You’ve designed your website following SEO best principles.
Web traffic is up.
And yet, the phones are silent. Tumbleweeds roll through your salespeople’s inboxes.
What gives?
It’s simple. Your website content development strategy isn’t primed for conversion.
Lead generating websites address every stage of the buyer’s journey
Writing SEO-focused website content is not the same as writing content that generates leads. Confusing the two could be one reason that 41% of businesses find it difficult to attract quality leads with content, according to a recent SEMrush survey.
Why SEO-focused content can get you traffic, but not leads
You could do a search on any topic you can think of and read through dozens of webpages and articles that increase your understanding of the subject.
That’s all they do. You found it through search. You read it. Now you’re done and on to the next thing.
When one of your prospects is at the early stages of their Buyer’s Journey (Awareness and Interest in the funnel below), understanding the topic is all they want.
However, as they move from Interest to Desire, they’re done reading informational posts. They want to know what to do about their problem.
Most websites lack content targeting the later stages of the Buyer’s Journey
When we hosted a Coffee with Kendra webinar on this topic in September 2022, we asked our audience about the content on their site and how it aligned to the Buyer’s Journey.
If you’re like our respondents, you have the Awareness and Interest phases covered, but very little related to Desire or Action.
Awareness and interest won’t land you new clients
In these early phases, your objective is to educate your website visitors about their problems and potential solutions. You’re helping them gather information to determine if they really want to take any action, or if they want to figure out how to resolve the issue and who they’ll work with to do it.
When you only address the early Buyer’s Journey stages, you don’t connect the dots
You are not drawing your website prospects through the rest of the funnel. As a result, they don’t see you as the solution to their problem.
You want your website to capture them before they start shopping around
The earlier in the Buyer’s Journey that you can cement your position as a trustworthy, leading solution provider, the easier it will be for your salesperson to engage. Sales close faster. Discounts won’t be necessary.
3 content styles will help you address each phase on your website in a way that resonates with your target market.
3 website content styles that increase conversion Opportunities
1. The Pizzazz
Prospects who land on your text-heavy website won’t stick around long. They don’t get to know you beyond that first glance and are not likely to hand over their contact information or call you directly.
Give web visitors reasons to stay on your site
People want a dash of pizzazz – those interactive elements that increase the amount of time they spend on your site and lead visitors along their Buyer’s Journey.
10 Ways to grab, and keep, website visitors’ attention
Make it interesting! Use a variety of content to create pizzazz:
- Calculators
- Guides
- Videos
- Infographics
- Quizzes
- Comic books
- Story-rich content
- Downloadable guides
- Checklists
- Case studies
- White papers
- Testimonials
Content development tip: Make it worth the download
The content behind any lead capture form on your website has to be worth it for your prospect. Their personal information is a form of currency. Prospects will not give up their name or email address for a lackluster, basic checklist.
Look at every lead capture form you have up on your site right now. What’s behind it? Is it worth at least $10? If not, refresh the asset to make it more valuable to prospects.
2. The Jab
You’ve pulled prospects in with SEO. Your interactive content keeps them engaged and clicking to other pages on your site.
Now you want to hit them with a jab. (Not literally, of course.)
What I mean is that you need content that confronts their business pain points. You bring up prospects’ thorniest issues and how those challenges are holding them back.
Once you get a few jabs in, you pivot and reveal how your solutions guide them past those problems.
By following this content development process, you:
- Show you understand their issues
- Make them feel a sense of urgency
- Provide a solution they now believe they must have
3. The Gospel Truth
When you’re delivering your jab, talk about your solutions and their benefits.
This is not the time to be overly creative or cute
Skip the amazingly alliterative announcements and calls to action that read like you consulted a thesaurus for every word.
At this stage, anything that forces your prospect to think too much to understand how you’ll help them can cost you a client.
Be straightforward and simple, yet powerful, in your messaging.
Say this:
Stop wondering where your next lead will come from.
Not this:
End your perpetual self-doubt about generating ginormous novel business opportunities.
5 questions to uncover gaps in your website content and increase conversions
Prospects who find you online will form their opinion of you based entirely on your website. If gaps exist in your website content strategy, your prospects will fall through. They will remain anonymous to you and your sales team.
Answer these 5 questions to check that you have content that appeals to prospects and convinces them to initiate a conversation – either by calling you or filling out a web form.
- Do you address every stage of the Buyer’s Journey?
- Are there interactive elements on your site to keep visitors engaged?
- Does your messaging highlight problems and offer solutions?
- Is a strategic framework in place to consistently create new, SEO-optimized content?
- Have you presented solutions in a clear manner that compels action?
You don’t have to fill the gaps on your own
31 percent of respondents to the SEMrush survey said it’s difficult to develop content that resonates with prospects.
It’s also time-consuming to constantly churn out new blogs, resources, and solution pages. You and your staff are already overworked.
Don’t add another task to anyone’s to-do list
From Pizzazz to Jabs and selling your solutions, we will help you consistently get the right message to your target market.
Our B2B content marketing experts know how to address every stage of the Buyer’s Journey while following SEO best practices. This way, your online content not only gets found, but it also engages prospects, and generates leads for you.
