How the Back-End of Your Website Affects Lead Gen

The back-end of your website is just as important as the front end. Even if users don’t really see what’s happening behind the scenes, it still plays a critical role in attracting new leads. A strong online presence is essential for both megacorporations and startups, but especially for newer companies. Without the legacy of a megacorp, startups need to convince potential customers to give them a try and then work hard to convince them to stay.

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Continue reading this guide to learn some helpful tips for getting more leads by ensuring your site’s back-end looks as good as the front.

What Should Your Website Include for Lead Generation?

You want your users to interact and engage with your website to move them along the sales funnel. We’re technically going to start with the front end — what users see and interact with — but the back-end supports all of this. Then, we’ll get into how to build up the back.

Four important front-end elements (supported by the back-end!) to remember are:

What Is Your Page Speed?

Users won’t wait more than three seconds for a site to load, so ensure your page speed is optimized. Particularly for startups, visitors might not know what they’re going to purchase. Too long of a wait, and you could lose that lead to an industry giant where the customer knows precisely what they offer, how much it costs, and everything else involved that makes them click “add to cart” without a second thought.

How to Reduce Page Speed

You can check your page speed using tools like PageSpeed Insights.

Is Your Site Mobile-Friendly?

With almost everyone owning a smartphone, mobile-friendliness is a must for generating new leads. One way to do this is by using scalar vector graphics (SVGs) to adjust your site to any screen size. Scalar vector graphics retain the quality of images and graphics regardless of screen size.

Ensure a tap-friendly interface by making links and buttons large enough to tap (ideally 44 x 44 pixels for buttons). Next, add an ample amount of white space (but not too much) to help prevent tapping on the wrong thing.

Do You Have Updated Local Listings?

When listing your Google Business Profile (GBP), include all important details about your company to improve findability. These include:

Make sure these details are consistent across other local listing sites like Yelp. Even minor differences in spelling, title case, and more can affect visibility. Remember to regularly update this information.

Is Your UX Flawless?

Every action your user does must be properly understood by the back-end. This includes handling user requests, managing user data, and performing quickly and without friction.

Some factors to consider when thinking about UX design in the back-end include:

Is Your Site ADA-Compliant?

One of the biggest lead generation mistakes you can make is not making your site accessible to those with disabilities. ADA compliance doesn’t just improve the user experience; it’s a legal requirement. Failure to comply may result in hefty penalties and legal issues.

Adherence to ADA rules and regulations includes the following factors:

Do You Have an SSL Certificate?

Users are more likely to trust a site with proper security, part of which is an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate authenticates a site’s identity and uses encryption to protect users’ information. It uses HTTPS, which is more secure than HTTP. (HTTPS stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure.”)

Upgrading to HTTPS is ideal if you work in a data-heavy industry, such as legal, healthcare, or finance. There are different types of SSL certificates, such as:

Did You Test (and Re-Test)?

Startups don’t only test their new products extensively — their websites need to stand up to the same rigor.

You have many different options for back-end tests that check if your site is up to snuff, handling user load and providing the optimal user experience. Conduct multiple tests to ensure full coverage of the entire back-end and identify potential issues.

Some types of back-end testing include:

Startups: Move Forward with Back-End Work

The back-end should be given the same amount of attention and care as the front end. Without it, your site wouldn’t function properly. For any luck in scoring new leads, boosting your online presence, and competing with companies that are older than the internet itself, pay careful attention to how the back-end of your site is doing.

This article was written by Rose Lee, who works as a fractional CMO for startups at Digital Authority Partners.