How to Generate Leads Online in 8 Simple Ways (2023)

You’ve created a website because someone mentioned that it’s the best way to get new clients. But it’s been a while, and you’re not getting your desired results.

I hate to break it to you, but just having a website isn’t enough – you need to be proactive to generate leads from your site.

If you’re not sure how to do that, don’t worry. This blog post will show you the best and most effective lead-generation tips. 

How to Generate Leads Online in 8 Steps

1. Build a Solid Content Marketing Plan

Content marketing is one of the most effective digital marketing strategies to generate leads. According to an eBook published by Curata, around 75% of companies saw an increase in their lead generation in numbers and quality after investing their efforts in it. But what is content marketing?

In a nutshell, it’s creating and sharing valuable content to attract and convert your target audience into leads. Instead of shoving a sales pitch to your markets’ throats, you’re providing them with the information that they want.

When done right, it can be highly effective.

Here’s what you can do to build a solid content marketing plan:

• Understand your target audience’s pain points. Creating great content that isn’t aligned with your target audience wastes time and resources. You need to create content that tackles their specific pain points. You can do this by following the CAR method: check forums, ask directly, and research online.
• Create content for every step of your buyer’s process. Your goal is to move your readers down the funnel by providing them with the information they need at each stage. Lay out all your content ideas and categorize them according to the buyer’s journey – whether the topic is suitable for awareness, consideration, or decision.

• Diversify your content formats. Various content types will help you reach a wider audience and cater to different preferences. Besides blog posts, you can create infographics, ebooks, guides, webinars, videos, and more.
• Establish and follow a content calendar. Once you start digging into the nitty-gritty of content creation, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. That’s why it’s crucial to have a content calendar to help you plan and organize your ideas.

2. Take Advantage of SEO

This step goes hand-in-hand with step #1. Search engine optimization improves your site to rank higher in search engine results. It’s crucial because it helps you reach your audience by targeting specific keywords and phrases they’re searching for. Although SEO lead generation is a complex process, and there are some off-page and on-page factors you need to consider, there are a few simple things you can do to get started:

• Produce high-quality content consistently. SEO is all about giving value to your audience. That’s why you need to create content that is not only informative but also engaging and well-written. It’s also important to be consistent with your content production. That means publishing new content regularly – at least once a week.
• Conduct keyword research. This will help you understand what keywords and phrases your target audience uses to find information online. You can use free apps such as Google AdWords Keyword Planner and Moz Keyword Explorer.
• Build pillar pages and cluster pages. A pillar page is a long-form, comprehensive guide that covers all aspects of a specific topic. On the other hand, a cluster page is a collection of related blog posts and articles grouped under one main topic. Creating these pages will strengthen your links, which is an important ranking factor for SEO.

3. Create an Irresistible Lead Magnet

When you visit someone’s website, a pop-up or banner will usually appear, asking you to subscribe to their newsletter or download an ebook or PDF in exchange for your email address. This is called a lead magnet, another effective lead generation strategy. A report published by WPforms showed that 50% of marketers get higher conversion rates because of it. But why are lead magnets effective? Because it’s a win-win. Most people want instant answers but aren’t comfortable making a purchase right away. That’s where lead magnets become beneficial. They are free, valuable, and accessible. In return, you get to build your email list and use this opportunity to establish a relationship with your prospects. Ebooks are the most popular type of lead magnets. But some other examples are:

• Cheat sheets
• Checklists
• Short video course
• Toolkits
• Templates
• Guides
• How-to email sequence

To maximize your lead magnet’s power, make sure that it’s:

• Strategically placed. Put your lead magnet where it’s most visible. That could be on your website’s sidebar, in the blog post, or as a pop-up.
• Highly relevant. Relevance is vital for lead magnets because you want to ensure that you’re attracting the right audience.
• Actionable. Your lead magnet should provide your audience with tangible results. For example, offering an ebook on time management should include how-to tips and techniques they can do immediately.
• Visually appealing. People are visual creatures, so make sure your cover page is catchy, and your lead magnet contains well-designed graphics.

4. Add Forms to Your High-Traffic Pages

Forms refer to the fields on your website where visitors can input their personal information. They are usually paired with a lead magnet to remove any friction that discourages someone from filling it up.

You want to ensure that your forms are placed on high-traffic pages because that’s where you’re likely to get the most conversions. Your home and blog page are some of the best places to put your forms. However, rather than guessing, it’s better to depend on actual data. Google Search Console allows you to see your high-traffic pages for free. Here’s how you can use it:

• Create an account on Google Search Console
• Connect your account to your website.
• Go to the “Performance” tab and click “Pages.”

When creating and using forms, remember the following:

• Keep it short. The shorter your form, the more likely people are to fill it out. Only ask for necessary information.
• Include a CTA. Make sure your form has a visible call to action (CTA) so people know what to do next.
• Use visual cues. Use arrows or highlight the field labels to guide people’s eyes on where they need to input their information. You can also use colors to make your forms more visually appealing.
• Make it mobile-friendly. Many people browse the internet using their smartphones, so make sure they can quickly fill out your form on mobile devices.

5. Optimize Your Website for User Experience

We are now in an era where people expect a seamless and satisfying experience online.

According to Google, 53% of mobile users will leave a page that takes longer than three seconds to load.

Business pages that look outdated and load slowly will only lead to potential customers leaving before even checking what you have to offer. So, enhance your user experience by doing the following:

• Include white spaces. Give your website some breathing room by including negative or white areas. They will make your pages look more organized and less cluttered.
• Compress your images. Images can make your pages look good, but they can also slow down your website. Use tools like TinyPNG to optimize your images without sacrificing quality.
• Mind your fonts. Always remember that less is more when it comes to typography. Stick to two or three fonts at most and use them sparingly.
• Use caching plugins. Caching plugins like WP Rocket can help speed up your website by creating a cached version of your pages.
• Choose good web hosting. It might seem small, but choosing a good web host can make a big difference in the performance of your website. Bluehost and Siteground are some of the best web hosting providers.

