When I launched my first website, I had big dreams. I’m talking six figures in six months kind of big.
I was building a digital products business – ebooks, mini-guides, maybe a few juicy templates down the line. The plan? Use the website to build an audience, grow my email list, and sell directly to people who actually wanted what I was offering.
So I bought a theme, wrote a few pages, made everything “look nice,” and hit publish. Done, right?
Yeah… no.
I thought traffic would trickle in and magically turn into email subscribers. I added a newsletter sign-up in the footer. Even threw in a “Subscribe to stay updated!” box on my homepage like all the blog posts told me to.
But guess what? No one signed up. Not even my mom. (Okay, maybe once. But she unsubscribed two weeks later.)
Turns out, having a website isn’t the same as having a lead generation website.
And I’m telling you this because if you’re sitting on a website that looks fine but isn’t bringing in leads, you’re not alone.
And I’m not alone in this.
🔹 Over 90% of marketers use their websites for lead generation – but only 45% of form visitors actually convert, according to Zuko.
That’s a huge gap and a huge opportunity if you’re willing to get strategic.
If You Want Leads, You Need a Real Strategy — From the Start
You can’t just throw a form on your homepage and hope for the best. You need a site that’s intentionally designed to guide visitors toward one core action — and makes it easy for them to say “yes.”
So let’s fix it. This guide walks you through how to create a lead generation website that actually pulls its weight.
Here's what we’ll cover:
The platforms and tools you really need to generate leads (not just decorate your homepage)
The pages that make a lead gen site work (and what to leave out)
A step-by-step plan to build it all out without breaking the internet or your brain
Conversion-boosting strategies for once your site is live and running
Ready to build a website that actually gets you leads? Let’s dive in.
Most Websites Aren’t Built to Generate Leads – They’re Built to “Look Done”
Here’s something I wish I’d realized sooner: Most websites – especially the kind I first built – are made to look finished, not to do anything useful.
When I was starting out, I spent hours obsessing over fonts, colors, and homepage layouts. Not because I love design (I do), but because that’s what everyone online seems to focus on. Make it look professional. Make it “clean.” Make it branded.
And it’s understandable – web design influences 94% of first impressions, so it is important.
And honestly? Mine looked great.
But it wasn’t doing squat.
Because here’s the truth: No one ever said, “Wow, that was a beautifully spaced paragraph, I think I’ll join her email list.”
Most business owners (like me) start with design and end up skipping the actual strategy — the part that guides a visitor from “hmm, interesting” to “yes, I want this.”
A lead generation website isn’t meant to sit there, waiting for people to figure out what to do next. It shows them. Clearly. Intentionally.
If your current site feels a bit like a poster with no follow-up… this is your turning point.
Let’s walk through what it really takes to build a site that looks good and performs. Step by step.
How to Create a Lead Generation Website That Actually Performs
Okay, so we’ve called out the problem. We’ve laughed (a little nervously) at our old design-first selves. Now let’s get into the good stuff: the part where you build a website that knows what it’s doing.
These steps are a strategic sequence that sets your site up to bring in leads consistently without the guesswork, the tech angst, or the “why isn’t this working?” spiral.
Step 1: Set Up the Right Foundation (Platform + Tools)
Can I be honest with you? I used to completely overcomplicate this step.
I thought I needed the perfect theme, the fanciest plugins, the slickest design — like the tech stack alone was going to impress people into converting.
But all it did was slow me down. I spent more time troubleshooting than actually building something that worked.
If you want your website to bring in leads — not just sit there looking polished — you need a setup that’s simple, scalable, and built with lead generation in mind from day one.
✅ Start with WordPress (Seriously, Just Do It)
WordPress is the most popular platform for building websites. The numbers back it up too:
If you’re thinking, “Isn’t WordPress kind of… complicated?” – I hear you.
I used to feel the same way. I thought I’d need to learn HTML, CSS, maybe even some JavaScript just to make my site look decent. Spoiler: I didn’t.
I’ve built landing pages, opt-ins, sales pages, all of it — without writing a single line of code.
