My coaching clients often ask me to critique specific elements of their website. However, no one has ever asked me, “What elements are missing?” Yet, when I do a review of their website, I’m sometimes more concerned about what’s missing, rather than what’s there. Are you wondering about missing elements on your website? Here are the most common missing elements I’ve seen.
1. No clear call to action
It’s amazing how many times I see no clear call to action (CTA) on a website. Almost everyone needs to know what to do next, but without a clear CTA on the page, the visitor will just wander around.
Let me be quick to say that while “Buy now” is one of my favorite CTAs, it’s not the only CTA. Others might include:
- Schedule a discovery call
- Find a representative
- Sign up for my newsletter
- Check it out!
- Get immediate access to your [lead magnet]
A similar issue is having only one CTA that’s stuck at the bottom of the page. Don’t make your eager visitors struggle to become a customer!
2. No lead magnet
If your home page doesn’t have a lead magnet, you’re missing an opportunity to fill the top of your sales funnel.
There are all sorts of lead magnets you could create, depending on your audience’s needs and wants, and where they are in your sales funnel.
At first, worry less about what you offer. Just get something created and available, and then see how it performs. Revise later. Otherwise, not having this critical asset becomes one of the most glaring missing elements on your website.
3. No opt-in page
I’ve seen some good lead magnets, but they lack an opt-in page! Meaning, the website visitor can get what you’re offering, but without an opt-in page, you have no way to market to that visitor in the future.
Simply stated, if you have no opt-in page, you’re giving away free stuff without capturing good leads.
4. No Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section
Not every webpage needs an FAQ. But with rare exception, a sales page needs an FAQ.
If you’ve been selling your product or service for a while, you already know the questions existing clients have raised. If not, you can make an educated guess.
Remember, too, that an FAQ can be a sneaky place to advertise a different product. For example:
Q: Do you have earrings to go with these necklaces?
A: Yes, we do! View our huge selection [link] of posts, hoops and more!
5. No “Give This to Your Boss” paper
In some businesses, the website visitors are not the ones who buy the product or service. Therefore, you’re relying on them to be an advocate with the boss, or whoever holds the purse strings in the organization.
In that case, create a “thing” that visitors can download and take to the boss. That “thing” might be a checklist, a comparison chart, an infographic, or whatever seems to make sense.
You could require an opt-in for this, but you might not want to do that. Some people are skittish about opting in.
I’d be more inclined to make it easy to download this asset without opting in, and also, offer a lead magnet which does require an opt-in.
This is frequently overlooked, but it could be one of the missing elements on your website.
6. No proof of credibility
The visitor needs to see your credibility. If you’re relying on your “About” page to do that for you, think again. Don’t assume that people will go there to see proof of your expertise.
Instead, give a brief synopsis of why you’re credible. This will depend on whether it’s a home page, a sales page, or perhaps some other page. But in general, you could handle this through:
- publishing testimonials from previous clients
- showing logos of companies that have hired you in the past
- using emotional words to describe yourself or your company.
A caution on that last one. Be careful about calling yourself the “best,” the “only,” or the “fastest.” When you compare yourself to others, you need to be able to prove it. Yet, if you can prove it, you might want to say:
- The longest-running widget maker in town
- The widget that serves 80% of the widget market
- The best widget for less than $10.
Here’s another approach. Use words that pack a punch. Consider at least one of these words to describe you, your product or your business.
Or, consider using a weasel word. Wendy’s advertisement has some great weasel words:
- New
- Hot
- Juicy
- Premium
Notice that there’s no comparison to anyone else’s burger. But those words do conjure the emotional enjoyment of a delicious burger.
What do you think might be some missing elements on your website? Let me know!