Whether your company sells heavy machinery, provides home remodeling services, or offers cybersecurity consulting solutions, lead generation is vital for success. Leads are just as important for selling to consumers as for connecting with business clients. If your sales numbers aren’t where you want them to be, figuring out why your website isn’t generating leads is a smart place to start.
How Many Leads Should Your Website Generate?
There’s no “ideal” lead generation rate for your website. Conversion rates depend on your industry, target audience, and traffic volume. Above all, your qualified leads should trend upward every month.
Average lead-gen rates look something like this:
- Consumer-oriented websites generate 700% more leads than B2B sites.
- Small businesses (under 50 employees) generate fewer than 1,000 leads a month.
- Landing pages convert at 7% for B2B and about 10% for B2C.
- The average sales conversion rate for e-commerce sites is less than 2%.
- The top 25% of websites convert at 5% on average.
Average lead-gen statistics only get you so far. After all, the point of digital marketing isn’t to be average. Aim to make your site the exception.
Why Isn’t Your Website Generating Leads?
A downward shift in leads is usually a sign that something is seriously wrong — either the site, the strategy, or the marketing channel. This checklist can help you troubleshoot common lead-gen issues.
1. Traffic Volume Is Low
At the end of the day, lead generation is a numbers game. Let’s say that your conversion rate — the percentage of visitors that fill out your contact form — is 3%. For every 1,000 visits, you score 30 leads.
The more people visit, the more leads you get. If you’re struggling to bring in enough traffic, it’s not surprising that lead-gen efforts hit a wall.
Did your traffic take a nosedive? This issue can be related to recent search engine algorithm updates, AI spam problems, or not posting regularly enough to show up in Google Search.
2. You’re Not Using Search Engine Optimization Effectively
Search engine optimization is one of the best marketing avenues for lead generation. Almost 75% of B2B companies get leads from SEO content, and over 60% use it for lead nurturing. Good SEO keeps attracting visitors to your site for years.
For this to happen, you need high-quality SEO paired with audience interests. This means combining the right keywords with trustworthy content.
Some businesses try to save money by cutting corners:
- Using AI to generate hundreds of filler articles
- Stuffing too many keywords into content
- Trying to “game the system” by buying fake reviews or deceptive links
- Working with shady firms that promise to boost rankings in a few weeks
- Not following any keyword strategy
A low-quality approach to SEO has a domino effect that hurts your site’s rankings, which inevitably hits traffic and results in fewer leads.
3. You’re Attracting the Wrong Traffic
If you don’t attract the right audience, lead generation is difficult even with lots of traffic. People may be visiting your site, but they’re not interested in your products.
Pay attention to your SEO strategy. Perform research to understand your audience’s search intent, then select keywords and topics that line up with lead generation goals.
4. The Target Audience Doesn’t Know Your Brand
Business customers and consumers prefer buying from companies they trust. Even with the perfect website, you won’t get conversions if your target audience doesn’t know anything about your brand.
How can you increase brand recognition? It depends on the underlying problem:
- No SEO: Optimizing with SEO content is essential for getting your web pages on the map. Check your rankings, improve your visibility, and boost brand recognition.
- New business: It takes time to build a reputation online — usually at least six months. Lay a good foundation, and your customer base will gradually grow.
- Too much competition: In some highly competitive markets, SEO isn’t enough to stand out from the crowd. At first, you may need a paid search campaign to connect with your target customers.
Another way to impress your audience is with trust signals, like star ratings, case studies, and authentic customer reviews.
5. Your Content Lacks a Personal Touch
Potential customers only fill out contact forms when they’re interested in your products, services, or solutions. That won’t happen if your website looks and sounds generic. To drive more leads, web pages should be enthusiastic, engaging, and excellent.
Effective websites are like Super Bowl commercials. The ads that catch your attention address your interests and needs from a unique perspective. Do the same for your customers with high-quality articles, interesting tips, in-depth buyer’s guides, and trending topics.
