Sexy photo catch your eye? It brought you to this post on this site. That would be “traffic.” Going to sign up for a sensuous photo shoot with Lolo’s Boudoir? That would be “conversion.” Want the full-length shot? Scroll down.
My partner John Muldoon at The Watermark Group is constantly talking to me about “traffic” and “conversion.” So it was with great fanfare that I found the post over at Copyblogger, “Should Your Content Aim for Traffic or Conversion?” Read the article and then apply it to your own site. Are you Cosmo or The New Yorker? People Magazine or The Economist? The splashy headlines of the grocery store checkout lines or the 14-page essay on the economy? What do you want to be? What’s better for your business?
Put in simple terms, is your content useful? Or it is just light hearted and fun? Can it be both? Let’s do a quick analysis of my own site: likoma.com.
Traffic
What posts bring the traffic to my site? According to the stats, here are the top two.
Hot Flashes Sexy Stories
In the traffic-getting arena, there’s one post that gets lots of traffic to my site: Hot Flashes Sexy Stories. I’ll give you one guess which term earns that traffic … but does it help my site? Does it benefit my readers? Well, I do get more traffic, but is it the sort of traffic I want? Are they going to buy my services, sign up for my newsletter, or leave a useful comment? Probably not. Who does it benefit? Well, it does get my site more traffic, so I’m going to guess that that’s a good thing. I also know that it brings some traffic over to Linda Watanabe McFerrin and Laurie King at their book site. So that’s a good thing. Hey, they’re still selling a book and I’m helping them sell it, right? Just happens to be a, uh, catchy title … ;-) Yes, Lolo’s Boudoir did the cover photo of the woman by the mirror.
Using Google Apps email for [email protected]
Here’s another high-traffic post on my site: Using Google Apps email for [email protected]. I read somewhere that millions of people change their email hosting to Google Apps every single month. Wow. So people are searching how to get this done, how to set up the MX records, the A records, the DNS info. Whoa, the wha? Exactly. So the video walk through on this post gets lots of hits. Helpful for people out there looking to make the switch. Does this help me? Well, indirectly. They’re not hiring me to do this for them (although I do it for my clients), but they get to my site and maybe sign up for my newsletter in anticipation of more helpful posts like this. Maybe they’ll leave a comment thanking me for the post. Great, that’s all good. This actually battles Sexy Stories for the top spot since you asked … ;-)
Conversion
Buy Domain from GoDaddy
This post actually has a bit of both: traffic and conversion. It gets traffic because it’s helpful: how to buy a domain from GoDaddy. Doesn’t sound like a difficult process, but the video actually helps you get through the shopping cart without buying the kitchen sink. It’s ranked quite well when you search Google for buy domain godaddy. So how does this then “convert”? If people get to this link, watch the video, then click on the link to get to the GoDaddy site, they’re using my affiliate link and I’ll make a small (read: microscopic) commission on the sale. How can I get this post to become stronger, get more traffic, and thus more conversion? Aha, that’s the big secret! What’s the answer? If I only knew … but I think the answer lies partly in the Copyblogger article: useful content on your site so your site becomes stronger, more believable, a trusted source.
Fast WordPress Hosting at Host Gator
Another conversion post on my site is Fast WordPress Hosting at Host Gator. I use–and love–Host Gator as one of the best hosting option for WordPress. They use cPanel, they’re reliable, and most of all: fast. They have great customer service, have real people who answer the phone to help you, and are low cost. Is there really more to say? This is a conversion post because of the same affiliate link idea–I make a few bucks if someone gets to my site, clicks on the HostGator link and goes and buys hosting.
What kind of traffic is working for you? Do you lure them to your site with the high-traffic content and then cross your fingers? Or steer them to your site with some tasty morsels but also give them the juicy catch of the real goods?
Project Questionnaire
Conversion doesn’t have to directly translate into immediate dollars. If someone goes to your contact page or your project questionnaire page, that’s a lead. That may be the beginning of a project or a business relationship. That’s conversion, too.
Speaking of the real goods, check out Lolo’s Boudoir and look into a photo shoot for yourself–or maybe as a gift for your someone special. This isn’t your average boudoir photo session! The press is hot for Lone.
Mention Likoma and get $100 off on any package (valid until Dec 1st).
Here are just a few more from Lone’s photo shoots. We had a hard time selecting which photo to use as the main shot. Had to look through quite a few …
Hooray Bradley! This is my new favorite post on your site.
You’re right, traffic and conversions can make the difference between a successful site or a flop.
Oddly enough, they’re not the factors most people use when judging whether they like a website or not. The average person looks for great design, memorable domain name, catchy graphics. That’s all good stuff.
But…let’s think of a website as a brick and mortar store:
-Building for Traffic determines whether your store is downtown or in the middle of the woods.
-Building for Conversions determines whether you hide the cash register or not.
Get both of them right and you’re in business, and you’ll get to stay in business, too. Not bad.
Cheers,
John
Thanks for the brick and mortar analogy, John. Always helpful to relate it to the retail world.
I think this is my new favorite post, too …