What does your website do for you?

If you do not know the answer to that question, you may be missing the mark when it comes to your website. The mission of an e-commerce site is clear: it has to sell a product. But what about those companies that need lead generation, rather than offering something that can be added to a shopping cart? How your site has been designed for generating leads can make or break this goal.The most important thing all businesses need to keep in mind, when it comes to their website, is that it is meant to be a means to an end. It is not the end goal. Sure, you want to get people to the site, but it cannot end there. You need them to do something once they get there, or your efforts will not pay off. While most businesses tend to use their site like a brochure, it still needs a call to action to generate leads.If you have not done so before, now is the time to analyze just how well your website is converting to increased business. Several of the ways you can increase the ratio of visitors converting to leads include:• Making sure it is easy for people to contact you on every page of your site.• Offer multiple ways for people to contact you. While some people may not want to pick up the phone, they may not mind e-mailing for additional information. Be sure to include phone, e-mail, and address information.• Keep the site’s online footprint small so that the visitor is not bogged down by pages that are slow to load. If the site is slow, they will likely go.• It is imperative that you have compelling copy on your site so that your visitors know what you offer, how it can benefit them, and how to contact you. Consider hiring a professional copywriter to do the work, as they are trained in using language that is more apt to increase consumer interest and generate leads.• Ask your visitors to contact you. Providing a prompt, or suggesting that they contact you for more info, will put the thought into their head. You can really increase interest by offering a free estimate or evaluation, or something else along those lines.In my next post, I will discuss how to drive quality traffic to your site. But first it is important that your site be ready to achieve its goal once people get there. Give that some thought, make the necessary adjustments, and get ready to learn some tips on attracting customers to your site.