Seems like a simple enough question, right?
And maybe you jumped in and figured that the answer is a resounding “no.” Well, if you did leap to that conclusion you’re not alone… and not necessarily right, either.
That’s because NOT all website traffic is created equal.
In fact, there are two often-overlooked factors regarding website traffic that spell the difference between getting “garbage” traffic and targeted traffic.
Let me elaborate…
Sources of traffic
When it comes to getting traffic there are basically only 3 sources of online traffic:
- search engines
- social media
- other (online sources such as: blog post comments, forum posts, links or ads on other websites, etc.)
You can break that down further as well, such as “free” and paid traffic. But that really only includes the “how” you get them to your site from these sources, so let’s stick to the sources of traffic themselves.
When it comes to search engine traffic this occurs when your site gets found by someone actively searching for something.
And as you probably already know this is keyword dependent. So knowing the EXACT keywords people use when searching gives you the OPPORTUNITY to position your site to appear for searches RELEVANT to what you do or sell.
Makes sense, right?
Social media traffic is different, and involves people seeing your tweets or Facebook updates. And this typically involves your fans or followers seeing your updates (unless you’re paying for ads on these media platforms). And as you can imagine, social media is a good platform for staying in touch or updating existing customers, clients or people who already know you and have a relationship with you.
And this type of medium works well for businesses that rely on multiple transactions with customers throughout the year and allows them to send along announcements like specials, discounts and new product offerings.
But it’s generally not a reliable medium for getting new customers.
As for other sources, this tactic is generally based on “piggy-backing” off of the established position and traffic that another site (or other sites) already gets on a regular basis.
So what are the commonalities?
Getting “seen” by your potential customer or client while they are surfing, browsing or actively searching online.
What are they looking for?
Now, back to the original question which was, can getting less traffic result in more business?
And the answer is a resounding “yes” — provided, of course, that you are getting more TARGETED traffic to your site.
What do I mean?
Basically, very few sites have been optimized for ANY keywords. And many more businesses think they are targeting keywords, but when pressed about HOW they generated their keyword list the common answer is “I just wrote down what I thought people use when searching online.”
Which means they haven’t targeted any ACTUAL keywords.
Failure to target the RIGHT keywords is the number one reason why so many websites fail to generate any meaningful traffic.
Now, you might be asking why I’m focusing this part of the discussion on keywords and organic (i.e. search engine) traffic and not on the other 2 sources, and the answer is simple. Targeted traffic is the ONLY kind of traffic that matters. Period.
And generally speaking there are ONLY two sources of targeted traffic:
- organic search engine traffic that is keyword dependent
- paid traffic (including google and facebook, to name a few)
So, by knowing WHAT people are looking for as it relates to your business and HOW they express their need you…
- get market insight to better position your site to get found for searches relevant to your business
- gain a competitive advantage provided your website’s copy (i.e. the “what you say and how you say it”) addresses their need
And as you can imagine, most sites just don’t do this.
Most of the language you find on websites is all about the company and not about you — how long they’ve been in business, when they were founded, what their mission is. Who cares? Trust me, the guy or gal searching for you online couldn’t care less about any of this, because they are searching online for a solution to THEIR problem or THEIR need.
Got it?
All the traffic in the world can’t help a badly designed website win. And it all starts by getting the right traffic to your site and seeing what happens when folks finally find you…
Schedule a website review or consultation today
Since early 2008 I have worked with dozens of clients and helped them get more than they thought possible from their websites. And I know I can do the same for you…
There are three ways to schedule your FREE website audit:
- call 888-542-2936 and leave a voice message, including your name and URL, or…
- send an email to: support@bestwebpresence.com,
- or click the link and complete a short webform.
Online success starts by taking the first step…
Over the years I have helped clients to generate more leads and sales online. Period. To discover how I can improve your current web-marketing efforts to generate MEASURABLE results for you let me review your website, and then we can set up a time to discuss my analysis by phone.
