The Traffic Obsession - Why Focusing Too Much On Traffic Will Cost You
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Everybody knows that the most important thing for a website to be successful is getting lots of traffic, right? Well, assume crash position and remember that your seat cushion can be used as a flotation device, because there's a bubble about to burst all over your traffic obsession.
Maybe more than any other example of Internet marketing claptrap, the widely held belief that traffic should be your #1 priority has done more damage to unsuspecting site owners than any other advice. The reason this is usually really poor advice is because of the implications of one crucial question: What happens when that traffic gets to your site?
Be honest - have you ever really considered the answer to that question? Have you ever tried to see your site (warts and all) through the eyes of someone who has no vested interest in it and has never seen it before? It's an exercise a shockingly small percentage of site owners ever even think about, let alone pursue. But it can make all the difference in your success!
What I'm talking about here is switching your obsession from traffic, traffic, traffic to conversions, conversions, conversions. There's little point in working hour after hour to get visitors to go to your site when they turn right around and leave without doing anything that helps make you more money. We all know the famous quotation attributed to either Ben Franklin or Albert Einstein: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." That's more or less what you're engaged in if your focus is so heavily on traffic that it's at the expense of getting good results from all of those visitors.
To use an analogy from another famous saying that's been around for over 2,000 years (Cicero), it's "putting the cart before the horse." It's doing things in the wrong order.
First, focus on converting as many visitors as possible into buyers (or subscribers, members, ad clickers, etc.). Figure out how to structure your website and how to write the content in such a way that you know before you start spending all those hours driving a stampede whether it will be worth all that effort. Nothing kills motivation faster than realizing you've wasted all that time (and maybe a lot of money) sending traffic to a dud of a website. Don't let that happen to you! Avoid the traffic obsession.
What you want to do instead is focus on giving your visitors a great experience on your pages:
Once you've got your site set up in that way, only then should you start to work on getting traffic. And be sure to have something like Google Analytics set up so that you can track where your visitors come from and what they do once they get to your site. That's absolutely essential!
Your site will convert at a higher rate. That's what you should really be obsessed about! Think about how satisfying it will be to know that you can turn on the traffic spigot and your income will increase accordingly. Don't put the cart (traffic) before the horse (conversions).
If you found this article instructive, you should sign up for instant access to my Free Internet Marketing Training Videos at http://www.weeklyimvideos.com right now. Each week, I'll cover a different Internet Marketing topic in a step-by-step, easy-to-follow fashion. It's totally free and you can watch the first series of short videos instantly if you sign up right now!
Maybe more than any other example of Internet marketing claptrap, the widely held belief that traffic should be your #1 priority has done more damage to unsuspecting site owners than any other advice. The reason this is usually really poor advice is because of the implications of one crucial question: What happens when that traffic gets to your site?
Be honest - have you ever really considered the answer to that question? Have you ever tried to see your site (warts and all) through the eyes of someone who has no vested interest in it and has never seen it before? It's an exercise a shockingly small percentage of site owners ever even think about, let alone pursue. But it can make all the difference in your success!
What I'm talking about here is switching your obsession from traffic, traffic, traffic to conversions, conversions, conversions. There's little point in working hour after hour to get visitors to go to your site when they turn right around and leave without doing anything that helps make you more money. We all know the famous quotation attributed to either Ben Franklin or Albert Einstein: "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results." That's more or less what you're engaged in if your focus is so heavily on traffic that it's at the expense of getting good results from all of those visitors.
To use an analogy from another famous saying that's been around for over 2,000 years (Cicero), it's "putting the cart before the horse." It's doing things in the wrong order.
First, focus on converting as many visitors as possible into buyers (or subscribers, members, ad clickers, etc.). Figure out how to structure your website and how to write the content in such a way that you know before you start spending all those hours driving a stampede whether it will be worth all that effort. Nothing kills motivation faster than realizing you've wasted all that time (and maybe a lot of money) sending traffic to a dud of a website. Don't let that happen to you! Avoid the traffic obsession.
What you want to do instead is focus on giving your visitors a great experience on your pages:
- Work on putting your purchase links, opt-in boxes, or membership sign-up buttons in prominent locations on your pages.
- Write content that pushes and encourages visitors to take actions that will benefit you (more orders, sign-ups, etc.).
- Keep your focus on why taking those actions will benefit the visitor - not you!
Once you've got your site set up in that way, only then should you start to work on getting traffic. And be sure to have something like Google Analytics set up so that you can track where your visitors come from and what they do once they get to your site. That's absolutely essential!
It is through a combination of knowing your visitors' habits and making constant changes and tweaks to your site that you will be rewarded with more conversions when the big traffic starts arriving.
Your site will convert at a higher rate. That's what you should really be obsessed about! Think about how satisfying it will be to know that you can turn on the traffic spigot and your income will increase accordingly. Don't put the cart (traffic) before the horse (conversions).
If you found this article instructive, you should sign up for instant access to my Free Internet Marketing Training Videos at http://www.weeklyimvideos.com right now. Each week, I'll cover a different Internet Marketing topic in a step-by-step, easy-to-follow fashion. It's totally free and you can watch the first series of short videos instantly if you sign up right now!