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I ask myself this question everyday.
At our company I look at traffic all the time. Right now, everyone is caught-up in search traffic and how it has gone to [secured search] since the recent Google Update – Hummingbird. In order to answer this question about getting more traffic, I need to understand what traffic I am currently getting. Here is a closer look at some traffic data.
Today, you need to look at two types of traffic. New versus Returning
- At the company I work with, the number of new visitors is 20% of the entire total.
- On my blog site, (this site) , the number of new visitors is 80% of the entire total.
Now you look at those figures and you can draw some conclusions:
(Company Site) Many of our clients come to our site everyday to access their result data. We want to see numbers like this to insure that our current clients are keeping in touch with us. This percentage has remained stable for the last 6 years. Overall, the number of visits have gone up. These statistics show a healthy, growing company.
(Marketing Blog Site) I am trying to grow professionally and reach a wider audience everyday to get my name out there. My new to returning used to be 95%. So I am starting to get some return visitors.
Now you can break this traffic down into more categories by device, browser, bounce rate, location,etc. I dig more into the details when I notice the above figures changing over a period of a week.
By defining your traffic to start with helps you focus your content more on what you should be communicating. On the Marketing Blog Site, I am focusing on the latest topics affecting marketers and I am actively trying to be a part of the discussion. On the Company site, I am spending time on creating more content and resources on the company website to help keep current clients wanting more information. Some information is password protected and other information is available to others. It is all about client data and I am trying to present it in a way that is helpful and meaningful.
**One additional note, I think too many companies rest on their laurels and believe if they have an 80% return rate they are safe. It is for this reason that I also maintain a Company Blog Site on a different platform that helps me always attract new clients and is not so tied in with the figures from the company site. This site represents another channel to help me seek out new clients. It has a new visitor rate of 70%. This is important to always produce content that brings in a new audience.
Now that we have looked at the numbers, you need to really look at ways to bring in more traffic. I would suggest the following:
- Blog site – The most effective way to gain more traffic.
- Offer promotions on your company webiste
- Be active on social media
- Pictures and more pictures
- Videos
You need to find a medium that works for you. You do not have to be in everyone of these areas, but you need to get in, try some things and measure the results over time. (3- 6 months) If you only look short-term, (1 – 10 days) you will get frustated. It takes time to get traffic. Yes, once in awhile something will go viral, but you need to put everything in perspective.
Google Analytics is great for analyzing your data and you will receive all kinds of data. It is what you do with the data that counts. Remember, analyze what traffic you are currently receiving and take steps to write content to meet the needs of your current traffic.
Image courtesy of EA/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net