6. Mind Your CTAs

Your CTA, or call-to-action, refers to the button or link you want your website visitors to click. It could be a “Register here” “Schedule a call,” or even just a simple “Learn more” button. You should place your CTA strategically, so people will immediately know what action they need to take next. One of the best places where you can put a call-to-action is your home page. Your home page is typically the first page people see when they visit your website. Another good place to put a CTA is on your blog posts. If you have a blog on your website, include a CTA at the end of each post. This is an excellent way to promote your products or services and get people to take action. Remember these things before inserting CTAs on your website:

• Use actionable words. Use words that will prompt people to take action, such as “Download,” “Sign Up,” or “Buy Now.”
• Make it visible. Your CTA should be distinct from the rest of the content on your website. You can use a different color, a bigger font, or a different design.
• Choose one CTA per page. Don’t swamp your visitors with too many options. As much as possible, stick to one CTA and ensure it’s relevant to the content on that page. You can put it in multiple areas, but don’t overdo it.

7. Measure Your Page’s Conversion Rate

You can only verify the effectiveness of your lead generation strategy if you know its actual performance. That’s why measuring the percentage of people who take action on your CTA is essential. For example, you provided a lead magnet in exchange for people’s contact information. If 100 people visited your landing page and 50 of them subscribed to your lead magnet, your conversion rate would be 50%. Here’s the formula for calculating your page’s conversion rate: Conversion Rate = (Total number of conversions / Total number of visitors) x 100 The average conversion rate across all niche is around 2.4%. However, the ideal one is 5.31% or higher. There are various ways to measure your conversion rate, but one of the most popular is Google Analytics. Google Analytics is a free tool that allows you to set up your conversion goal and track your visitor’s behavior.

8. Perform A/B Testing

Like other strategies, there’s no one-size-fits-all regarding digital marketing. What works for one business might not work for you, so you must test different lead generation strategies and see which one performs best for your business. But how do you know if a strategy is working? Through A/B testing. A/B testing, a.k.a split testing, compares two versions of a site page to identify which functions better. You can test different elements on your websites, such as the CTA button, headline, images, and copy. Once you’ve identified which version gets more engagement and positive results, you can apply that and generate more leads. It’s challenging to do A/B testing manually because you need actual and accurate data. And that can only be possible with the use of tools. The good thing is that many software exists for split testing. You can use Google Optimize for free if it’s your first time doing it. But other great candidates are Hubspot, Visual Website Optimizer, and Adobe Target. Keep these tips in mind when performing A/B testing:

• Test one element at a time. Don’t change multiple contents at once because you won’t be able to identify which part is working and which isn’t.
• Set a clear goal for your test. What are you trying to achieve? Make sure you have a goal in mind before starting your test, whether it’s more clicks, sign-ups, or sales.
• Gather enough data. Collect data for at least two weeks to get accurate results.
• Ensure you have enough traffic. You should have at least 1,000 visitors a week to get reliable results.

9. Add Social Media Icons

You need to add two kinds of social media icons to your website. The first one is those that will link to your social media accounts. This is an excellent way to get more followers and build your social media presence. You can add these icons to your header, footer, or even in the sidebars of your website. The second type of social media icons are for sharing. These buttons will allow your visitors to share your content on their accounts in just one click. You can actually increase traffic and generate leads by this simple act. The best place to add them are at the end of each blog post. So when people finish reading, they can easily share it with their friends and followers. There are several social media sharing plugins that you can use to add these buttons to your WordPress website. Jetpack Social Sharing, Revive Social, and Social Stream are the most popular.

10. Show How You’ve Solved Problems

Showcasing results is another best way to generate leads from your website. They help build trust and credibility and are great proof that you’re an expert in your field. The best way to showcase results is by displaying client testimonials, case studies, and before-and-after photos. In case you’re unfamiliar with case studies, they are in-depth stories of how you delivered solutions to your client’s problems. You can also add a section that shows your company’s awards and recognitions. If you don’t have any of these, another great way to show results is by adding a portfolio. Your past works can validate your skills and experience and show potential clients that you can deliver what they’re looking for. Keep these in mind when providing results on your website:

• Be specific. Don’t just say that you increased sales by X%. Be more detailed and say how you did it.
• Use numbers and data. People are more likely to believe you if you back up your claims with actual numbers and data because it’s objective.
• Make it visual. Apart from using graphs and charts, you can also use photos and videos to show your results. This will make it more exciting and engaging for people to read.
• Include a call to action. Case studies and testimonial pages are perfect places to add a call-to-action so people can contact you and inquire about your services.

Summary

Generating leads doesn’t have to be complicated. Just follow these simple tips, and you’ll be on your way to getting more leads and sales from your website.

Remember that you don’t need to do everything all at once. Just focus on one leads strategy, and once you feel like you’ve mastered it, you can move on to the next one.

Before I end this post, here’s a quick recap of the best tips on generating leads for small businesses or medium ones, coaches, and consultants:

• Create a solid content marketing plan
• Optimize your website for search engines
• Provide valuable lead magnet to your audience
• Add forms to your most visited pages
• Optimize your website for your visitors
• Be mindful of your CTAs
• Monitor your page’s performance
• Perform A/B testing
• Add social media icons to your website
• Show how you’ve solved problems through testimonials

What do you think is the best lead strategy for your website? Comment your answer below!