Website traffic does not magically happen just because you launch your website! “Build it and they will come,” worked well as the theme in the movie “Field Of Dreams”, but that was a movie. In real life, it just is not so.
Why does this notion persist?
In the early days of the Web, it was almost true, there was a far greater demand for information than supply. Thus, if someone put up some half-way decent content, some website traffic (visitors) did come. To whatever extent it was true back then, it is nothing but a myth now. If you built your site believing in this myth you are probably a bit disappointed in your website’s performance.
That website traffic never really materialized.
Can you change this? In some cases, it may be best to start over, but check out the following to see where you stand, then take it from
there.
Purpose of the Website
Why does the site exist? “To make a profit” is not sufficient. Exactly what is the site expected to do? There are many good answers.
For example:
- To increase sales in my offline business.
- To grow an online business so that it becomes my full time job.
- Customer management
- Informational only
- Sell my products
“To make a profit” doesn’t cut it. To generate good website traffic, you must be detailed in what the site’s purpose is and clearly communicate that on the website.
Plan To Achieve the Goal of good Website Traffic?
You need a business plan of the same sort required in opening a store front on Main Street in your home town. This includes answering a host of questions, and preparing a statement sufficient to make your banker smile and reach for a pen when you ask for a loan. While you likely do not need a banker to open a website, you do need the same definitive plan required of any soon-to-be shopkeeper. Some of the questions you need to answer are:
- What is my target market? Whose attention are are trying to get? You must identify and understand the ‘group’ of people that you want to visit your website. The better you understand your audience, the better you understand how to communicate with them. Do they need quick information? Are they readers? For example, If your audience is more ‘visual’, you may want to use images, graphics and video more prominently.
- Consider your product, service, industry, and target audience and come up with some keywords to focus on throughout your website. The more narrowly you can focus, the more likely you are to rank higher on search engines. For example, instead of “Dog Lovers,” explore “Doberman Lovers.” The narrower the focus, the easier it is to position yourself, and your business, at the top of the ranks.
How will I reach them?
Search engines are still the biggest driver of website traffic for most and good back-links (one way links for related websites back to your website) are also very helpful with generating website traffic. Considering those facts, your marketing strategy is the key. Again, the narrower your focus, the easier it is to target your promotional efforts, including advertising. Social media is a great way to market your business or organization. Create a social media marketing strategy and it will help your brand recognition. Your marketing efforts should also extend beyond social media and the Internet as well. Traditional promotional strategies and tools should also be implemented to extend your brand and drive additional website traffic
What products or services will I market?
This question should really be answered prior to you deciding that you need a website. For those that are starting with the idea of an Internet business I will note; products or services you create will bring greater profits than those you market for others.
How To Build Or Modify Your Site
To build or modify your site, all begins with the domain names and product/services names appropriate to your target. If you are not using names that clearly bring a focus and define a benefit, you may need to change them. In any case this will be the initial point of attack. For the site itself, begin with pencil and paper. Rough out the content for each page including the ad copy which sells a specific product, or opens the door to other pages featuring separate products which taken together are a single profit center. One reason for organizing in this way is that if it becomes necessary, you can drop a profit center from your site without having to rebuild the whole of it. Since people may enter your site through any page, each needs to sell the business and the product specific to the page. That is, each page must grab reader attention, raise their interest and draw them quickly more deeply into the page and thus into the site. At any point interest lags, you may lose the visitor. So it is important to sustain, even increase intensity, as the page continues.
There is simply no point in creating even a single website page until your plan has been implemented on paper and the content for all pages …
1) Is properly targeted
2) Effectively positions both you and the product
3) Grabs and sustains reader interest.
Even if you have a good idea of how you want your pages to look, obtain the help of a graphic artists, web designer and /or photographer. A good one can indirectly provide powerful support by enhancing the key points of your plan in the website.
Once your site is up, the real task begins. Promotion. A never-ending task. But if your original plan is good, and it is implemented in your site, you have greatly increased the likelihood your promotional efforts will pay off handsomely.
If you are among those who have built a site that is not working, or not working well enough, there are really only two options. Build a plan as suggested above, with your present site in mind. If you can find ways to modify and expand your site to fit the needs of a good plan, go for it. But if you can’t, the only viable option is to start over. If you have to start over it’s not in vain. Take the time to build a good plan and a site to match, and you’ll soon be right where you want to be: On top!
Website traffic is very important for a successful website. If no ones knows you are there, they can patronize your business or get the information that you are offering. A well-planned website and a well thought-out marketing plan will take you a long way to that goal, but it requires some work and consistency to reach full potential. Remember that time plays a role as well… as your website ages, it increases in ‘authority’ to search engines and it increases in credibility to your target audience.
Author: Keith Barney