The truth is, WordPress can feel overwhelming at first, but it’s actually incredibly user-friendly once you know what to ignore. And when you pair it with the right tools (like Thrive Suite), it becomes one of the most powerful, flexible platforms you’ll ever use.
You own your site. You’re not stuck in someone else’s ecosystem. And you can add functionality as your business grows — instead of having to rebuild everything when you outgrow a basic platform.
Choosing WordPress gave me control, confidence, and room to grow.
And I want that for you.
✅ Use Thrive Suite to Actually Make It Work
Once I landed on WordPress, the next question was: “Okay, but how do I make this thing actually generate leads?”
I tried piecing together form plugins, page builders, random pop-up tools... It was messy. Nothing worked well together. Some plugins slowed my site down. One even broke my homepage entirely (True story. I nearly cried).
So when I found Thrive Suite, I finally exhaled (seriously).
It had everything I needed in one place — and it was clearly built by people who understood what I was trying to do: grow a business, not fiddle with 20 different settings panels.
Here’s what I personally use (and love):
Bottom line? If I were starting from scratch today, I’d do it the exact same way:
- WordPress
- Thrive Suite
That combo has given me everything I need to build a website that doesn’t just exist — it performs.
👉 Ready? Let’s talk about the exact pages you’ll want to build next.
Step 2: Set Up the Pages That Drive Conversions
Once I had my site foundation in place , I felt unstoppable.
...for about 10 minutes.
Then came the dreaded question: “Okay, what pages do I actually need?”
I’ll admit, the first time around I overcomplicated this (you might be noticing a pattern here).
I made a page for everything — testimonials, FAQs, FAQs for the FAQs, a blog I wasn’t ready to write… and then wondered why no one was signing up for my lead magnet.
Here’s what I eventually learned (the hard way): A lead generation website is not about cramming in as much info as possible. It’s about focusing your visitor’s attention and guiding them toward one specific action.
Here’s the page setup that actually started converting for me — and the one I still recommend:
🏠Homepage – More Than Just a Welcome Mat
Your homepage is the entry point for most of your traffic, so it needs to do two things right away:
Tell people what you do and who it’s for
Show them exactly where to go next (hint: it’s your lead magnet)
Mine used to be a generic “Hi, I’m me” intro with a dusty newsletter signup in the footer. Now? It’s structured like a mini funnel — with a strong headline, a few juicy benefits, and a prominent opt-in offer that pulls people in.
🔧 Built mine with Thrive Theme Builder and Thrive Architect. Swapped a testimonial block and a benefit grid into place, and done. This tutorial will show you how to build a focused homepage, too.
🎯 Landing Page – The High-Converting MVP
This is where your lead magnet lives. No distractions. No sidebar. Just a focused, persuasive page with one goal: get the opt-in.
Here’s the basic layout I use:
Headline that promises value
Short, benefit-driven copy
Bullet points that hit on pain points + outcomes
(Optional) Trust elements like a short testimonial or “what’s inside” preview
📌 This page has one job. Don’t let it get sidetracked.
Need a tutorial to build the right kind of lead magnet landing page? This tutorial will break it down for you.
✅ Thank You Page – Keep the Momentum Going
I used to treat this page like an afterthought. Big mistake.
Now, it’s one of my favorite conversion points.
Once someone opts in, don’t just say “thanks” and vanish. Use that moment of attention to:
Recommend a related offer
Invite them to a free consult
Link to your best blog post or video
Or even offer a low-cost digital product
This page isn’t the end of the funnel — it’s the start of your relationship. And, of course, you can use this step-by-step guide to build a thank you page your visitors will love.
👋 About Page – Tell a Story, Not a Résumé
Your About page is secretly a conversion tool — especially if you’re selling digital products or building a personal brand.
Instead of listing achievements, I rewrote mine to focus on who I help, how I help them, and why I care. I also sprinkled in a bit of personality (hello, espresso addiction), added a soft CTA to my freebie, and made it feel more human.
Pro tip: It’s okay to talk like yourself here. You’re not on LinkedIn.
📬 Contact or Booking Page – Make It Easy to Reach You
If someone wants to connect, don’t make them dig.
