You're getting website traffic—maybe even good traffic—but no leads. No enquiries, no form submissions, no phone calls. This is one of the most frustrating problems business owners face. The good news? It's fixable. In this step-by-step guide, we'll walk you through exactly how to diagnose why your traffic isn't converting and how to fix it systematically.
Step 1: Diagnose the Problem
Before you can fix the problem, you need to understand what's wrong. Start by gathering data about your website's current performance.
1.1 Check Your Analytics
Look at your website analytics (Google Analytics, or similar) and answer these questions:
- How much traffic are you actually getting? (Be honest—sometimes traffic numbers are lower than expected)
- What's your bounce rate? (High bounce rates—over 70%—indicate visitors are leaving immediately)
- How long are visitors staying on your site? (Low time on page suggests they're not finding what they need)
- Which pages are visitors landing on? (Are they landing on relevant pages or random blog posts?)
- What's your conversion rate? (If you have zero conversions, your rate is 0%, but track this going forward)
1.2 Test Your Forms
Fill out every contact form on your website as if you're a customer. Do they work? Do you receive the submissions? Are they easy to complete on mobile? Forms that don't work or are difficult to use will kill conversions.
1.3 Check Your Contact Information
Verify that your phone number, email address, and physical address (if applicable) are correct and easy to find. Visitors who can't find how to contact you won't enquire.
1.4 Review Your Mobile Experience
Visit your website on an actual mobile device (not just a responsive preview). Can you easily navigate? Are forms easy to fill out? Is text readable? Over 60% of web traffic is mobile, so a poor mobile experience will kill your conversions.
1.5 Test Your Page Speed
Use Google PageSpeed Insights to test your site's load time. Pages that take more than 3 seconds to load lose over half of their visitors. Slow sites don't convert.
Step 2: Identify the Root Causes
Based on your diagnosis, identify which of these common problems are affecting your site:
2.1 Messaging Problems
Visitors don't understand what you do, who you help, or why they should choose you. Your value proposition is unclear or confusing. This is one of the most common reasons traffic doesn't convert.
2.2 Missing or Broken Lead Flow
Visitors are interested but don't know how to get in touch, or your contact forms don't work. There's no clear path from interest to enquiry.
2.3 Lack of Trust Signals
Visitors don't trust you enough to enquire. Missing testimonials, case studies, client logos, or clear contact information creates hesitation.
2.4 Poor User Experience
Your site is slow, hard to navigate, or doesn't work well on mobile. Visitors get frustrated and leave before they can convert.
2.5 Wrong Traffic
You're getting traffic, but it's not from people who are actually interested in your services. Your marketing is attracting the wrong audience.
Step 3: Fix Your Messaging
If your messaging is unclear or confusing, visitors will leave before they even consider enquiring. Here's how to fix it:
3.1 Write a Clear Value Proposition
Your homepage headline should immediately answer three questions:
- What do you do?
- Who do you help?
- What problem do you solve?
Example: Instead of "We're a leading web design agency," say "We turn slow, confusing websites into fast, conversion-focused tools that actually generate leads for service businesses."
3.2 Remove Jargon
Use simple, direct language that your target audience understands. Avoid industry-specific terms unless your audience uses them regularly. Write as if you're explaining your business to a friend.
3.3 Focus on Benefits, Not Features
Instead of listing what you do, explain what problems you solve. Instead of "We offer comprehensive web development services," say "We build websites that actually generate leads and grow your business."
3.4 Make It Specific
Generic messaging appeals to no one. Be specific about who you help and what problems you solve. Instead of "We help businesses," say "We help service-based businesses that struggle to generate leads online."
Step 4: Fix Your Lead Flow
Visitors need a clear, easy path from interest to enquiry. Here's how to create one:
4.1 Make Contact Information Easy to Find
Place your contact information prominently on every page. Include multiple ways to get in touch: contact form, phone number, email address. Don't make visitors hunt for how to contact you.
4.2 Fix Your Forms
Simplify your contact forms. Only ask for essential information (name and email are usually enough for initial contact). Make forms mobile-friendly with large tap targets. Test forms regularly to ensure they work. Add clear success messages so visitors know their submission was received.
4.3 Add Clear Call-to-Action Buttons
Every page should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) button that tells visitors what to do next. Use specific, action-oriented copy like "Book Your Free Consultation" or "Get Your Website Diagnosis." Make CTAs visually prominent with contrasting colours and adequate size.
4.4 Place CTAs Strategically
Don't wait until the end of a long page to show your CTA. Place CTAs at natural decision points: after visitors read about your services, after they see testimonials, after they understand your process. Make your primary CTA visible above the fold (without scrolling).
4.5 Remove Barriers
Eliminate anything that makes it harder for visitors to enquire. Don't require too much information upfront. Don't hide contact forms. Don't create confusing navigation. Make the path to enquiry as simple as possible.
Step 5: Build Trust
Visitors need to trust you before they'll enquire. Here's how to build that trust:
5.1 Add Testimonials and Reviews
Place testimonials or reviews prominently on your homepage and key service pages. Real feedback from real customers builds credibility. Include names, photos, and company names when possible.