A Lead for a Lead?
We love working with B2B companies. Let us show you how to supercharge lead-gen with professional SEO, outstanding content, and small-business solutions.
6. Users Can’t Find the Products They Want or Need
If visitors find a website confusing or hard to navigate, they can lose interest before reaching the conversion stage. This can happen when sites:
- Only have one “Services” page with a huge bullet list of services.
- Have dozens of product pages in a long dropdown list.
- Create sub-categories that don’t fit the main category.
- Use vague descriptions for page titles, like “All Metals” or “Trucks.”
Does your website lead visitors naturally to your products and services like a well-designed superstore? If not, you may need to tweak the layout with the help of web design professionals.
7. You Haven’t Updated Your Website for Mobile
How do users browse your site? If you think the answer is mainly “PC,” you’re in for a shock. About 60% of all e-commerce comes from mobile sales.
Even B2B clients often use mobile devices to search online. B2B workers spend more than two hours a day on their smartphones or tablets. Mobile accounts for 50% to 70% of B2B searches.
If a mobile user visits your site and has trouble loading pages, it only takes a few seconds for them to give up and go elsewhere.
Depending on your hosting provider, mobile optimization requires some technical know-how. Web design and UX pros can help you streamline images, improve page layouts, and adjust videos for smaller screens.
8. The Site Has Functional Issues
Sometimes, your website isn’t generating leads because your website’s backend isn’t working properly. Common issues include:
- Slow loading times because of oversized images
- Buttons that don’t work
- Broken links
- Accidentally deleted pages
- Outdated contact information (e.g., an email address you don’t use anymore)
SEO maintenance checkups help you catch errors and keep content up to date. Lead generation touchpoints should always be at the top of the to-do list.
9. Your Contact Forms Are Too Long
In today’s privacy-focused culture, many users are hesitant to share too much information. The best lead-gen forms only ask for a few things:
- Name
- Email address
- Role or industry
Don’t go overboard with fields for business names, job titles, phone numbers, street addresses, or personal info.
Of course, you can have different forms for other parts of your sales funnel. Leads interested in downloading an e-book are more likely to provide additional job details.
10. The Calls to Action Are Confusing, Weak, or Nonexistent
No lead generation page is complete without a call to action. The CTA is the nudge that turns interested visitors into converted leads. So, what distinguishes a dynamic CTA from a weak one?
First, let’s look at some examples of ineffective CTAs:
- “If you have a question, we’re happy to help” (too soft)
- “Our products are a great solution to your problems” (too vague)
- “We’re experts in marketing” (not focused on the lead)
- “We’d love to be your equipment supplier” (not persuasive)
- “What are you waiting for?” (not clear)
These CTAs fail because they don’t indicate any next steps. There’s no reason for the visitor to go further.
Ready for the new and improved versions? Try these on for size:
- “Call us 24/7 for help with ordering or product questions!”
- “Discover customized solutions to your organization’s regulatory compliance challenges.”
- “Trust the experts in marketing. Contact us today.”
- “Choose the equipment supplier with 20 years of expertise and 100,000+ parts in inventory.
- “Don’t let roof leaks turn into moisture damage. Call our team for emergency repairs right away.”
These CTAs use active verbs that tell customers what to do next. They’re polite and friendly but also confident and positive. They offer a value proposition and connect your services with exactly what the customer needs.
11. You’re Missing a Hook
B2B and B2C visitors are more likely to convert if there’s an incentive, such as:
- Detailed e-books
- Webinar series
- White papers
- Free-form templates
- Product trials
Content incentives help you generate and nurture leads simultaneously. They also show off brand authority and build trust.
Are You Ready To Build a Website That Generates Leads?
At BKA Content, we have more than a decade of expertise in lead generation strategies and digital marketing solutions. We work extensively with e-commerce businesses and B2B organizations, including healthcare providers, manufacturers, automotive retailers, law firms, and construction companies.
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