Keep your contact or booking page simple:
Quick intro (“Here’s how I can help”)
Easy form (don’t ask for 10 things — it’s not a census)
A clear next step (what happens after they submit?)
Maybe a quick testimonial or a FAQ if you get a lot of the same questions
Bonus points if your form connects to your email platform or CRM. (Mine does — Thrive Architect and Thrive Leads both have this functionality)
📝 (Optional) Blog or Resource Hub – Trust + SEO Goldmine
I resisted this one at first — “Do I really need a blog?”
But once I started publishing helpful content that answered questions my audience was already Googling, I realized it wasn’t about blogging for blogging’s sake. It was about:
Attracting qualified traffic
Building authority
Embedding opt-ins in all the right places
I use Thrive Architect to design my blog layout and Thrive Leads to add contextual opt-in forms inside posts — and it’s been a low-key powerhouse for passive lead gen.
TL;DR: Don’t just “have pages.” Build a system.
Once I started thinking of my website as a journey — not a gallery of random links — everything changed.
Every page has a role to play. Every section is there for a reason. And all roads lead to your lead magnet.
👉 Next up: Let’s talk about how to create that irresistible lead magnet in the first place.
Step 3: Create a High-Converting Lead Magnet Offer
Let’s be real: no one is signing up for your “weekly newsletter.”
I learned this the hard way. My first opt-in was a tiny signup box with the words “Join my mailing list for updates and exclusive content!”
And no one cared.Not even bots.
Because unless your reader already knows and loves you (hi, mom), they need a reason to hand over their email — one that solves an immediate problem or gives them something useful right now.
That’s where your lead magnet comes in.
This is the thing that makes your entire lead generation website work. It’s what turns a casual visitor into a warm lead — and if you do it right, it’s also the first step in building trust, warming them up for your offers, and increasing conversions long-term.
Let’s talk numbers.
While your average “generic opt-in” form might convert at a humble 1–5%, lead magnets can blow that out of the water. Leadpages reports that lead magnet landing pages convert at an average of 18%, and some formats – like checklists and cheat sheets – have reached 34%+.
Want to go even simpler? Just adding a lead magnet to your opt-in popup can more than double your conversion rate. One study found mobile opt-ins jumped from 3.8% to 7.7%, and desktop from 1.8% to 4.7%, just by including a compelling free offer.
🔑 Translation: the right lead magnet doesn’t just increase conversions — it multiplies them.
So... what actually makes a great lead magnet?
Here’s what I’ve found works best, based on actual tests, not just internet advice:
✅ Specific: “Free Guide to Productivity” is vague. “3-Minute Morning Planner for Overwhelmed Entrepreneurs” feels way more relevant.
✅ Useful Right Away: If it takes 30 minutes to get value from it, people won’t finish it.
✅ Solves a Real Pain Point: Think about the exact moment someone is searching for help — what would feel like a gift to them?
✅ Tied to Your Paid Offers: If your lead magnet has nothing to do with what you eventually want to sell, you’ll attract the wrong audience.
Some lead magnet ideas I’ve seen work (and used myself):
Checklists: Quick, actionable, easy to scan
Cheat sheets: “Get this right every time” kind of vibe
Mini templates: Especially for service-based or info-product businesses
Quizzes: These are so underrated. People love learning about themselves. And they’re a fantastic way to segment leads and tailor follow-up content. (you can learn more about them here)
Mini video trainings: Short, clear, and adds a face to your brand
Toolkit or resource list: Curated lists save people time and decision fatigue
If you’re stuck, just think: what’s the smallest but most helpful thing I can give my audience today that builds trust and naturally leads into my paid offer?
That’s your lead magnet.
How I build and deliver mine (without tech chaos):
I create my opt-ins in Thrive Architect and hook them up with Thrive Leads — so I can:
- Show different lead magnets on different pages
- Trigger opt-ins based on scroll, click, or exit intent
- Automatically segment my audience based on what they downloaded
- Style everything visually so it actually matches my site (no weird mismatched form fields)
And when I want to get fancy, I use Thrive Quiz Builder to turn my lead magnet into an experience. One of my best-performing opt-ins is a quiz that ends with a personalized freebie — people love it, and the open rates on my follow-up emails are way higher as a result.
