You’ve got a website. You’re getting visitors. But if they’re not turning into enquiries, sign-ups, and sales… then what’s the point?

We all want our websites to be 24/7 lead-generating machines, helping us grow our businesses. But sadly, for many, this isn't the case.

Most small businesses invest between £1,000 to £5,000 to have their website built, and between £500 to £2,500 annually to maintain it. And yet, according to a recent study by Fasthosts, over 77% of UK small businesses report little to no return on their investment.

That's a bit shocking, right?

So, to help you be on the other side of those stats we’re going to break down practical, easy-to-implement ways to optimise your website for more leads. Without hiring a developer, or turning your site into a cluttered mess.

Sound good? Let's go...

First: What Is a Website Lead, Really?

A website lead can only be classified as someone who has shown interest in your business, independently of any other touch point — usually by:

• Filling out a form

• Downloading a free resource

• Requesting a quote

• Signing up for a newsletter

• Starting a booking or purchase

Obviously, it's great when we make contact with new leads in other ways, and they visit our website to "check us out".

But, that's not really website lead generation. Leads of this nature must be attributed to the first point of contact (e.g phone call, networking event etc.) rather than your website.

So, let us ask you this.

With this in mind, how many pure website leads do you generate per month?

The point here is to make sure we're not masking our websites lead generation performance with leads that originate from other sources.

Once we truly understand our websites lead generation performance, we can take action to drive it forward... capture more leads, and create more chances to turn those leads into paying customers.

Why Websites Often Fail to Generate Leads

Here are some common issues. How does your website measure up against these?

No Clear and Consistent Call to Action (CTA)

Many websites fail to give a clear instruction to the visitor on what their next step should be. Some go to the other extreme, and offer many different options which leaves visitors confused and overwhelmed. Both of these are a s bad as each other!

Go to your website now and check out how you score on this point.

Do you give a single, clear and consistent CTA that visitors can take?

Call To Action (CTA) buried too far down the page

A recent study showed that on average visitors spend 54 seconds on a web page. Obviously this varies from site to site, and depends on several factors around your website design, and how engaging the content is.

The key point here is to make sure that your CTA is visible well within the minimum time visitors spend on your website.

Pop to your website now, set up a timer on your phone, and see how you measure up.

Can visitors to your site clearly see your CTA within the first 30 to 60 seconds of their visit?

(You might even like to ask a few contacts, who aren't overly familiar with your site, to do this for you too.)

Forms that are too long or complicated

The golden rule with forms is that less = more. The less information you ask for, the more form completions you will generate.

Take a look at you website now and ensure that your enquiry, registration, or opt-in form is only asking for the minimum requirements.

Remember, you can always gather more details from leads later down the line, but only if you've captured them first!

No compelling reason to act now

When we complete website audits for clients, this is often where we find the easiest win.

The copy leading up to your CTA button, and the button wording itself, must grab your visitors attention, build interest, and create a desire to act now.

Visitors must be confident that sharing their details with you is the best, and most logical thing to do... AND that doing it now is going to benefit them.

Does your website copy, and the CTA button copy, turn the "shall I" decision into a 'no-brainer'? Something that's so compelling and logical that there's absolutely no reason not to complete it now.

Slow loading speed

This one is simple. No-one is going to wait for your website to load.

Open an 'incognito' private browsing window now and type in your website address. Does your website load immediately... in the blink of an eye?

If so, great you've got this nailed. If not, we guarantee you are loosing potential leads - don't worry though, if this isn't the case we've got fixes line up for you below.

Note: doing this in an 'incognito' private window is important. It replicates how a visitor will arrive at your site for the first time, without your browser having saved elements from previous visits.

Doesn’t work well on mobile

The volume of traffic using mobile devices to access your website will depend, to some extent, on your business sector, and the marketing techniques you use to drive traffic to your website.

However, there's one thing we can be sure of. Mobile device browsing is on the up.

Therefore, it's becoming increasingly important that you website displays, and functions, smoothly on mobile devices.

Pop over and visit your site now on your phone.

• Does it open quickly?

• What does it look like?

• Can you read the text easily?

• Can you see your CTA without scrolling?

