I have a question:
Is there any way you can think of, right now, that would make it easier for people to purchase your product or service?
No matter how small. I mean absolutely tiny.
If you can't, you need to think deep and hard.
Maybe that form they fill out could be shorter. Maybe you can make it one less click to purchase. Maybe you can make it easier to find the purchase button or make it more clear what it is.
I have worked with hundreds of startups, and I can say this unequivocally: all of their websites suck.
Every single startup has a terrible website that gets in the way of someone trying to give them money.
The reason is that founders don't have to purchase their own product.
It can be really hard to see your website from the point of view of a customer, because you simply can never be one.
The website may be sexy and slick. It might have tons of information on the product or service. It may even load fast (this is rare), but often enough, it is an absolute chore to give the startup money.
The good news is this is easy to fix. You combine the tips I am about to give you with the next chapter on A/B testing, and you are set.
Here is the thing, though: you need to do this BEFORE doing any marketing whatsoever.
Why?
First impressions.
95% of the visitors to your website will never return. That's scary. You only get that one single chance to make them a customer.
If your website doesn't accomplish this, you will never get another chance.
You need to be sure that your website is set up in such a way that you have the highest possible chance to convert any visitor that gives you the gift of their time.
Okay, I get it, what now?
A/B test everything, but that's the next section. Let's start with some best practices:
Keep your forms super short
Max 5 fields. Yes, I know your sales team wants more info when they contact the lead, but trust me, more than 5 fields will turn away most people.
A tip here is to try a multi-stage form. Ask just for name and email in the first stage with a "next" button. Then the next stages ask for more info. If the person leaves at any point in this process, you can still email them to continue. Remember to ask for consent here!
The buy button should be everywhere
Not just in the navigation.
Have it in the body of the content. Have it in a sidebar. Have it everywhere. You should never have to look for it, it should be the most obvious thing.
Check this on both desktop AND mobile. It's amazing how often, in 2024, I still encounter websites with crappy mobile interfaces.
Add trust factors
X number of happy customers! Hundreds of 5-star reviews (notice I didn't give the actual average)! As seen in the NYTimes!
I think I made my point - build trust with as many of those as you can.
Get rid of the social sharing buttons
This isn't 2010, no one is using those. They just distract from buying.
Don't bother with "submit"
The button you want everyone to click? The text on it should make it incredibly clear what is about to happen. Are they about to make a purchase? Send you info? If so, will you call them? What is about to happen?!
Are you seriously using a popup for email sign-ups?
That's from 2010 again. All that does is take people away from buying something or doing a proper lead form. Your website has ONE goal. Email sign-ups isn't it.
Customer testimonials are more important than you think
Talk to your customers and get testimonials on to your site now. Not tomorrow. Now. Especially if you can have photos or logos next to them. The more well known the customer, the better. The more detailed the testimonial, the better.