11 Reasons Why Your Website Might Not Be Getting Leads

By Jesse Kemmerer

Simply having a website, unfortunately, is not a magic bullet to bring in new customers. To generate leads online in today's crowded, distracted market, you need a quality website, with current, timely updates, plus magnetic content, and more. Your website is the foundation of your business today, and you know what happens with a weak foundation. Nothing else matters if you don't build right, from the ground up.

Why is your website not generating leads?

There are a number of reasons why your website may be missing out on new leads. Common causes of website failure include:

1. No recent posts or updates

If you walk into a retail store where all the displays are dusty and all the merchandise is past its freshness date, you'll walk right back out, right? And if the merchandise is fine, but the lonely person behind the counter (if there is someone) doesn’t greet you and won’t answer any questions, would you ever go back?

That's how a neglected or ill-maintained website looks. It feels uncomfortable and uninteresting, and visitors click away.

2. Not much content on your website

To attract visitors and generate leads, your website needs a veritable library of useful content and expert advice. This helps you gain trust and makes your website a great place to go for problem-solving and expert advice.

If there’s only a page or two with vague info, your website will be ignored by search engines—and by any visitors who might somehow find your website. (Not many will find you without search engine indexing, which requires new, up-to-date, interesting content.)

3. Missing the right content

The proof is in your portfolio. You need to have a page or section of your website to showcase your work. This portfolio can be a photo gallery of finished projects, with an accurate, SEO-minded description of what you did, or even complete case studies.

Photos attract attention in general, and your website won’t be compelling without them. They’re especially important in your online portfolio.

4. No (or sparse) directory listings

Keeping your website listed with relevant online directories is like being in all the local phone books used to be. It increases your online reach and credibility, and helps build out your impressive online real estate portfolio. You’ll get more notice from search engines and customers seeking your type of service.

5. No social media accounts

You don’t necessarily need them all (Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest, etc.) because different social media outlets or channels work best for different businesses. However, you do need to have a social media presence as part of your online footprint. This extra “web real estate” extends the reach of your website and further establishes you as a reliable, knowledgeable (approachable, friendly) expert, which can contribute to generating leads.

The same logic that applies to your website also applies to social media. If your social media pages are outdated and look abandoned, or have no useful content, you may as well not have them. They don’t count and could even damage your reputation.

6. No geographic content

To pull in more leads, target local communities directly with content that speaks to them. Show you know the local area and value those customers. Let Google associate your website with all the surrounding areas you serve, critically expanding your pool of prospects.

7. No social media buttons (links) on your web pages

You need these to connect all the pieces of your online presence, to create a path between all your online real estate on various sites. This helps you build a multifaceted relationship with your website visitors. If they don’t catch your message in one spot, they may on another.

The more active all your pages are with visits, shares, comments, etc., the more “important” and authoritative you’ll appear to Google. You will be moved higher in search results, so that more web searchers can find you, ultimately generating more leads.

8. No forms or popups to collect email addresses

It's no use attracting website visitors without trying to take your relationship to the next level. Gathering contact information lets you keep former customers and potential new customers updated on your services. It helps you become a part of their lives. Many of them will be hot leads, ready to buy today.

9. No persuasive calls to action

You have to tell visitors what they must do next, otherwise you will lose their attention and they'll forget about you the second they click away. Good calls to action (CTAs in the form of links or buttons) express the benefit and urgency of taking the desired action—for example: “Get a free quote here!” or “Discount available today only!”

10. No requests for reviews

To get good reviews, you have to ask your best customers for them, and link them to the place you want the reviews; e.g., Yelp. In practice, you have to directly ask all customers for reviews—via after-purchase emails, etc. This way you’ll get enough to be noticed, and most will likely be good. You also can make a special, more personal request for reviews, or even get testimonials, from your best customers.

Note: you can never ask only for good reviews, but you can arrange to get them by following these tips.

11. No idea what customers are saying or what they prefer

Paying attention to website and social media comments, as well as online reviews, can help you refine your service offering. You can add things customers are calling for or smooth out things they may not like. You can nip bad comments in the bud and maintain your good online reputation.

You can also learn what customers like and what they respond best to by studying your analytics. If a Facebook ad or campaign is successful, you know doing it again will likely be money well spent. But you’ll never know if you're not paying attention to analytics on your website, PPC ads, and social media.

Don't settle for an average website

If you’d like your website to be the lead magnet that it should be, you need to put some thought into how it benefits your visitors. In order for your website to generate leads, you have to give something in return. Fix these 11 problems and watch your search engine rankings and traffic climb and grow.

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