Whether you are just starting out, or have a good amount of experience in online marketing, there comes a time when we ask ourselves, “can I get more website traffic?”
As with any project in any area of our lives, to get the best results we must start with proper planning. The long route, taking the necessary time to plan things out, turns out to be the short route in disguise.
Creating a Traffic Building Plan
Before you decide whether to use free traffic, paid traffic, or a combination of the two, it is advisable to do some research and due diligence in how to approach the traffic issue, specifically in relation to your target market and website/landing page.
Once you have your website or landing page built, we need to create a traffic plan built around a few basics such as: search engine optimization (SEO), social media presence, placement of internet ads, creating good publicity for your product/service/website by having links to your site from well-known and popular pages, and creating a desirable brand for yourself and your business.
These are all important ingredients in getting more traffic to your site, but these are all predicated on having a strong foundation in place, and that foundation is built on value and flow.
Creating Value and Flow
In order to get targeted traffic (people interested in what you have to offer and will stick around long enough to get convinced) which has a higher probability to “convert” into buyers, it is important to design your pages so that value is recognized in the first ten (10) seconds a visitor arrives, and then reinforced for another ten (10) seconds, so that some interest may be created.
If a visitor stays on your website for longer than twenty (20) seconds, the percentages increase rapidly that this visitor may subscribe or buy.
If you have been in the online world for any length of time, you will have heard that “Content is King”. Good content creates value (Value of current page and potential Value of other pages), which then translates into Flow.
When there is a balance between how difficult it is to use a website and the rewards gained from that website, flow is more likely to occur. Flow is when a person hits your site and gets so involved in it that time just flies. The person is so engaged that nothing else that is going on matters. They are totally enjoying themselves.
This is a very Critical Point in the marketing process. When a person has attained the State of Flow, “Impulse” is very likely to take over, and inhibitions and caution fade away. This person then is more likely to purchase what you have to offer, or opt-in to your list.
For this to occur your site has to be of value, which creates interest, as well as easy to navigate; interest overrides any difficulty in navigation.
Understanding Precedes Action
To become or remain an effective internet marketer, it is very important to understand the ins and outs of traffic on the web. Foremost, traffic consists of human beings like ourselves and our family and friends. We all have interests, feelings, and desires that are most important to us.
By putting ourselves in their space, we realize that it is all about what they are looking to find to solve their individual challenges and problems, and not what we want them to find, or what we want to sell them.
Valuable content and ease of use will get your target market’s attention and interest. By properly positioning your site within the flow of internet traffic, you have greatly increased your odds of attracting the type and quantity of traffic to whom you may provide the most benefit.