16 Website Best Practices That Will Convert Leads into Sales

If you work with an in-house team, use the list below as an internal checklist. If you work with a search engine optimization agency, ask them to provide you with an update on how well each of the steps below has been implemented. Either way, the following points should prove helpful in showing you how to improve your B2B conversion rates.

1. Check your tracking

Almost half of B2B marketers say that a lack of actionable data is a major barrier to performance. Therefore, your first point of call should be to ensure that you’re measuring everything on your website correctly. You also need to ensure that you’re tracking the correct metrics (i.e. the ones that affect your bottom line).

2. Make sure your site is secure

SSL, also known as HTTPS, creates encryption between your visitor's browser and the landing page on which they arrive. This is now a global standard of website security and it's something that users expect when they land on a reputable website.

Having the HTTPS in front of your website address is an important trust signal to communicate to your potential customers.

3. Speed matters

One of the best ways to improve the user experience on your website is to make sure that your website takes no more than three seconds to load. This is because at least 40% of people will usually abandon a website that takes longer than this time to load.

4. Use your headers to provide clarity to your users

Your website visitors are likely very busy people who don't have a lot of time to figure out what your website is all about. Therefore, your headers need to communicate this so that people know they've arrived at the right place.

5. Have an engaging CTA

Over 90% of website visitors who read your headline will also read the call to action. Make sure you make it count.

6. Use credibility signals

You can piggyback authority on the back of other reputable websites that refer to you or clients that have been happy with your services. Mentioning them prominently on your webpage can improve the overall perception of your business in the eyes of potential customers.

7. Make your copy punchy

Studies show that people only need 14 words to understand what you're talking about. So be very economical with the words that you use on your webpages.

8. Embed videos (the right way)

If you're embedding YouTube videos on your web page, just ensure that you’ve disabled related videos. Otherwise, your users may end up watching videos from your competitors!

9. Provide trust signals via reviews

If you have great testimonials, make them visible on your landing pages. It's said that over 90% of buying decisions are influenced by reviews, so if you have this advantage, definitely use it. 

10. Sell the ‘why’ not the ‘what’

Show empathy to the user, by focusing on the benefits that your product or service will provide them. They already know their problem. Tell them the ‘better version of themselves they’ll be after using your solution.

11. Use custom images

Use custom original images rather than stock images. It adds to the perception of authenticity and helps build trust with your users.

12. Provide valuable content

You have to educate your potential buyers before convincing them to purchase. Therefore, ensure that the content that you produce for the early stages of the sales cycle helps the clients make their decision.

13. Keep your forms brief

Every extra form field that you ask your website visitors to fill out decreases the chances that they’ll go through with filling out and submitting the form. Therefore, make sure that any field that you have there is crucial to your business.

14. Provide a live chat option

Almost half of the website visitors surveyed say that they need a live person to answer their questions to feel fully satisfied that they have the information necessary to make an informed decision. Therefore, it's worth investing in a real chat function on your website.

15. Put your social icons at the end

If you're going to include social media icons on your page, ensure that this is done towards the end of the page. You don't want your users clicking those icons and heading off your website before you've gotten them to take the action that you want them to.

16. Make sure your site is responsive

Almost half of B2B website visitors come from mobile, especially during the research phase. Therefore it's important to make sure that your website provides a good user experience on mobile devices.