HOW TO GET MORE VISITORS TO YOUR WEB SITE
by John Graham
The Web is littered with thousands of dead sites abandoned by the disillusioned. It's
easy to spot them - they were last updated on their launch date. When a Web site has
been up for a while, this is a wake-up call that it's not working as it's supposed to.
The only visitors are either company employees or those who landed on the site by accident.
A familiar refrain is, "We've only had 632 visitors to our site in six months. What can
we do to get more traffic?" Next, someone starts making noise about "getting on the search
engines." A few years ago, this was nearly a sure-fire solution. However, with millions of
sites vying for attention, a single search can turn up thousands of hits. Few people pursue the search for
more than three pages and many abandon it after the first page.
Here are four proven ways for getting
people to visit and return to your site.
Keep on Promoting
Web site promotion is an "in your face" task. A significant percentage of advertising in The Wall Street
Journal is for Web sites, including full-page color ads. Major dot.com companies pay millions of dollars for
30-second television spots on Super Bowl Sunday.
List your Web site on everything: letterhead, business cards, calendars, note pads, invoices, ads, direct mail,
print and e-mail newsletters, posters, desk plaques, post cards, mouse pads, and even trucks. One oil-heat
dealer sticks large decals on the rear bumpers of its trucks to read: "Win $100 in free oil-visit federalheat.com."
Use "Magnets" to Attract Visitors
Why would anyone want to visit your site? If it's all about your agency, what you do, and what you sell, no
one will come and if they land on your site accidentally, they'll leave quickly. What unique information can you offer?
One maker of LCD projectors has a Web site that offers a mini-university on presentations. Many companies
send e-mail news alerts directing the recipient to a Web site for the complete text. One insurance-related
site offers an e-mail newsletter to risk managers and insurance agents, which states in a subtle way that
the company publishes risk management books and reports.
Make Use of Site Design Expertise
Designing a Web site requires expert knowledge, no matter what the software package says. Companies
mistakenly invest in "instant Web site software" or take advantage of someone's offer to build a site for
$239 or even $23,239 and everyone expects a miracle. Homemade sites look that way: amateurish and
unappealing. Many have copy that's riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. We even found one that
provided a link directly to the company's closet competitor.
A common refrain is, "at least we have a Web site." That's not good enough. An inadequate site is worse
than none at all because it represents wasted time and effort. If you allow shoddy workmanship on your Web site,
what does this say about the quality of your services? The issue is not about having a Web site. It's about
pulling in visitors and that requires sophisticated Web design.
Make a Commitment And Stick to It.
After getting a cost estimate to develop a Web site, the company president begins seeing invoices pile up. "What's happening?
This is costing four times what we expected." No amount of explanation can convince the decision maker that the expense is necessary.
A Web site is never finished. It's more like the evening news than a brochure. It needs to stay fresh,
interesting, and appealing and that takes a financial commitment and constant planning and updating.
The initial cost is relatively minor compared to the ongoing expense of maintaining the site properly.
CONCLUSION
Without question, the key to attracting visitors is repetition. A Web site that's out of sight is out of mind.
For some unknown reason, many businesspeople seem to view a Web site as an easy way to attract customers
when they should see it as an integral element in their marketing program.