📹 Need a walkthrough?
If you're wondering how to actually create a lead magnet that converts — not just sits there — Tony from our team broke it down beautifully in this quick video.
And if you prefer reading, you can go through this step-by-step guide.
The big mindset shift?
Your lead magnet isn’t just a freebie. It’s the entry point to your entire marketing funnel.
If it feels rushed, vague, or disconnected, people won’t stick around. But when it’s valuable, relevant, and strategic? That’s when you start turning traffic into actual leads — and leads into real sales.
👉 Now let’s make sure your site is ready to capture those leads in the right place, at the right time.
Step 4: Add Lead Capture Forms That Appear at the Right Time
Okay, confession time: I used to think that slapping a form in my footer and adding a “Subscribe to my newsletter” box on the sidebar was enough.
Spoiler (again): it wasn’t.
Your lead capture forms are where the magic happens — they’re the link between your content and your email list. But if they’re not placed strategically, they might as well be invisible.
I’ve learned that timing, placement, and context are everything. And luckily, with the right tools, you don’t need to be a marketing Jedi to make it work.
So… Where Should Your Forms Go?
This is where a lot of people go wrong — they hide their opt-ins in the footer and hope someone scrolls far enough to find them.
If you want conversions, your forms need to show up where people are already paying attention.
Here’s what I’ve tested (and what’s actually worked):
✅ Hero section of your homepage: That first screen should do something — not just say “Welcome.” Adding a bold, clear CTA here is one of the highest-impact changes you can make. Across industries, landing page CTAs like this convert at an average of 6.6% — and you can go way higher with the right offer.
✅ Mid-post in your blog articles: This hits people right when they’re nodding along, thinking, “Yep, I need help with this.” I’ve seen this convert incredibly well — especially when your opt-in is tied directly to the topic. In fact, guides (like the one you’re reading 👀) have been shown to convert at a whopping 67.2%, making them one of the highest-performing types of long-form content out there.
✅ After content: If your post walks someone through a process or explains a pain point, the opt-in at the bottom feels like a natural next step. It’s not flashy — but it works. Even small sites see a noticeable boost just by adding a targeted form here.
✅ Exit-intent popups: I used to hate them… until they started saving my butt. A solid exit-intent popup can recover 2–4% of visitors who were just about to leave. That adds up fast when you’re driving decent traffic.
✅ Slide-ins and sticky ribbons: These are my go-to for evergreen offers. They’re less intrusive but still visible — especially on long pages. Fun fact: some popup tools have seen slide-ins convert at 21.7%, and modals even higher.
📌 The big idea? Match your form placement with where your visitor is in their journey — and their mental energy. A quiz popup might work great on a blog post, but maybe not on your contact page.
Trust your gut. Then back it up with data.
Want to go deeper?
One of the biggest boosts to my list growth came when I started segmenting my lead capture forms by intent.
For example:
Blog readers get a form offering a checklist related to that post
Visitors on my pricing page get a quiz CTA that helps them “find the right digital product for their goals”
New visitors from social media land on a landing page with a low-friction opt-in and a “Start here” guide
All of that is handled automatically now — and it feels seamless to the user. They get what they need, when they need it. And I get the lead.
Win–win.
Final note: Forms aren’t annoying. Bad forms are annoying.
There’s a difference between a helpful nudge and an intrusive popup that appears 2 seconds after the page loads and blocks everything but the unsubscribe button.
The forms that perform best? They feel like good timing. Like a friendly “Hey, I made this for you.”
👉 Now let’s make sure that when someone does opt in, you don’t drop the ball.
Step 5 : Connect Your Forms to Follow-Up Systems
You’ve done the hard part: You created a lead magnet, built high-converting landing pages, and placed your lead capture forms exactly where they should be.
Now what?
If your answer is “wait and hope they remember me”… we need to talk.
Because the moment someone signs up? That’s your shot. Their interest is fresh. They’re paying attention. And if they land on a thank you page and then hear nothing for three weeks… that lead is gone.
