Does More Website Traffic Continue To Elude You
You wonder why more website traffic continues to elude you. So you beef up your efforts like never before, in a desperate attempt to bring in more visitors. But perhaps the real problem is not the lack of new faces to your site. Maybe it has more to do with why you’re not taking more care of the potential customers you’ve already got.
How do you nurture those who sign up for your list – and why should you do it?
Well, apart from being a nice guy who really cares about them, let me remind you what happens, when you start to discuss a TV show you enjoy with your friends…
Say you all love fishing; and you discover you all love watching “Fishing the Flats,” with Henry Waschuk. You don’t need any encouragement to agree how great the show is, or how much you enjoy his fishing tips, the recipe the chef provides – and the incredible variety of amazing fish found off the Florida Keys, or further down South.
Do you love the show for his obvious skill and the things you learn there? Partly – because he really is skillful, and the show has a great, well-designed format, packed with value.
But it’s more than just the tips, or Henry Waschuk’s skill, that makes you feel like you’ve had a mini fishing vacation, when you take that half hour to watch it on Sunday mornings…
It’s More Than Just The Tips, Or The Expertise
… It’s Henry’s enthusiasm. His passion, his joy – and how he so obviously lives for the sport! He’s like a little kid always caught in Christmas Day (in the warm, sunny Florida coastal waters) – and what’s more, he’s the sort of outgoing, friendly kid who lives to share his best presents with you.
(Even his chef – who so quickly shows you that fabulous, mouth-watering fresh-catch recipe – mirrors that enthusiasm and keeps the mood – and the party – flowing right along.)
How long has it been, since you brought that sense of joy and adventure to your website? How long since you shared your toys with absolute wonder and gleeful delight? Or do you calculate, plot, weigh consequences – and dole out content to your reader, inch by reluctant inch?
You need to give them a reason to really want to come back to your website. You want them running up your driveway, every Sunday morning, eager to see what you’ve got to share, like Henry, today.
Rediscover What Made It Fun
That’s the missing lure you may need to put back into your marketing strategy, to get more traffic. Make the most of the readers you’ve got – and they’ll do the work for you!
That example I used about “Fishing the Flats” was a real one. As we sat there and discussed it, we quickly found out four people in our midst hadn’t yet discovered the show – but after listening to us, they quickly became avid fans!
Just think – if that happened with 400 groups, each gaining 4 more subscribers in 4 weeks – that TV show would have 1,600 new viewers per week.
And if those 1,600 new viewers go out and 400 of them get into conversations with other fishing buddies… well, you can already see where I’m going with this, I’m sure.
So look for those two qualities – genuine enthusiasm and generosity in sharing a passion – in your marketing journey. If they’re not there in yours, step back. Take a “vacation” for yourself until you rediscover what lights you up like Henry Waschuk, before you take another step.
After all, why kill yourself, working night and day to drag in new visitors – when your enjoyment could be the missing key element helping your current subscribers haul in an even greater catch!
Boost Your Credibility And Skyrocket Your Traffic By Article Submission
Web sites are made for surfers who read, scan and would want to know more about a particular topic or subject that they are looking for. Articles written for websites serve this particular purpose. But, believe it or not, surfers who search the web for relevant articles do so not by actually reading each and every article they encounter, they simply skim and scan over it.
It is discovered that only sixteen percent of users tested who regularly surf the web for information actually read every word of an article. A whooping seventy nine percent just scan it. All they do is choose among the many words in front of them and pick out the relevant words, phrases or sentences.
But, there is an exception though. In the same test, it was also discovered that articles that enjoyed a more than one hundred percent usability rating were articles that were concisely written, well-researched and objectively presented.
For articles that were average in content and form, this is where text scanning is definitely usable. Articles such as these would be easier to scan via keywords that are highlighted or in a different color or typeface.
What would it take then for an article to be easily readable enough at the same time be considered important? The following are basic tips to apply to a written article and to make it appear clear and comprehensible.
Apply sub-headings
Make sure to use sub-headings that are meaningful. Take note that these sub-headings need to be more contextual than cute or clever. Though making it cute is nice, a sub-heading that is more applicable and apt for the article’s topic is a more superior and enjoyable read than one who is striving only for cuteness.
Use bullets
Bullets that are made out into a list are an easier read than a lengthy list of paragraphs. It makes the article readable as it is straight to the point. Bullets should be short and snappy and must deliver the real deal. Not winding statements that really do not go anywhere.
A paragraph per idea
Users of the web are a very harsh bunch. They want a good read, a good article, and they want one fast and they want one good. So a paragraph that contains more than one idea will more likely cause their eyes to glaze over and intentionally skip these ideas especially if they find the first few words, phrases and sentence in the paragraph as not worthy of their attention.
Being credible is incredible
Credibility is the key ingredient for making an article stand out among the hundreds and thousands that proliferate over the internet. Since the web is a free for all medium, the source of information for a specific article maybe unclear at times making it sometimes a bit difficult to trust.
However, there are ways to increase the credibility of a given article. One of the many ways is through graphics that are of good quality. Another way is through the creation of outbound links in hypertext. Through this method, a user is able to connect to a link of another similarly related article thereby giving to users the impression that the article’s author did good homework is not clearly afraid to show other users similarly themed sites.
Boast it not
Writing that promotes and exaggerates a certain product, information or subject and putting out claims that such a product is, “the best thing ever” is very prevalent on the internet.
However, such articles do very little in the user’s perception as they process that this detail is a mere overstatement if not embellishment.
The best way to do it
According to a test conducted in measuring the usability of articles submitted to sites, it has been discovered that articles which were written in a succinct manner, had features and key words that are easily scannable as well as a style that is objective enjoyed a whooping one hundred and twenty four percent user rating compared to articles that were promotional in style (those who exaggerate). This type of articles have a usability rating of zero percent. Meanwhile, articles that were just concise had a fifty eight percent of user rating. Articles that were strictly objective had a twenty seven percent of user rating.
In summary, the more credibly valid an article is the greater and higher the probability that users will be more attracted to it, as well as the site that carries it.
Article may be freely published as long as the article, author’s name and Bio information with link remains in tack. If used for an e-course, please inform the author via email. The contact info can be found on her site.
