Why should
you care about return
traffic? The secret of
an easy home business
web site's success is
just to traffic.. And
all you have to do is
to attract as many new
visitors as possible.
Right?
Wrong!
A site cannot
become truly popular unless
it appeals the new users
so much, that they decide
to come back again and
again, this is what I
call return traffic
I'm sure
you have favorite places
in the web where you stop
by every now and then
to get the information
and entertainment. We
all have, and we are part
of their return traffic.
So one of your important
goals as a webmaster is
to make your easy home
business site such a place,
that you start receiving
return traffic.
If you succeed
in building your return
traffic so, you can be
sure that your advertising
revenues will be higher,
and more products you
will sell.
WHY
IS RETURN TRAFFIC IMPORTANT?
Everybody in business
knows that it takes more
than one contact to make
a sale. The more times
people are exposed to
your message, the more
they tend to believe in
it.
If you sell banner advertising
space, the more visitors
you have, the more contacts
you can sell
A visitor that isn't ready
for you offer today, might
be ready for it the next
time he comes... Or when
the time is right.
Those who regularly visit
the same site (return
traffic), often mention
it to their friends. And
when people tell about
you to their acquaintances,
they start a traffic virus,
because they will spread
the word to their own
acquaintances and so on.
(Word-of-mouth is reputed
to be the primary source
of traffic for many sites).
And most probably they
too will become part of
your return traffic.
HOW
CAN YOU CREATE RETURN
TRAFFIC
The first one is obvious:
Have a great site! Filled
it with high quality content!
If you aren't 100% sure
on how to do it, you can
read: How
to Sell on the Web
is the best book you can
read about how to create
return traffic to your
site
Update it continuously
to retain the interest
of your visitors. Add
unique, fresh and interesting
content every now and
then, and if you can,
improve the content you
already offer to tempt
return traffic. (Do it
once or twice a month).
A good idea could be to
add a "What's new" page
or graphic, or somehow
inform your return traffic
about your recent developments.
Remind people to bookmark
your site. Remembering
Internet addresses is
difficult, so only bookmarks
can assure you that you
won't be losing return
traffic
Start a newsletter. Even
if people bookmarks your
site, they are unlikely
to ever return once they
leave. Editing a newsletter
takes a lot of work, but
gives large rewards in
return. If you can get
your visitors to subscribe
to your newsletter, when
you send them e-mail with
your newsletter, they
won't forget you, and
you won't be accused of
spamming.
Give something valuable
for free, and better yet
if you can give away every
month something different.
Open a discussion forum.
A well-moderated discussion
forum can become a good
source of return traffic
to your site. (Keep a
periodic surveillance
to remove offensive content).
And be careful, don't
start your forum if your
site isn't enough popular,
or else the forum won't
be frequented by many
users, and there will
be very few new messages
and very few return traffic.
If you want return traffic,
make your address easy
to remember. What's easier
to remember? http://members.fortunecity.com/bestcountrymusic/
or www.best-countrymusic.com
In places
like AdGrafix
and HostGator you can get your
own domain for a few dollars
a month. If you value
your site at all, go professional
and get your own domain.
It looks more serious
and reliable, and it's
easier to remember for
return traffic.
Written by Dr. Roberto A. Bonomi
