A website optimized for lead generation can do the work on its own!

The Internet has become a valuable venue for lead generation, the first and most crucial step in sales. Success in this step depends on the first impression you leave through your website. Your website design will mean the difference between capturing and losing leads. In fact, an effective website design can produce leads with minimal effort from your part, so it's worthwhile to spend your time and energy on creating the perfect lead-generating website.

These are 5 ways you can optimize your website design for lead generation:

1. Clarify your elevator pitch.

   It's tempting to pack as much information as possible into your homepage, but that's exactly why potential customers will abandon your page. Too much information to sift through can be confusing and frustrating. Instead, narrow your opening website copy down to a concise message. Like an elevator pitch, any visitor to your website should know what you're all about within 15 seconds of glancing at your page before even having to scroll down.

2. Use customers' needs as a hook.

   Considering how rare it is for for people to buy directly from the homepage, your goal is to hook potential customers in by convincing them that they need your product or service. Draw visitors into your site with a targeted question that leverages a need. A question like, "Tired of getting stuck with the flu?" incites curiosity and immediately pulls in your audience as they will be able to personally relate.

3. Make the call to action readily visible.

   When a customer is ready to take action, you want the purchase to be as easy as possible. People have different preferences when it comes to methods of contact, so all means should be available, including a phone number and address. Your sign-up form should be on as many pages as possible. Shorter forms are better, so they are less intrusive both in terms of space on the page and disclosure of personal information. If you need more information, a short form can lead to a longer, more thorough form.

4. Establish credibility.

   Customers are more likely to buy from a company they trust. This is a particular barrier for websites because the Internet is often perceived as impersonal. One way to establish yourself as an authority in your field is by providing testimonials, ideally accompanied by photos and videos. Rich media of your company, such as a video welcome message, can also help build trust.

5. Test, test and test again!

   By far, the most important way to optimize your website design for lead generation is by experimenting with different factors on your website. For example, Google Analytics Content Experiments allows you to set up variations of your website display and track leads. This is one of the best ways you can test website copy, images, content placement and more.

   Learn more about the versatility and usefulness of this Google Analytics feature in this short Google video clip!

Is your website design effective for lead generation? What can you do better?