• Is the form easy to complete and submit?

We hope you've found the above insightful.

If these have highlighted any short falls don't worry, there are relatively easy fixes we can take a look at now.

6 Simple Ways to Optimise for More Leads

1. Add Clear, Consistent and Compelling CTAs

Every page should guide the visitor to take the next step with you.

Depending on your business, and considering the points raised above, there's no hard and fast rule on what CTA you should offer.

Whatever your CTA is (“Book a call”, “Download the guide”, “Get your quote”) first we must ensure it's placement is:

• Immediately visible upon page loading without needing to scroll.

• Repeated once, in each screen scroll, as you progress down the page. There should aways be a CTA link visible.

• Obvious... no prizes for blending in. Ensure your CTA button uses a contrasting colour, one that grabs the attention of your visitors, and stands out on the page.

2. Use Lead Capture Forms Wisely

Keep forms short and simple. Only ask visitors for what you need. The easier it is for your visitors, the more likely they are to complete and submit!

✅ Good: First Name + Email

🚫 Bad: First Name + Last Name + Email + Phone + Budget + Industry + Message...

Remember, once you've captured the visitor as a lead, their are opportunities to gather more information. We don't ask someone to marry us on the first date! Hook your leads interest first, and then nurture and qualify them as you build their trust.

3. Offer a Lead Magnet

Lead magnets are resources we offer in exchange for a visitors details.

When presented with a decision, our default is to consider 'will this help me?' Therefore, the most effective way to gather visitors information, is give them a reason to act now, which fully aligns with their logical next step.

For example:

• A free checklist

• A 10% discount coupon off their first order

• A downloadable guide

• A free trial

• A free consultation

Offering genuinely helpful and valuable resources in exchange for a visitors details is a well proven pathway to improve your website lead generation.

4. Add Exit or Intent Popups

Welcome to a trick of the trade!

Messages boxes that appear when your curser moves in a way that indicates you may be about to leave the page (Exit Popups) or, that appear when you've spent a set amount of time on a page (Intent Popups) are very effective.

Tools like Samai (us!), or OptinMonster make it easy to set up these types of functions on your website.

Merge this with the above tips to offer a free resource in a timely manner, and watch the leads come rolling in!

5. Optimise for Mobile Users

A recent study showed that, on average, 60% of visitors to UK websites come from mobile devices. The study also highlighted that as technology advances, and our connectivity continues to improve, this could rise to 70% in the next 5 years.

So, investing a little time and effort will pay dividends in the years to come.

• Ensure your website loads quickly when using a 4G connection.

• Ensure it is easy to navigate, and the text is easy to read (even for those who need glasses!)

• Ensure your CTA button is visible before the scroll, and consistently throughout each page.

• Ensure your form is easy to complete and the submit button is visible (even when the keyboard pops up and takes over half of the screen!)

6. Speed Up Your Site

Slow websites kill conversions. If your site takes more than 3 seconds to load, that’s something you should focus on as a number one priority.

We've written a full guide on how you can test your websites speed, and, if required, how your can make simple changes to improve it's performance... without breaking the bank!

You can read the full guide here: Why Website Speed Matters for Small Business Growth

So... to recap...

Your website should be one of the most powerful tools in fuelling your business growth, but in order to do so, it must be set up properly to capture leads.

Don't allow yourself to fall into the trap that 77% of UK small business passively accept. It's easier than even now to be on the other side, and be one of the 23% who win the website game!

Review the steps above, one at a time, assess how your website currently scores, and make a plan to focus on clear CTAs, helpful offers, and a smooth user experience on all devices.

You just the right elements, in the right place, throughout your site.

How We Can Help You...

Samai makes website lead generation easy, even if you’re not a marketer or techie... and we can even do it all for you if you'd prefer.

We have:

✅ A simple drag-and-drop page builder allowing you to build anything... quickly
✅ Fast-loading, mobile-optimised systems to ensure speed and compatibility
✅ Built-in lead capture forms and exit intent popups

With Samai, you can turn your website into a growth engine - and capture more leads every day, without any extra effort.

If you're curious about how we may be able to help it's worth booking a call. We can meet, chat things over, and decide what's the best way forward for you.