Why Should I Visit Your Website?

If we can't attract visitors to our websites there's little point in having them in the first place. But with millions of sites already available and thousands of new sites being launched daily, ask yourself why would anybody want to visit your site?

To find the answer to that question, turn it around and ask yourself why you choose to visit the sites you visit. Of those same millions of sites, only a tiny percentage will ever be graced by your clicks. Why? What made you land on those and not others?

Here are my 10 reasons for visiting websites.

1. I did a Google search.

Google is without doubt the world's most popular search engine. Make sure your site's listed and learn as much as you can about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) so that your site stands a good chance of getting to the top of the search results list.

After all, if somebody searches for "Green Bananas Rock Group" and that's what your site's about, you don't want to be listed on page 17 do you? Absolutely nobody is going to browse that far to find what they're after.

2. I followed a link from another site.

Contact webmasters of sites that are somehow relevant to yours without being actual competitors and ask to swap reciprocal links.

For the sake of that all important Google placement it would be nice to get one-way links coming into your site without needing to reciprocate but you can hardly ask for those and any link is better than no link at all.

3. I was looking for information

Everybody's heard that "content is king" and as cliché-ed as it's become, it's still very true.

Let's say you have a site that sells underwear. Add some articles about the history of different types of underwear, how they're made, any anecdotes involving undies and anything else you can think of. No matter what your subject is there's always something that can be written about it.

If you can't write yourself you can always find a freelancer and have them either write a few articles for you. Remember, sloppy writing will give a negative impression of your service so make sure anything you write is correctly spelled and punctuated.

4. To meet friends

Discussion forums are great places for people to 'hang out' in and extremely popular.

If the "Green Banana Rockers" have a decent sized following, why not create a forum where their fans can discuss their career, ask questions and just have fun?

Whether you want to host your own forum or use one of the free remotely hosted forums is up to you. Either way there's some great software available.

5. Because I wanted to buy something

If you're selling something, make sure it's easy to find and order. Too many sites make the ordering process more complicated than it ought to be and lose customers simply because they don't want to have to keep clicking.

One click to the product list, one click to the product, one click to put product in basket and one to check out. Possibly one more to go to the secure payment if your payment system is offsite but that's it.

Some webmasters expect visitors go click 4-5 times just to check out AFTER adding their products to the basket. That's just too much to expect. There's always a competitor ready to grab your customers away from you so design YOUR site to be the one that's most attractive to use.

6. A friend recommended the site

Make sure you have a way of letting visitors recommend your site to others.

There are lots of free scripts available that will do the job and most are very simple to set up.

7. I received an e-card

Having attractive e-cards on your site that are somehow related to the subject matter is always a good idea.

A dozen or so pictures of the "Green Bananas" that visitors can send to their fellow fans would go down a treat and drive more traffic your way.

8. I fell for the lure of a freebie

Sad, but true - it's amazing how a freebie can draw a crowd. It doesn't have to be something super-duper out of this world fantabadistic, either.

If you're knowledgeable on a particular subject you could write an e-book to give away. E-books have the added advantage of being advertisements for your site so whoever gets the freebie isn't going to forget where it came from.

As long as you have a service visitors would normally need to pay for, free membership is another good give-away.

9. I entered a competition

Everybody likes to be a winner so why not give you visitors the chance to be one?

If your site is aimed at the local community you could contact local businesses and ask for them to sponsor a prize. If your target visitors are the Internet community you could do the same thing but contact net shops.

If you can't get a sponsor you could offer an Amazon voucher or similar as the prize. In all probability what the voucher costs you will be a very cheap form of advertising when seen in relation to the increased visitor numbers thanks to the competition.

10. Because I had it in my bookmarks

If your site's regularly updated with fresh, interesting content and/or new products, has a lively discussion forum or gives visitors something else they want, they'll keep coming back for more.

Try running the occasional survey to find out what your visitors want. That way you'll know what you need to improve, what to add more of, what you can forget and concentrate of fine tuning your site to knock spots off the competition.

Very few websites are overnight successes, and those that are have huge corporations behind them ploughing vast amounts of money into advertising.

Average Joe, however, will need to use every trick available to make sure his site's found so please don't ever let anybody tell you it's just a matter of designing a site, putting it on the web and then sitting back waiting for things to happen. It really isn't that easy. BUT don't be put off, either. Driving traffic can be fun and fulfilling and watching your site grow and thrive makes it all worth it.

__________

About the Author

Sharon Jacobsen is a freelance writer living in South Cheshire, England. She's been designing and running websites since 1994 when she made her very first site, all about dogs. The site was very basic compared to what we see these days but then the web was a very different place back then. To contact Sharon or to learn more about her work, please visit http://www.sharon-jacobsen.co.uk

---

The Most Profitable Product In The World You Can Ever Sell!

Thank goodness, the most profitable product in the world you... Read More

Online Marketing Success Formulas?

Quit your job, pack up and restart your life online.... Read More

Internet Marketing Strategies

The right strategies to win a share of the Internet... Read More

10 Resourceful Ways to Recycle Digital or Small-ticket Products

Have your product sales slowed down? Do you want to... Read More

Five Ways to Quadruple a Websites Revenue

Many website owners all too often give up on their... Read More

Niche Marketing and Finding Your Way to Profits

If you haven't heard the word 'niche' being batted around... Read More

12 Benefits of Internet Marketing for Your Business

1. Far Cheaper and Much More Flexible Than Print AdvertisingThe... Read More

Ive Started My Own Online Business...Now What?

People ask me this question all the time! The "Now... Read More

Capture Names - They Are Like GOLD Nuggets!!

A landing page is used to capture people's details when... Read More

Viral Marketing:10 High-Impact, Viral Marketing Strategies,To Explode Your Sales

Hello, do you have any website that is not bringing... Read More

How To Build a Successful Online Reputation

After running an online business (web site design) for a... Read More

Basic Rules For Effective Email Marketing

If you want an email campaign to succeed, you don`t... Read More

Internet Marketing

What is Internet Marketing?Internet Marketing is application of Internet and... Read More

Income Producing Tasks and The Fluff!

Think about everything you can do in your business that... Read More

The Most Important Aspect Of Internet Marketing Ever

Hi there,It is still scary to see how many internet... Read More

How to Make Money with Your Own Internet Business

Many people fail to realize how they can really make... Read More

5 Surefire Ways to Increase Sales

The Internet has changed how people do their business. Even... Read More

Six Little Used Online Marketing Strategies

1. Utilize Your KnowledgeDo you have extensive knowledge in a... Read More

Internet Marketing: 5 Innovative Internet Marketing Strategies To Generate Tons Of Orders

There are two different groups of online marketers.First group: those... Read More

Website Marketing: 10 Smart Ways To Profit In An Uncertain Economy

When the economy is booming, you may do well in... Read More

How to Make Money Online...Driving your Car.

Here's an alluring income generating strategy, that's widely adopted by... Read More

3 Steps To Online Marketing Competence!

Whoever said knowledge is power, was wrong.Way too many people... Read More

Learning More About Your Customers to Achieve Maximum Online Profits!

Knowing about the people who buy your products or use... Read More

Profiting From the Online Business: Tips to Boost Your Sales

Creating a lucrative online business is not an easy task.... Read More

Limited Time Offers ? Time Limits That Will Improve Your Sales

Using limited time offers can spark a feeding frenzy that... Read More