If you're running your own company, the question of how you can grow your business is one you'll ask yourself most days.
And although there are no 100% guaranteed ways to get more leads for your business, there are a number of tried and test tactics that, if deployed in the right way, will make it more likely that a website visitor will become a customer.
So let's take a look at a few ways you can get more leads and grow your business.
1 - Allow people to book appointments directly through your website
As a general rule, the more steps people have to complete to become your customer, the less likely it is they'll end up becoming your customer.
If people can book appointments directly through your website the convenience of doing so is likely to boost your leads and even your sales.
Now adding an appointment booking feature to a website may feel beyond the reach of the average small business owner, but the good news is that if you're using GoDaddy's Website Builder, you can make use of our very own Online Appointments feature.
Online Appointments lets potential customers see when you're available, book a slot and even pay online (with Square and PayPal).
Because the feature syncs with most calendar apps, and sends you notifications when a new appointment is booked you won't have to do anything to stay on top of things.
To take advantage of Online Appointments, you'll need to use GoDaddy's Website builder with a Business Plus or Online Store plan.
2 - Make sure your website is lightning quick
It's not just extra steps that deter potential customers - a slow website will also send them packing.
After all, how long do you wait around if a website isn't loading? The chances are you'll wait a maximum of a few seconds before you give up and go elsewhere.
So if your website is slow, don't expect people to stick around.
The first step here is to use a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights to see if loading speed is something you need to worry about.
The tool is easy to use, and gives a simple, easy to understand score. It also provides you with a range of actions you can take to improve your website.
You can either carry out these actions yourself, if you have the knowhow, or send them to your web designer to make the improvements for you.
Alternatively, you can move your site over to GoDaddy's Website Builder, which allows you to create fast, easy to use websites without any technical knowledge.
Moving to a new site just to make things faster may seem like a big step, but it'll give you a big advantage when it comes to lead generation.
3 - Give useful stuff away for free
Giving things away for free can seem like a counterintuitive way to grow your business, but it really works.
Exactly what you'll be giving away for free depends on the kind of business you're running.
If you're running a marketing consultancy, you can give away a free ebook or report covering an aspect of the marketing world your potential clients will be interested in.
If you're a hairdresser, you could create a series of videos demonstrating hair care tips.
No matter what kind of business you're running, they'll be something you can give away for free - just make sure it's relevant to the kind of customer you're trying to reach.
This technique can help you generate leads in two ways - the first is by boosting your profile as a business - if you create something that's useful and interesting, people are going to feel more warmly about you and your business, increasingly the likelihood they'll become a customer (so make sure you brand your content.)
The second way is more direct - if you ask for an email address in exchange for downloading your guide or watching your videos. Of course, if you're using this technique, you'll need to ensure that you're complying with GDPR.
4 - Optimise your lead generation forms
If you're using any kind of lead generation form on your website, then you need to make sure it's working as well as it can for you and your business.
The simplest way to optimise a lead generation form is by reducing the number of fields people have to fill in - so make sure you're only asking for information that you need to nurture that particular lead.
But things like changing the placement of a form, or even changing the colour of the submit button can influence the number of leads your website is generating. This is why our next method for increasing leads is important.
5 - Test your website to see what works best in terms of lead generation
You'd be surprised at what you can change on your website to increase leads - we've already looked at a couple of examples in the section above.
But to fully understand what impact your changes are having on your website (good or bad) you need to run tests on the changes you make.
We haven't got enough room to talk about testing in depth in this article, so be sure to check out this guide to testing your website changes so you can get started.
6 - Add testimonials and reviews
Testimonials and reviews are a great way to show people that your business does what they're looking for.
If someone visiting your site can read real stories from clients or customers you've satisfied, then they're more likely to become a client or customer themselves.
Getting testimonials and reviews will take a little bit of effort, but they're worth it. Learn about how to get started with testimonials and reviews in this guide.
7 - Consider paid advertising
Sometimes, a lack of leads can be down to a lack of website visitors. If that's the case, you should strongly consider some form of paid adverting.
You might want to run AdWords ads, which will mean your site is advertised on Google, or social media ads with the likes of Facebook and Twitter.
Remember though: Paid advertising isn't a magic way to get more traffic. You need to ensure that you're working hard to target the right people, people who are likely to become customers.
If you want to do things by yourself, then this guide will help you lay the groundwork for running online ad campaigns.
However, you may want to consider hiring a specialist agency to run your campaigns for you.
Summing up
So there you have it, seven clever tactics to get more leads from your website and grow your business.
Of course, we've only touched the tip of the iceberg here, so make sure you're always on the lookout for new ways to find new leads.
