Examples of Website Popups That Get Clicks
Design an Eye-Catching (and Useful) Sidebar
When I first started as a wedding photographer, I also co-founded a Midwest wedding blog. I was a bride planning my own wedding (pre-Pinterest days) and I noticed a void in the wedding blogging space and decided to help fill it. As a blogger, I learned how valuable space on a blog can be.
The way our wedding blog made money
(which wasn’t much at the time) was through advertisers buying space in our sidebar. As my business and website changed, that space became a place to subtly showcase my offers without cluttering the screens of site visitors.
You may have designed an amazing
Homepage that highlights all the amazing things you do, but think about how people find your site. They may come in through a blog post, a freebie, a podcast episode, or a link from your portfolio. If your site allows, you can increase user engagement by adding a featured sidebar alongside your main content. This gives you a different way to grab your visitor’s attention and encourage them to click through.
I know a large portion of my site traffic is directing people to my blog posts and podcast articles, so I wanted to give my readers some other fun freebies or offers to peruse. Just like other businesses use this space to advertise their partners, you can use this space to promote your offers.
Website Sidebar for Jenna Kutcher’s Website
My carefully designed sidebar Life Insurance Telemarketing Leads changes seasonally based on our current offers, favorites I recommend, and new freebies we’ve launched, making it feel like a comprehensive entry point for any visitor browsing the site. Think of your offers as a menu — what are the chef’s favorites (i.e. you’re the chef)? When people stumble upon your blog post, what are the key experiences you want them to know?
As a powerful side effect, the sidebar is also a quick “credibility check” to let your readers know what you offer, and therefore what you know. It’s an easy way to show off what you’ve got to offer.
Turn Dead Ends into Calls to Action
When traffic arrives at your blog posts and other fresh website content, they’ll scroll through, read every word, and eventually get to the end. Are you leaving them wondering “what’s next?” I mean, Netflix certainly doesn’t leave you hanging around for long before starting the next episode, so why would we leave people wondering where to go? You need to build a bridge for them with smart, relevant calls to action (CTAs).
Providing visitors with a clear next
Step means you don’t lose them right after you hook them. bar, click on a more discreet backlink in a blog post, or check out your site menu to see what else you have to offer. Carefully curate a solution for them and provide it at the end of your content.
My goal is to make the CTAs in my blog posts and podcast articles easy to read and easy to act on. Readers have just skimmed through the entire article, so I want to value their time with something quick and useful! In this blog post on how to implement a Pinterest strategy in your business, I point readers to a free virtual Pinterest masterclass at the end to continue their learning journey.
Website CTA for Jenna Kutcher’s website
The main idea here is that there are no dead ends. Converting your website traffic not just into buyers and subscribers, but into real long-term results THE SIMPLE WAY TO STOP UNWANTED TELEMARKETING CALLS means that you’re finding holes in your website and filling them. Your visitors will thank you when you do the work for them and connect them from one helpful tool to another. You’re literally setting the stage for their success by putting the next best steps in front of them.
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Simplify Your Contact Form
If one of your main goals is to connect directly with visitors you hope will become paying customers (e.g., book you for photography jobs, speaking opportunities, or coaching opportunities), you need a contact form that makes that a breeze. A smart, thoughtful contact form relies on simplicity and smart website layout.
