This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I'll receive a commission. Disclosure.
I hear this one a lot: I need more traffic. Okay, we all need traffic. Lots of it. But if clients aren’t signing up, what you think is the problem (not enough traffic) probably isn’t the problem.
Here’s the truth: traffic’s easy to get. You can buy as much as you need at “the traffic store” (Google, Facebook, et al). Maybe you’ve already experimented with advertising and paid traffic, but you didn’t get the results you’d hoped for?
Before you drive more traffic―paid or otherwise―you have to know the answer to this one simple question for every single page of your website (because you can never know which page they’re going to land on first):
Make Sure Each Of Your Web Pages Passes The “Now What?” Test
What are you specifically expecting that traffic to do next?
If it’s to land on your homepage, surf around your website reading every word until they fall in love with you, and then pick up the phone and call and hire you―that’s like asking somebody to marry you on the first date, it just doesn’t work like that.
Here’s the thing. The chances that first-time site visitors will click on your “work with me” or “contact me” pages is unlikely. If you give them no other option than to contact you or hire you, it’s either going to be a “yes” or a “no” and you’re going to get mostly “nos.”
The reasons for this are many, like:
- They don’t know, like or trust you yet
- They’re still comparing options
- The timing isn’t quite right
They’re not a firm “no”… they’re a “This is cool… maybe someday!”
Users need to be told exactly what the next step is, but make sure it doesn’t scare them off. Think about a realistic next step instead. Make the ask smaller.
Every single page of your website needs a conversion goal
If you don’t what a conversion goal is, it’s simply a goal for getting your site visitors to take a specific action. If they take that action, it means they converted.
It doesn’t have to be a sale, and you should probably just assume it’s not going to be.
A conversion goal can be:
- A click: For example, if they’re on your portfolio page, maybe you want them to view your services page next so you provide them with a “let’s work together” or “view my service packages” link as a next step
- A sign-up form to get on your mailing list
- To schedule a free consultation
- To follow you on social media
If you don’t ask them something reasonable, they may click away and forget all about you.
One Goal, One Page, One Main Call To Action
Most web pages have more than one action they invite site visitors to take, but start thinking about it like this: every page should have one, big, main goal.
Then, you can make it absolutely crystal clear to your site visitor what that goal is.
Make Your “Now What?” (Call To Action) Unmissable
This is where design plays a huge role. Your call to action must visually draw the users eyes to it, and you can do that in several ways:
Use Contrast
If your site is predominantly blue, don’t use blue for your call to action (CTA) buttons. What color you use doesn’t matter, the important thing is that there’s enough contrast to draw the eye’s attention.
Make it your hero
By getting right to the point and telling your site visitors what you want them to do next “above the fold” (before they scroll) is a great way to make sure it doesn’t get missed.
Use Directional Cues (Point To It)
Our eyes are naturally drawn to something when it’s being pointed to or when somebody else is looking at it. You can use arrows or you can take photos of yourself literally pointing or looking in the direction where your CTA will be placed.
In each of these examples, the website owners have made it easy for their site visitors to answer the question, “now what?”
Taughnee Stone is an award-winning designer, brand strategist, and location-independent business owner for over 15 years. Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, she now lives in Croatia with her husband, energetic Samoyed, and three bossy cats.