Attracting a visitor to your website once is good. It means that your marketing is strong enough – or your Google rank is high enough – that you stood out from the competition and snagged some traffic.So what? If you know anything at all about marketing, you know that it’s rare for a first-time visitor to a website to buy anything or even fill out a subscription form.
It’s what they do on their NEXT visit – and the one after that – that will determine whether you’ve gained a new customer.
Makes sense, but it never ceases to amaze me how many businesses don’t focus on repeat traffic. But, that’s about to change.
Are you ready to be found online?
Are you ready to be found online?
Or Call +27 (0)82 203 4180
Or Call +27 (0)82 203 4180
Here are 5 foolproof ways to get those first-time visitors BACK to your website so you can make some money.
#1 Get Them To Opt In To Your Mailing List
I know, I just said it was asking a lotto get a first-time visitor to your site to subscribe to your mailing list. ButI didn’t say it was impossible! The key, of course, is to give them a compelling reason to subscribe. Here are some ways you can do that:
1. Put your opt-in form above the fold. That way, they won’t need to scroll down to see it – and they’ll know what they’ll be getting if they decide to subscribe. If people aren’t coming back to your website, it could be because they didn’t enjoy their experience the first time they visited. That means that prioritizing usability is one of the best ways to encourage repeat visits.
2. Simplify your form. I get that it’s tempting to ask a new subscriber for extra information – but all you really need is their email address and maybe a first name if you want to personalize your emails.
Anything else – whether it’s their phone number, mailing address, URL, or shoe size – is extra. You should think long and hard about adding fields to your form.
3. Incentivize the opt-in. A compelling and useful lead magnet can do a lot to get someone to fill out that form.
4. Write a killer headline and call to action. Instead of just “Subscribe to our newsletter,” try “Get new marketing tips every day” as a headline. And make the CTA just as exciting.
Once a potential customer’s on your mailing list, you can email them with reasons to come back to your website. Simple, right?
#2 Prioritize the User Experience
If people aren’t coming back to your website, it could be because they didn’t enjoy their experience the first time they visited. That means that prioritizing usability is one of the best ways to encourage repeat visits.
Some of the things to think about when it comes to usability are:
- Your site’s loading time
- Mobile responsiveness
- Clear and easy-to-use menus
- Text that’s broken up with white space, images, and formatting (sub headers, bullet points, numbers, etc.)
- Working internal and external links that make it easy to find related content
If it’s been a while since you’ve evaluated the usability of your site, now’s a good time to do it to make sure that you’re not frustrating visitors and discouraging them from returning to your site in the future.
#3 Make the Content on Your Site Relative To Your Target Audience
Are people finding what they expect to find on your site? If a customer comes to you because they’re searching for art supplies, for example, think about what you can offer them that will add value to the products you sell. Can you provide a video tutorial on painting technique? A link to the website of an artist who uses that product? The idea is to make sure that the content on your site – whatever it is – is directly relevant to the people you most want to attract. If you’re selling Human Resources software, have blog posts about topics that are relevant to HR professionals.
Are you ready to be found online?
Are you ready to be found online?
Or Call +27 (0)82 203 4180
Or Call +27 (0)82 203 4180
#4 Retarget Visitor With Advertising
Because it’s rare for first-time visitors to convert, it’s essential to have a way to connect with them again even if they don’t opt-in to your mailing list. That’s where retargeting comes in.
As you probably know, retargeting is a kind of advertising that targets individual visitors to your site based on their behavior when they’re there. For example, you can:
- Display an ad for a product they viewed – or an alternative product
- Let them know about a new blog post on a similar topic to an older post they viewed
- Remind them of the lead magnet they passed up when they didn’t opt in
- Encourage them to complete the checkout process if they added items to their cart
Retargeting is something you can do on Google or on social media. Simply pick the actions you want to target and watch your conversion rate soar.
#6: Improve Your Page Loading Time
How quickly does your website load? If the answer is more than four seconds, then it’s a virtual certainty that you’re losing visitors as a result. After just three seconds, approximately 53% of mobile users will navigate away from a site and try another one. The numbers are just as bad for desktop users.
The problem with not updating your website often is that technology keeps moving. You can use a free online site loading speed testing tool such as Pingdom to see how fast your site loads. If it’s not making the grade, you’ll need to upgrade it to ensure that you’re not losing customers faster than you can attract them.
#7: Update Your Call to Action
Calls to action are everywhere – in every marketing email you send and on every landing page you create. However, not all CTAs are created equal. And if your calls to action are outdated and tired, then you might be losing subscribers and leads as a result.
Think about the opt-in form for your mailing list. What’s the call to action? Does it just say SUBSCRIBE or SUBMIT? If it does, then it’s time to rethink it and give it some spice.
I’m a big fan of calls to action that emphasize something positive about subscribing to your list. Here are a few examples:
- Yes! Send me special offers each week!
- Download our “10 pounds in 10 Days” Workout for FREE!
- I’m ready to save 20% on my car insurance!
I also like the idea of using humorous opt-outs because I think they nudge people in the direction of subscribing. Here are some opt-outs that could pair with the calls to action above:
- No, saving money is not for me
- I don’t need any weight loss help – my abs are perfect.
- No thanks, I’d rather pay more somewhere else.
Those are goofy, but I’ve seen a lot of opt-in forms with similar wording – and for good reason. They’re effective. Let’s face it, it feels a little silly to click a button to say you don’t like money.
Your website might be out of date, but it doesn’t need to stay that way. The 7 quick fixes here will help you give your Google rank a boost and ensure that you’re not missing out on leads and subscribers because your website’s more vintage than modern.
