For potential clients, your website is a treasure trove of information that can help them make smart and informed decisions. But, did you know that it’s just as resourceful for you as the business owner? When done strategically, your website can be just the tool you need to evaluate your current business standing and determine how to improve your sales approach.
Most caterers have a website that are closer to online brochures than an online sales tool. Although these sites provide valuable information 24/7, many are not focused on turning their websites into a money-making machine.
Fortunately, it’s not very difficult to enhance your website for better tracking of your return on investment (ROI) and more qualified data to support your marketing decisions. In fact, you’re only one step away from better insights and a smarter, more effective marketing strategy.
So, what’s the secret key?
You need to set up conversion goals in Google Analytics.
More than likely, you already have Google Analytics set up on your site. If not, get with your web designers immediately or check out some of the tutorials on YouTube and do it yourself. Every single business website should have it installed to gather data about what works (and what doesn’t) when it comes to reaching your target audience.
Now, let’s talk conversion goals. When you track how well your website is converting visitors to sales (in other words, turning traffic into revenue), you can learn better ways to optimize your site to increase your ROI. Your conversion goals are what turn a whole bunch of numbers into real, actionable data for you to tailor your sales and marketing approach.
Here’s how you can make the most of your Google Analytics through conversion goals.
Start with your landing page.
Your landing page can be virtually any page, whether it’s your standard inquiry page or a special page designed specifically for an upcoming ad campaign. The idea is to select a page that you want to drive more traffic towards your inbox, opening up more conversations with prospective clients. On this landing page, be sure to include the benefits of working for you, along with a short contact form and simple instructions for inquiring.
Create a thank you page.
Once you’ve got your landing page laid out, create a secondary ‘thank you’ page that users will be directed to upon submitting your contact form. This is going to be the easiest way to track conversions in Google Analytics, as it will exclude traffic to your landing page that doesn’t result in an actual inquiry. It also helps to manage clients’ expectations by detailing next steps (if applicable) and providing them with a quick hit of satisfaction knowing they’ve been heard.
Set up your conversion goals.
You’ve got your landing page and thank you page sorted out, so it’s time to get into the data side of things. Log into your Google Analytics dashboard and navigate to the “Goals” section under the “Conversions” heading. Set up a destination goal with the link to your thank you page and be sure it’s set to “includes” to factor in any variations of the URL (like UTM codes).
You may also want to set a goal value based on your close rate and your average order. For example, if your close rate is 50 percent and your average order is $10,000, then your inquiry goal value would be $5,000. If and when the goal is met, Google Analytics allocates a percentage of the goal value to each page the user visited before converting. This step is optional, but can reveal a lot of information about which pages are most valuable on your site.
By setting up conversion goals in Google Analytics, you will start to see how well your referral traffic, blog content, and ad campaigns drive inquiries and help you to grow your bottom line. Although there is a bit of work required upfront, the time and effort is well-spent when you consider the value that comes out of real, concrete data that supports (or causes you to reconsider) your marketing strategies.
