This last week, I ran into a situation with a client website where their website leads took a dive.
This particular business has a very specific tool they use on their website to generate these leads.
So I dove a bit deeper into the analytics to see if anything jumped out, but traffic was normal and actually slightly up, and their ads were performing well.
As a result, I came to the conclusion that maybe it’s just user behavior? It’s possible that in this span of time, we’re just not getting people to convert for whatever reason.
I took to the drawing board and thought — what can we do to change this?
So I analyzed the website and noticed a few very obvious things:
- The CTA button in the navigation was going to the Contact page: this page is not the main source of leads and should not be the primary action for users to take.
- The lead tool was buried in the navigation: Users would have to go to a dropdown in the menu to access and find the tool.
- The homepage did not have a featured section for this tool: There were two areas that featured links to the page, however they blended right in with the rest of the homepage content.
You may read those observations, and think — really, Adam? Those should have all been addressed a long time ago!
Well, you’re not wrong — but when you’re working SO closely on a website for a client, you so often miss the things that are right in front of your nose the whole time.
Plus, conversions have been consistent for so long — so if it ain’t broke…
However, I knew that we needed to make a change, and that’s where refreshing the design can help you tremendously.
So I quickly jumped in and made these changes:
First, I changed the CTA button in the navigation to lead to the lead tool, while also updating it’s design with a gradient background to appear “new” and catch users attention.
Prior, all buttons were a flat, single color, so introducing a new gradient background really highlights it and adds interest.
Here’s before:
And after:
Next, I redesigned the homepage hero section with a refreshed background graphic, and again an updated CTA button design to attract new eyes to the tool.
Again, the hero before:
And after the redesign:
I utilized the same copy, same colors, and same fonts, but the new look makes it feel way more updated and modern, and the CTA button is far more exciting and garners attention.
Lastly, I designed a dedicated section just below the hero that was just for the lead tool — using a contrasting color background, a vivid image, and call to action button to send visitors directly to the tool.
Here it is:
Now, it’s too early to see any results in the data (it was just published this week), however I’m confident that the design updates are going to draw more clicks and more eyes to this lead tool.
This is just one case study of how you can analyze your website to make improvements and help turn design into actual dollars.
The best part? You can continue to tweak and analyze — but with all changes, especially with as many as I made to my client’s site, you should give it a solid 30 days before changing it too drastically again.
Design is incredibly powerful when you use it to your full advantage to make sure users are encouraged to visit (and can easily find) your most important page on your website.
Have a great day,
