is why there should be a call option at the top right corner of every page on the website. Hot leads can click on the phone number to call, so be sure to hyperlink it.
✅ Be Clear And Specific About Your Action Button
Each page should assist the visitor to take the next action, and provide guidance.
“Contact Us” buttons are less effective compared to “Get A Free Quote”, “Book A Consultation” and “Call Us Today” buttons.
✅ Shorten Your Contact Form.
It has been shown that shorter forms have higher completion rates. Only ask for the name and email and maybe a question. The more fields you have the lower the chance of completing it.
✅ Social Proof Trust Marks
Potential customers will see a proven history of positive experiences and will more likely contact you. Trade membership trust marks, positive google reviews, case studies and testimonials are trust builders. Don’t hide them on a separate page. Show them on the service pages and begin testimonials on the homepage.
✅ Fast Loading Pages Are Essential
Rate of page speed directly correlates with rate of conversion. Studies have shown that the slower the page loads the lower rate of conversion, even as low as 1 second.
Google’s PageSpeed Insights provides a free means to check the performance of your website. Large images, poorly coded plugins, and slow hosting are the reason most sites are slow. Addressing these, your conversion and search engines rankings will improve.
✅ Check Your Site for Mobile Optimisation
As most searches are done on mobile your site needs to be mobile optimised.
You could be losing potential inquiries due to poor website design. If text is too small, buttons are clustered, or forms are difficult to fill, potential inquiries are being lost. Make sure to test the mobile design of your site on various devices and browsers.
✅ Ensure the Matching of Landing Pages to Your Advertising Platforms
Each ad should have specific landing pages that correlate with the ad. Sending an ad for “emergency boiler repair” to the plumbing home page is a poor practice. Clarity on where the ad should lead the customer increases conversion rate.
✅ Use Analytics to Identify Poor Pages
Google Analytics will show you which pages have the lowest levels of engagement so you can focus your efforts on those pages. These pages are “high priority” as there is the most potential to improve engagement.
When looking at each page ask the following questions; Does the content address the audience’s needs? Is there an obvious next step? Are there elements such as large images that will slow down loading times or cause the page to display incorrectly?
Ongoing Adjustments
Conversion rate optimisation is a continuous task. As your business matures, your traffic sources differ, and your users’ needs change, your website should change accordingly. Review the previous list and establish changes that are immediately actionable.
Even small and consistent increases in conversion rates result in significant increases in inquiries.