Not getting any leads from your new website?
So you finally launched your new website (yessss!)
You’re happy with the copy (not a single typo).
You have cookies and GDPR and all the techy stuff in place.
Your friends have said it looks AMAZING.
And yet. Your phone remains ominously quiet.
Your only email enquiries are from a long-distance SEO firm who make suspiciously grandiose promises about improving your google ranking (note – don’t reply to these).
And all the excited new clients who were just waiting for your site to launch before getting in touch… well, they haven’t.
If you’re feeling a little deflated, you’re not alone. This is a really common frustration for small businesses.
I worked with a coaching company last year who contacted me for advice. They’d launched their website 6 months before and knew from their website stats that it was getting traffic. And relevant traffic, too. But visitors to the site weren’t taking the next step. Nobody booked a discovery call. People weren’t showing interest at all. So despite my client’s substantial investment and natural expectations, the new site wasn’t generating any enquiries or new leads.
Your website could be your most valuable sales tool. If prospective clients are not engaging with it, it’s simply an expensive digital flop. At best, people will leave with no idea how you can help them – making you instantly forgettable. Worse, they leave frustrated with your brand for wasting their time and not delivering what they need.
It only takes a few seconds to form a first impression – good or bad.
So what’s going wrong? Why aren’t you getting more engagement and – ultimately sales – from your website?
3 reasons your website might not be working for you
From the visual design to page structure, there’s a whole host of elements on your website that can put potential clients off.
You might have guessed that I’m going to focus on copy. It doesn’t matter how much traffic you attract to your site, or how beautiful your branding is, if your copy isn’t targeted specifically at the people you want to work with, they won’t hang around.
In my coaching client’s case, a quick web copy review showed that their copy, although nicely written with no typos – was bland and generic. It didn’t talk directly to any particular client and simply offered vague promises to ‘help you achieve your goals and fulfil your potential.’
Yawn. Would that make you sit up and listen?
The great news was, their site didn’t need a complete overhaul – a few specific changes could make a big difference.
So what might be going wrong with your website copy?
You’re not sure why people are visiting your site
If people come to your site looking for inspiration and they’re faced with a long page of corporate jargon, they won’t stick around.
Equally, if they’re looking for reassurance that you’re worth the higher fees you’re charging, and they can’t find any evidence of the value you offer, they’ll quickly click away.
When you write your copy, imagine your ideal client – the person or company you want to appeal to more than anyone else. And speak directly to them.
Work out what they want from you – information, inspiration, reassurance – and then make it really easy for them to find it.
You sound a bit like everyone else
When you read through your copy, could it describe a similar company to yours? For example, does any of this sound familiar:
“We provide your business with a fast, efficient, friendly service, tailored to your individual needs.”Or…
“I’m passionate about helping ambitious professional women achieve the life of their dreams.”
The digital space is flooded with promises such as these. How can your prospective clients understand how your business is better than anyone else’s, when you use exactly the same words to describe it? Nobody else should be able to put their logo at the top of your website, and have it still make sense.
Don’t sound like everyone else. Sound like you.
Your content doesn’t pass the ‘so what’ test
Think about the last time you clicked on a company’s website. Did you have a leisurely browse around, reflecting on their latest mission statement and admiring their 10-year timeline? Or did you simply want to know exactly what that company could do for you.
Visitors to your site are just the same.
WIIFM. What’s in it for me.
We’re human – we have our own agenda, and very little time to achieve it. Your website needs to make it very clear why prospective clients should buy from you. Or work with you.
So take another look at your copy. If there’s more focus on your vision, values and passion – with no context around what that means for your customers – their eyes are likely to glaze over.
Instead, if one of your values is collaboration for example, explain how that helps you share expert knowledge and insights with your clients. It’s a small change, but the kind of extra value that makes you stand out, charge higher fees and grow your business.
So, how can you quickly improve your website copy?
I’m not suggesting you rewrite all your copy. But try and read it from your clients’ perspective. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment.
See if you can make a few changes to ensure your copy:
Answers the questions your audience are most likely looking for
Sounds different from what your competitors could have written
Prioritises your client’s story – rather than your own
As much as possible, make it all about them.
If you’re still not sure how to make your copy work, get in touch and I can show you exactly what changes will make a difference.