Getting traffic to your website is only half the battle. When they land on site, you want them to take an action. If that action is to sign up or subscribe for future news updates, emails and offers, you’ll need to make it worth their while. It’s worth your while too, with the loss of marketing cookies making as much first party data and opted in contacts an incredibly valuable business asset.

So, what can you do to ensure that you get maximum sign ups? Let’s take a look.

1.   Only ask for the information you need

We’ve all seen sign up forms that want far too much personal information. Having to input lots of data can not only feel intrusive, but it can also feel like a little too much effort. The key to maximising your chances of a sign up right off the bat is to keep your form as pared back as possible. Only ask for the information you need to add that person to your system. For example, you likely won’t need a full postal address to send offers and updates via email.

2.   Provide an incentive

At its core, a website sign up is a transaction. The visitor agrees to hand over contact information in exchange for something that has value to them. Your role is to identify what that value proposition looks like.

If you have a good understanding of your target demographic, you should also have a clear idea of what would represent a fair deal to your website visitors. That could look like early sale access at key dates during the year, a money off code to be used against their next purchase, free shipping, or exclusive content.

3.   Offer a sign-up gift

As well as offering an incentive in the form of discount codes or free shipping, you can sweeten the deal by also including a gift. This gift could be a product sample or a downloadable, such as an eBook with helpful information.

4.   Allow visitors to choose the topics they’re interested in

Rather than having a one-size fits all form, allow your visitors to choose what they sign up to. This is easily achieved by having a check box-style design where new subscribers can tick or untick the kind of content they want to receive from you.

Some may only be interested in a particular topic or product type, while others may only want deals and coupon codes. Allowing them to customise their sign up means they’re more likely to opt in.