5.2 Showcase Case Studies
Case studies demonstrate that you can deliver results. Show before-and-after examples, specific results you've achieved, and how you solved problems for clients.
5.3 Display Client Logos
If you have notable clients, display their logos. This shows that established businesses trust you.
5.4 Make Contact Information Accessible
Clear contact information builds trust. Make your phone number, email address, and physical address (if applicable) easy to find. Consider adding an "About" page that builds credibility.
5.5 Add Security Badges
If you collect sensitive information, display security badges or certifications near your forms. This reassures visitors that their information is safe.
Step 6: Improve User Experience
A poor user experience will drive visitors away before they can convert. Here's how to improve it:
6.1 Optimize Page Speed
Slow sites don't convert. Optimize images (compress them and use modern formats like WebP). Enable browser caching. Minify CSS and JavaScript. Remove unused plugins and scripts. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN) if applicable. Aim for pages to load in under 3 seconds.
6.2 Fix Mobile Experience
Test your site on actual mobile devices. Ensure navigation works well, forms are easy to fill out, and text is readable without zooming. Make CTAs thumb-friendly and easy to tap. Mobile experience should be a priority, not an afterthought.
6.3 Simplify Navigation
Make it easy for visitors to find what they're looking for. Limit main menu items to 5-7 options. Use clear, descriptive labels. Put important pages (like "Contact" or "Services") in the main navigation. Add a search function if you have many pages.
6.4 Improve Readability
Break up long paragraphs with headings, bullet points, and white space. Use a readable font size and line height. Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background. Make your content scannable—visitors should be able to quickly understand what you're saying.
6.5 Fix Broken Elements
Test all links, buttons, and forms to ensure they work correctly. Broken elements create frustration and make your site feel unprofessional.
Step 7: Verify Your Traffic Quality
Sometimes the problem isn't your website—it's that you're attracting the wrong traffic. Here's how to check:
7.1 Review Your Traffic Sources
Look at where your traffic is coming from. Are visitors arriving from relevant sources? If you're getting traffic from irrelevant keywords or spam sources, those visitors won't convert.
7.2 Check Your Landing Pages
Are visitors landing on pages that are relevant to what they're looking for? If someone searches for "web design" but lands on a blog post about something unrelated, they'll leave immediately.
7.3 Review Your Marketing Strategy
If you're running ads or other marketing campaigns, make sure you're targeting the right audience. Your messaging should match what visitors are looking for. If there's a mismatch, you'll get traffic but no conversions.
7.4 Focus on Quality Over Quantity
It's better to have 100 visitors who are genuinely interested in your services than 1,000 visitors who aren't. Focus your marketing efforts on attracting the right people, not just more people.
Step 8: Test and Measure
After implementing fixes, you need to measure whether they're working:
8.1 Set Up Conversion Tracking
Configure your analytics to track conversions: form submissions, phone calls, email clicks, or whatever actions matter to your business. You can't improve what you don't measure.
8.2 Monitor Key Metrics
Track your conversion rate, bounce rate, time on page, and form completion rate. Compare these metrics before and after your fixes to see what's working.
8.3 Test Different Approaches
Try different CTA copy, form lengths, or page layouts. See what converts better. Use A/B testing if possible, but even simple before-and-after comparisons can reveal what works.
8.4 Give It Time
Don't expect immediate results. It can take weeks or months to see significant improvements in conversion rates. Be patient and continue monitoring your metrics.
Step 9: Create a Maintenance Plan
Conversion optimisation isn't a one-time fix—it's an ongoing process. Here's how to maintain your improvements:
9.1 Regular Testing
Test your forms, links, and contact methods regularly (at least monthly). Things break over time, and you need to catch problems before they hurt your conversions.
9.2 Monitor Analytics
Review your analytics regularly to spot trends. Are conversion rates dropping? Are bounce rates increasing? Early detection allows you to fix problems before they become major issues.
9.3 Update Content
Keep your content fresh and relevant. Update testimonials, add new case studies, and refresh your messaging as your business evolves.
9.4 Stay Current
Web standards and best practices evolve. Stay informed about changes in web design, user experience, and conversion optimisation. What worked last year might not work this year.
When to Get Professional Help
While you can fix many problems yourself using this guide, some situations require professional expertise:
- You've tried these fixes but still aren't seeing results
- Your site has technical problems you can't fix yourself
- You don't have time to implement these changes
- You need a comprehensive audit to identify all problems
- Your conversion problems are complex and require deeper analysis
At Webclinic, we specialise in fixing websites that get traffic but no leads. We conduct comprehensive audits that identify not just the obvious problems, but the hidden issues that silently prevent conversions. Then we fix them systematically, often without requiring a full redesign.
Our conversion-focused approach means we don't just make your site look better—we make it work better. We diagnose the root causes, implement fixes that actually work, and measure results. The outcome? Websites that don't just attract visitors, but actually convert them into customers.
Ready to fix your website's conversion problems? Book a free website health check with us. We'll review your site, identify why your traffic isn't converting, and outline a clear plan to fix it.