So you have a website and you are getting some consistent traffic from your targeted marketing efforts. Congrats! This is a very important first step. The problem is that while you've had this success, your inbox has not been filling up with potential prospects. Your phone has not been ringing, aside from the robocalls that keep offering you a free cruise. So what gives? Why aren't these visitors converting into clients? The answer most likely has to do with your website.
Let's introduce Carl:
Carl owns a pet behavioral therapy business. He has a website that gets 500 visitors per day. He is creating quality content that he is actively sharing on social media. Carl is running paid advertising campaigns to targeted traffic and is seeing some impressive results. His click through rates are above 5% (the average CTR for his business is 2.4%). On the surface, Carl is doing very well with getting the right users to his site and they enjoy his content. The issue Carl is having is that while he's getting 5% of his targeted traffic to his site, only .02% are converting to actual clients (the average conversion rate is 2.35%) So what gives? When your site is getting qualified traffic and your CTR is good, the culprit typically lies in your website.
The Grunt Test
Donald Miller, founder of StoryBrand, has a quick and effective way to evaluate your website called the grunt test. Basically if a caveman came to your website, would they be able to understand what you are offering?
To pass the grunt test, your website needs to answer the following 3 questions:
- What is your offer?
- How will it make my life easier?
- What do I need to do to buy your product/service?
Going back to Carl's website, how can he make his site easier to understand? Here are 3 simple ways that you and Carl can update your website to help pass the grunt test.
Make Your Offer Direct
The first step to passing the grunt test is to improve how you present your offer. If your website doesn't clearly define what you are offering, a visitor will not be able to take the proper action you would like them to. For Carl, this would be highlighting his service, pet behavior modification in the top fold of his website. This would normally be in the headline of your home page. You only have a few seconds to explain your offer to potential clients, so make sure your offer is clear and to the point.
Describe The Benefit Of Your Product/Service
The next step to passing the grunt test is to describing your product/service in a way that showcases to the prospect the reasons it will make their lives better. For Carl, this would be showcasing happy owners and with their once disgruntled pet enjoying their time together. Pictures of customers enjoying your product/service and testimonials are extremely effective. Explain the top benefit of your offer and be sure it resonates with your intended audience
Have A Clear Call To Action (CTA)
The last step in passing the grunt test is clearly showing prospects how they can purchase your product/service. Your CTA, or Call To Action is usually a button with clear instructions on what you would like the prospect to do (Buy, Book Consultation, Schedule Appointment, etc.) If you CTA is vague (Learn More), prospects may get confused. Clearly stating the actions you would like your prospects will make both of your lives easier.
Conclusion
Having a website that attracts targeted traffic is a great start to growing your business, but if you are not converting as many of these visitors as you would like, there may be something confusing about your website that needs to be addressed. Be sure your site adheres to the grunt test by following the above tips and your conversions will start to improve.
Sources:
Donald Miller: StoryBrand
Everything You Know About Conversion Rate Optimization Is Wrong
The Grunt Test by Jared Dees
Presentation Slides With Examples