One very basic mistake that many websites make

This article contains one very basic tip for improving website conversion, and also a more advanced application of the same technique (if the initial paragraphs are a little too obvious for you, scroll down to the middle).

How easy is it for prospects to contact you?

I’m occasionally contracted to analyze the conversion rate of a website and suggest ways to improve conversion. One of the blindingly obvious conversion mistakes that I spot more often than you might think is the complete absence of a “Contact us” page (or one that’s very well hidden).

A “Contact us” page is normally the key response device in a lead generation website, yet many websites leave it out. Simply by making your “Contact us” page highly visible to prospects, you can increase conversion rate by a significant margin. In one case we did this and enquiry volume immediately jumped by 25%.

Make it obvious!

I reviewed one website with dropdown menus that did have a “Contact us” page, but it was “nested” as a sub-item under “About us”. All this does is insert an unnecessary step between you and an interested enquirer. Make sure your “Contact us” page is out in the open where everyone can see it.

Some websites also invent an “original” name for their “Contact Us” page. Sometimes these are easy to understand (e.g. “Enquire here”, “Contact me”, “Make a booking” etc.), but other times they’re far too confusing (e.g. “Details”).

This is a case where it’s wise to avoid being original and use the accepted teminology that the majority of your visitors are used to seeing.

[sort-of-related-article: Usability guy Jakob Nielsen talks about the value of heeding web standards]

A more advanced take on this idea

One technique that I’ve found increases website convertion is to insert multiple instances of your call to action throughout a webpage.

For example, if you place a “Contact us now” link at the end of the first paragraph, a couple of times throughout your ad copy and at the end, you give users more opportunity to contact you.

A “Contact us now” link toward the beginning of your copy is good for repeat visitors who are coming back to enquire (or for trigger-happy prospects who want your service yesterday :).

Insert “Contact us” links right after “hot” copy elements such as benefit bullets to invite immediate enquiry when the emotional barometer is at its highest point.

Toward the end of your copy, put your final call to action.

Structuring “Contact us” links in this way is much better than writing a couple of pages of copy and putting one link right at the bottom.

This tip isn’t suited to every type of site, but it does apply to most online lead generation situations.

Test it and see!

Will Swayne Online Lead Generation Specialist

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