7 Ways To Get Your Website Ready to Convert Traffic From Your Publicity Efforts Into Prospects and Clients

By writing and distributing press releases using solutions such as press release distribution services, responding to leads from reporters, and article marketing (to name three) – you can generate a ton of website traffic.

But, it doesn’t matter, one iota, how much traffic you get from your publicity efforts if your website doesn’t convert.  You might as well take all those visitors you’ll be bringing in and redirect them to a black hole.

So with that in mind, here are seven things you may need to fix on your website before you drive traffic to it, with online and offline PR.

Now, a fair warning – I’m not going to pull any punches here.

As you read these recommendations and notice that some of them are blunt, ask yourself, would you rather hear it from me now for free, BEFORE you begin… or learn the hard way AFTER you’ve already invested lots of time, energy, and money and gotten little or no results?

1) Stop offering a weak “freebie” for prospects to sign up for. Few, if any, visitors to your webpage will have any interest at all in your “free newsletter” – no matter how many “BIG VALUE” items you promise you’ll send every Monday at 3pm sharp.  It’s just more e-mail they already know they’ll end up deleting without reading.  Now how does THAT help you increase conversions?

Offer a free report or free download with specific “right now” value and specific content that will get them results TODAY if they implement it.

This information must be of value to your prospects and clients – and not just the same old information that can be found anywhere. You can easily turn your articles into high-value special reports, videos and e-books. If you do not have articles already written, then  buy some article templates that will help you write articles in 30 minutes or less.

2)  Stop confusing prospects with a million window panes, but no welcome mat, at the front door. Too often, I see home pages with ten or more different “subject areas”, “latest news,” “featured articles,” etc.  But there’s no headline and no unique selling proposition (USP).  There’s nothing that tells me why I’m even there, much less what I can expect to gain from my visitor.  If you don’t tell prospects why they need to be at your site and stay there, they won’t know and they’ll leave – never to be seen again.

3)  Stop sending people to just your homepage… figure out the best web page for prospects to go to! Everyone says they want to drive “traffic to their website.”  For what?  Seriously, for what?  Where is the goal setting?  By “website”, does that mean you just get them to your home page and hope they figure it out on their own?  Better to set up a targeted landing page, or a squeeze page, with content specifically geared toward someone who just read that press release, news story, or article.  This also helps you track your publicity results better.

4)  Show evidence that people are actually listening to you. If no one else is listening, why should your new visitor?  Where have you been mentioned in the media before?  Are there replays of radio, TV, or internet guest expert appearances?  What major media outlets have posted your press releases and expert articles?  What about testimonials from customers, or case studies that show real people, just like your prospect, gaining from your brilliance?  Get as much as you can on your website NOW.  Add more as you come up with it.

5)  Start interacting and engaging with prospects. I can’t tell you how many websites I have reviews on video with my Live Website Review service that had no dialogue, no discussion, and no way for a customer to engage with them.  “My way or the highway” is the phrase of the day, and it’s being delivered very loudly through a giant one-way megaphone.

Now, do you have a blog?  Do you post to it regularly?  Are you inviting visitors and opted-in subscribers to read and comment on your blog posts?  How about responding when someone leaves a really good comment?

6)  Get Social. Are you on LinkedIn®, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, or other social media?  Can someone easily find you there from your website by clicking on a button, or if you have a social media “tool bar” such as a Wibiya bar?

If not, you might give people the impression you think you’re too good for social media.  News flash: you’re not.  In today’s environment, the extent to which you are a thought leader is measured by how actively engaged you are in the social media where your audience hangs out.

7)  Become accessible! How can prospects get a hold of you?  Even if you are not personally answering your phone or checking your e-mail and have someone else who replies or calls back on your behalf (like I do for certain things), could your new website visitor easily get a hold of whomever you have hired to do so?  Is your phone number displayed where people can see it?  I can’t tell you how many times I see a phone number buried at the bottom of the website in a font so small that you need a magnifying glass to actually see it.

I’m sorry, but you’re not so important that nobody can call you.  You have to stop hiding behind the computer and show prospects that you are a real live human being that people can connect with on a more personal level, which bring me to a bonus tip for you…

Bonus Tip: Show who you are as a person!

People build relationships with people, not companies.  And, these relationships build trust that leads to product and service sales. So, you need to show who you are as a person . Include videos of you speaking on your website – and don’t be afraid to show your personality. Change your About page from a boring look and feel to a page that not only shows prospects that you are indeed an expert…  but that you were also just like them.

You need to show your scars and provide proof that you had real challenges just like them  – but you have found a way to overcome them. You should have articles that show your story. You need to open up and have more transparency, so you can start earning your prospects trust.

I know you’re very excited to get those publicity efforts kicked into high gear, right now.  But take a moment to make sure your web presence is ready for it.

Now, go get ‘em!

- ARH

P.S. The seven things I listed above may, for you, be just the tip of the iceberg.  Let Eric Gruber and I do a comprehensive, “watch-us-point-to-it-and-show-you” video website review to help you get better results from your #1 website conversion goal with a Live Website Review.