The most commonly asked question of me is “How can I get more traffic to my website?“…
After which I immediately follow with “What are you going to do with it?“…
At this point I generally receive blank stares followed by a request to elaborate.
Here’s the thing – most website owners think that getting “hits” to their website is the most important thing in a web strategy. They don’t care what they are going to do with new visitors – just that they come.
This is a fundamental flaw in your web strategy. Granted – traffic is important but the most critical aspect in your web strategy is doing something with the traffic you get. By “doing something” – we mean accomplishing and executing on your website’s goals (you do have goals for your website, right?).
What’s the point of getting an extra thousand visitors to your site if you aren’t doing anything with them? If they aren’t signing up for your email list, buying your widget, leaving a comment, subscribing to your RSS feed, or whatever – than what’s the point?
Why do you need to generate more traffic when are doing nothing with the traffic you are getting now?
Our colleague Brian Kaldenberg maintains the idea of “It’s easier to double your conversion rate than to double your website’s traffic”. What he means is that it’s easier to optimize your website to meet your goals than it is to get more people to come to your site. It could also be more profitable…
Lets get technical…
All of this data can be found inside your web analytics.
Let’s assume your business, Acme INC, sells a single widget for $97. Currently, your conversion rate – percentage of website visitors who end up buying your widget – is 3%. And let’s say you get 2,000 visitors to your website every month. If we do the math…
- 2,000 visitors * .03 conversion rate = 60 widgets/mo sold on your website
- 60 widgets * $97/ea = $5,820/mo revenue generate by your website
So what Brian is saying above is that it will be easier to increase your conversion rate to 6% than it is to increase your website’s traffic to 4,000 visitors per month. Here comes more math
If you Acme INC doubles their conversion rate to 6%…
- 2,000 visitors * .06 conversion rate = 120 widgets/mo sold
- 120 widgets * $97/ea = $11,640/mo
But guess what – you can optimize your website RIGHT NOW and increase your conversion rate. Doubling the traffic to your website will take a lot of hard work, great content, advertising, and patience (like years). Both are important – but don’t you think Acme INC would like a 6% conversion rate BEFORE they double their traffic?
- 4,000 visitors * .03 = 120 => $11,640/mo
- 4,000 visitors * .06 = 240 => $23,280/mo
For Acme INC doubling their conversion rate before they generate more traffic is a difference of 12,000/mo … doubling their revenue.
Wrapping Up
Back to our main point… Instead of asking “How can I get more traffic to my website”, you should be asking “How can I convert more of my website traffic into my goals”.
Once you’ve optimized for conversion – than you should start generating more traffic. Look at the numbers and make data driven decisions.
If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments or jump into the forums!
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