In the World Wide Web, visitor traffic to your website can make or break you. So naturally, you want to bring as many viable customers as possible to your humble website. If any of you are scratching your heads right now, this might be the perfect article to get you on the right track.

Whether you’ve re-launched your website, or desperately need some help in this department (True Local can help you with that), website metrics can teach you a few lessons on good business behaviour. So strap yourselves in, take some notes, and let’s find out how you can elevate your website game in 2018.

Know what to measure 

Sure, you can track every single metric on Google Analytics, but if you don’t know what they mean, it’s all a big waste of time.

Here’s the top conversion metrics you should be following if you’re keen to grow your traffic:

1. New/Unique Visitor Conversion: The way a first-time visitor interacts with your site is vastly different from how a repeat customer does, so knowing what first-timers are seeing, and what first impressions you’re making can be a good indicator of your website’s appeal.

2. Return Visitor Conversions: If you’ve got returning customers, then what made them come back, and why weren’t they convinced of your services the first time around? Repeat visitors are a good sign that you’ve made an impression, but now you need to work out how to convert them into paying customers. Consider a pop-up discount to offer returning visitors an incentive to ‘buy now!’

3. Behaviour: What pages are visitors looking at, how long do they spend on each page, and which pages are proving the most engaging? All these metrics can help you up the ante and draw customers in.

4. Bounce rate: Are visitors leaving your website immediately after landing? This can be a sign that your website needs some improvements in order to keep customers with you. True Local has a powerhouse digital toolkit to help make sure your website looks sharp.

5. Exit pages: Bounce rates don’t always come from your homepage, so it’s good to identify where most visitors leave. If it’s the stage of your final call to action, you’ll need to reevaluate what you’re asking customers to do, and if it could be presented in a more appealing way.

6. Value per visit and cost per conversion: By dividing the number of visits by the total cost value created, you can see how valuable each new visit is to your business. You’ll then benefit from looking at how much your lead generations are costing you. Even if your conversion rates and value are high, if your income is zero, you’re still losing out.

So how can you score better traffic?

Based on the metrics you’re measuring, you should be able to identify areas that need work. If you’re not confident in making these changes yourself, a qualified expert like those at True Local have all the answers to help your online business boom.

These tips are a good place to start:

• Don’t make people click too much: Each page should have a direct link or call to action. If people need more than three clicks to find/buy something, you’ve already lost them.
• Make each page count: Every page on your website needs a purpose for existing, whether it’s brand philosophy, contact pages, or product shopping. Don’t waste people’s time with nonsensical content.
• Tell them what to do: If someone’s on your site, it means they’re interested, so don’t make them guess what your end goal is. Encourage them to purchase or book your services at various spots across the website.