This is where follow-up comes in — and honestly, it’s one of the easiest ways to increase website conversions without getting more traffic.
What should your follow-up system do?
At a minimum:
Deliver the lead magnet (quickly and clearly)
Welcome the person and remind them why they signed up
Set expectations: what will they get from you next?
Offer the next step (check out a resource, read a blog post, or preview a product)
This is your chance to start building a relationship — not just collect an email address.
And it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Step 6: Test, Track, and Improve Over Time
Here’s a hard truth I had to learn after my third “launch” that flopped:If your site isn’t converting, it doesn’t matter how beautiful it is.
And more importantly? If you never test anything, you’ll never know why it’s not converting.
Look — I used to think testing was for big teams with data analysts and color-coded dashboards. I thought it meant split-testing button colors and obsessing over decimals.
But once I started testing strategically — just one landing page at a time — I started seeing real results.
So yes, this part matters.
What to test (without driving yourself nuts):
Headlines – Are they clear? Benefit-driven? Intriguing?
Calls-to-action – “Get the Guide” vs. “Download Now” vs. “Start Here”
Page layout – Try swapping the lead magnet section higher up
Form type and placement – Pop-up? Inline? Slide-in? Where are people actually engaging?
Lead magnet format – Is a quiz converting better than your checklist?
Testing is the secret sauce behind every high converting landing page. And here’s the good news: You don’t need to guess anymore.
How I test my pages (without breaking my brain)
I use Thrive Optimize, which is built right into Thrive Architect. No third-party scripts. No confusing setups. Just:
Clone the page
Change the one thing you want to test
Set the goal (e.g. form submission, button click)
Go live and let it run
And the best part? It tells you which version is actually converting better — so you can stop hoping and start knowing.
FAQ: Creating a Lead Generation Website
1. What is a lead generation website?
A lead generation website is a site specifically designed to collect contact information from potential customers — like names and email addresses — so you can follow up with them and eventually turn them into paying clients. Unlike a basic brochure site, every page on a lead generation website is built to guide visitors toward taking one action: signing up.
2. What pages should a lead generation website include?
The must-have pages are:
A clear, conversion-focused homepage
A dedicated landing page for your lead magnet or offer
A persuasive thank you page
An engaging about page
A simple contact or booking page You can also include a blog or resource hub to bring in traffic and nurture leads over time.
3. What’s the best platform for building a lead generation website?
WordPress is the best platform for most businesses because it's flexible, scalable, and works with powerful lead generation tools like Thrive Suite. It gives you full control over your site’s design, performance, and functionality — especially when paired with tools like Thrive Architect, Thrive Leads, and Thrive Quiz Builder.
4. How do I increase conversions on my lead generation site?
To increase website conversions:
Use clear CTAs and benefit-driven headlines
Place lead capture forms in strategic locations (like above the fold and in blog posts)
Offer a valuable, relevant lead magnet
Optimize for mobile and test variations using tools like Thrive Optimize
Consistent testing and small tweaks can lead to big improvements in your conversion rate over time.
Conclusion: How to Create a Lead Generation Website That Works (Not Just Looks Nice)
If you’ve made it this far, here’s what you now know:
👉 How to create a lead generation website isn’t just about slapping a form on your homepage and calling it a day.
It’s about building a site that:
Speaks to the right people
Offers something they actually want
Guides them step by step toward one clear action
Follows up with value
And gets smarter over time through testing and optimization
You’ve set up the right foundation, mapped out your core pages, added tools that do the heavy lifting, and created a system that doesn’t just sit there — it converts.
Whether you’re selling digital products, offering services, or growing an audience for something big, your website can be your best-performing team member — if you build it that way.
💡 And you don’t have to do it alone.
I built mine using WordPress + Thrive Suite, and I genuinely recommend it to anyone who’s tired of patching together 10 different plugins and hoping they play nice. With everything working together — forms, quizzes, landing pages, A/B tests — I finally have a site that does its job (and then some).
💻 Get started now with Thrive Suite and build your lead generation site faster — and smarter.
Because traffic without leads? That’s just an expensive hobby. Let’s make your site actually earn its keep.
