A lot of websites are designed for failure from the very beginning.
And the truth is, no one is to be blamed. The real reason for this is because a lot of us don’t really know what purpose we want our websites to achieve.
But hopefully, at this stage of the course, you’re already aware of what your goal is for your website. If you’re not, you can go back to this lesson to check it out.
Whether you’re outsourcing your website design, or you’re building it yourself, here are 4 must-have elements it needs:
- A targeted homepage
The homepage is the most visited page on any website. But unfortunately, a lot of websites waste this traffic.
Ensure the text on your homepage is targeted to who you’re trying to reach. Also ensure you include one of the following items on that page: a call to action button, or a sign up form.
Why? Because you want as much of the traffic to either subscribe to your website or choose to work with you. The call to action button could lead to your services page or a landing page. The signup form would be for visitors to subscribe, provided your copy is compelling enough.
- A clear landing page
The landing page I’m referring to here is the one that has a sign up form for new visitors to subscribe to your list.
There should be zero distracting elements on it. It should be as simple and as clear as possible.
Remove unnecessary navigations, ditch the sidebar, and even the footer. Ensure the only things clickable on that page are the sign up form and the submit button.
You can use LeadPages to setup a pretty landing page, or you can use the default template that comes with your theme.
- A visible lead generation signup form
How else are you supposed to take prospects down your funnel if you hide your signup forms?
Asides from having one on your homepage, here are other places to include a sign up form:
– On the sidebar
– After every blog post. This setting comes with the StudioPress themes (aff link) and some others.
– In the footer
– At the top of the site. Hellobar allows you to include a slim strip of information at the top of your website as a way of converting more traffic. Your call to action for this could be for people to check your services or subscribe to your list.
- A Lead Magnet
Your signup forms or your landing page won’t be very effective without an offer. That’s what the lead magnet is for.
For example, this toolkit is my lead magnet. It’s what I used to prompt you into subscribing. So whatever you use as a lead magnet must be something you know about. And it must be as simple as possible.
Here’s a list of possible lead magnets you could create for your site: 9 Irresistible Incentives That’ll Grow Your Email List Like Crazy
Note that whatever you use as your lead magnet should showcase your expertise and should be something you’re good at.
Once it’s created, choose a reliable email marketing software to help you deliver it. I use Aweber. But there are others you can choose from.
In the next lesson, you’ll discover the three pages that you must include on your website. As obvious as these pages are, not everyone has them.
If you’d like to learn more on the content of this lesson, I published a post a while back on these must-have lead generation elements. Check it out.
What elements have you integrated with your website? Let me know via email.