5 Things Every Website Needs

Hey, there! Welcome back. I’m Latasha from team Interact.

Today I want to talk to you about websites. Whether you’re a business coach, an online educator, a service provider, or you run an e-commerce business, think of your website as your “home base.” It’s an integral part of running your business, getting you in front of your ideal clientele. 

But, hey, all websites are not created equally. Below are five things you want your website to have to generate leads and grow your business. 

• About Section
• Contact Information
• Lead Magnet
• Social Proof
• Analytics

1. About section

Nowadays, people are more interested in people than brands, so it’s important to inject personality into your website wherever possible. Don’t get me wrong—if you’re a b2b company or a large corporation, you don’t need to pretend to be something you’re not. However, you should still showcase the faces of employees, your values, and your mission, and at the very least, a summary of what you actually do. 

An about page is especially important if your business works closely with other people, even more so if you handle personal or intimate details of their lives, like health and fitness, nutrition, mental health, or relationships. 

Hiring a photographer to capture a warm and inviting headshot or team photo is an investment that will pay for itself over and over again. Or, if you’re not quite a wordsmith, consider a copywriter. A copywriter can turn what you might think is a boring business origin story into a high-converting sales machine.

2. Contact information

I know this might sound super obvious, but you’d be surprised how many websites don’t have an optimized contact form, social links, or an easily found email address. 

Make sure that people can get a hold of you in whatever way suits them. Offer an email address, a contact page or form, and some social media icons, so potential customers can chat with you when you’re top of mind.

If you have a physical office location, consider including the address, hours of operation, and phone number in your website footer. While contact forms can be a great way to pre-qualify leads, remember that your audience is working with limited time. Many of them will be browsing on cell phones, so avoid making contact forms too clunky or detailed. Instead, ask a few pertinent questions and follow up with a form via email or offer a discovery call to dig a little deeper.

3. Lead magnet

Not everyone who visits your website will fall in love with you immediately. You’ll need to woo potential clients from time to time. A lead magnet is a great way to provide value or entertainment to your audience—while collecting email addresses.

There are a number of different lead magnets you could feature prominently on your website, including a free ebook, video course, download, or checklist—but you probably already know that our favorite lead magnet is online quizzes. 

People love online quizzes because they’re fun and entertaining—but they also provide education and useful tips to quiz-takers. So, if you’re an e-commerce business, consider providing a personalized shopping list based on the quiz-taker’s results. If you’re a wellness coach, you could give a wellness checklist based on the quiz-taker’s pain points. And if you’re a service provider, you could offer a list of DIY solutions to meet quiz-takers’ goals. 

But, hey, what’s in it for me? Why should I give away freebies? I hear you. 

Assuming you use a platform like Interact, you’ll find a lead capture option, which will give you access to quiz-taker email addresses. Then, add those warm leads to your automated email list, where you’ll continue to provide quiz-takers value, invite them to live events, for example, and move them down your sales funnel toward the point of purchase. 

You’ll also be able to pre-qualify your leads in a way that’s much more fun than filling out a long, tedious form. 

Hot tip: If you use the code “YOUTUBE” in all caps for any of Interact’s paid plans, you’ll get a 20% discount.

4. Social proof

Maybe you’re claiming you can help struggling businesses turn around, or maybe you say you’re the best video editor in the country. How can you back that up? How do potential clients know who you really are?

One great way to showcase your skills and expertise is with social proof. In short, social proof is evidence from other people or businesses that indicates you can really do what you say you can do.

Popular forms of social proof include reviews, testimonials, logos of clients served, or case studies. To start using social proof on your website, make sure you’re regularly delivering high-quality work, then ask your clients for feedback. Whenever someone provides particularly positive feedback, ask them if they’d be okay with you sharing the testimonial on your website. 

Other options for collecting social proof is implementing a formal off-boarding process for your clients, like a Zoom interview or survey or using social proof tools.

5. Analytics

Making sense of your website data is so important if you’re looking to improve it or replicate success. Most website platforms come with native analytics tools, but consider using a third-party analytics tool, like Google Analytics, which is free to install.

Google Analytics will provide you with data on who your site visitors are, how much time they spend on your site, and how they got there, down to the specific traffic source. For example, if you see that nearly all your website visitors come from Twitter, you should probably tweet more. If you spend a ton of time marketing on Linkedin but see it results in very few visits, you might decide to spend your time marketing elsewhere. On the other hand, if you notice high bounce and exit rates, you might want to look into your above-the-fold messaging or page loading speed.

You can get these insights by taking a few minutes each month to study your analytics. I highly recommend it.

So, now you know the five most effective elements to have on your lead-generating, business-growing website. Let us know in the comments if you think there’s anything we missed. 

And don’t forget to use the code “YOUTUBE” when you create your first online quiz with Interact today!