However, as an online business are you making the most of those leads when they come to you?

Take a moment to imagine the person who has just completed your online form sitting at their computer. They have just hit the send button. Now what are they doing?

They are waiting - waiting for you to respond.

How quickly do you respond?

In a recent survey by Insidesales.com and Omniture the following, quite startling facts were unearthed:

• Average email response time: 19 hours, 31 minutes
  *Optimum response time should be within the first hour
• Average phone response time: 36 hours, 57 minutes
  *Optimum phone response time should be within the first five minutes
• How many companies even responded?
  *Only 47.3 percent responded via email, and just 7.5 percent responded via phone!

That doesn't make good reading.

The internet offers almost instant search results therefore internet users expect fast reaction times from companies on the internet. Recently I sent an email enquiry to a local business - it took them 2 weeks to respond and that's not acceptable in anyone's book.

So how can you make sure you are making the most of the leads that come to you through your website?

Here are 5 tips you can use to make your business more effective at making the most of your web enquiries.

1. Analytics

Analytics are the closest thing you'll get to a crystal ball. They will show you where your traffic is coming from, what keywords are providing the most leads etc. Use this data to determine which sources provide you with the highest amount of converting traffic and ensure you do everything in your power to boost that source.

2. Lead forms

If you use a web based lead generation form (i.e. a form for your customers to complete when enquiring about your services), how effective is it?

If you're asking a large number of questions you may be diluting the effectiveness of it. After all, how many people are going to want to sit for hours completing an online form?

Make sure the questions you ask are relevant and valuable - if any aren't, ditch them.

3. Offer

Your website is nothing without an offer. But is that offer relevant and tempting?

If you find your leads are dipping, take a look at your offer. Try something new and compare results. Only through this constant testing can you define what it is that your customers see as a valuable offer.

4. Lead distribution

The chances are that within your company different people will be dealing with different leads. So how do you facilitate that at the moment? Are they printed off when someone has time and placed on desks? Do they eventually get forwarded on via email when someone has a moment?

As I've already said internet users want instant results. Use a system that automatically distributes the leads to the relevant people. That way they will receive a response instantly.

5. Be faster

Although left until last, this one is the most obvious. All you have to do to make your web leads more effective is respond to them quicker.

Even if that means sending an instant holding email that tells the person you'll be in touch within 24 hours. Of course, if you do send a message like that make sure contact is made within the specified time.

If someone out there has taken the time to find your website, read what you have to say and complete your online form the least you can do is respond to them quickly. Do that and you'll gain a great reputation and quality leads.