IS NOT All ABOUT TRAFFIC -I posted this in another forum and it caused a little bit of controversy

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I posted this in another forum and it caused a little bit of controversy I'd like to hear your thoughts


"Traffic is the Lifeblood of your business, but Conversions is the Heart Of your business.

Everyone is going nuts about Traffic. And I don't think is the most important thing. I think Traffic is the means to an end and that end should be Profits & Conversions

Every time I get asked how to drive more traffic to their website, my first response is:

How are you using your site's current traffic?

Most people think volume of traffic equals amount of money and while it's true that it takes traffic to make a website profitable, it's not about the quantity of traffic but rather the quality of the traffic and what happens when those visitors reach that website.

I always say that you can substantially increase the profits and the leads generated by your website without any change in traffic.

Increasing the traffic to a website that does not convert will NOT do any good for your business. Sure, you may get some new clients due to the shear volume of the communication, but that will never be enough

On the other hand, if you increase the conversions on your site and optimize the process your visitors go through once they get there, you can significantly improve the effectiveness of your site and increase your profits
You've probably heard the Traffic is the Lifeblood of your business and I AGREE 100% but Conversions is the Heart Of your business. "Conversions" is the machine that moves your traffic and turns them into profits.



I'd like to hear you thoughts"
#main internet marketing discussion forum #bit #caused #controversy #forum #traffic
  • [DELETED]
  • I agree with your thoughts, conversions will always be the heart of any business. But traffic is always given priority first as there will be no conversions if there is no traffic.


    Andrea
  • You're right but don't forget that without traffic you wouldn't be worried about conversion
    • [1] reply
    • Yes I completely agree, Its just that lately I've encountered many people who are TOO focused on traffic but aren't really making the most out of that traffic.

      Too many "black holes" for visitors specially in non IM niches. I believe that you absolutely NEED traffic, but I would test conversions with a bit of traffic and the once I have a good idea of how a site is going to convert then scale up the traffic.

      My advice, before you spend a lot of time or money on driving traffic, test your conversions

      Thanks
  • I don't see any controversy in that post. Targeted traffic is what you want and like you pointed out, a site with a strong and convincing call to action so that it converts well.

    I am a big believer in making the most of the traffic that you do get.
    • [1] reply
    • Yeah I don't know why it caused controversy either.
      I agree 100% with you
      • [1] reply
  • Banned
    I'm not at all surprised it caused some controversy elsewhere.

    I imagine that some/many of the people who disagreed with it are the same ones who (if/when they do article marketing) imagine that trying at all cost to increase their click-through rate as much as possible is the most sensible approach. And a lot of people do think that.
    • [1] reply
    • C'mon, you've posted this on 5 sites...

      ~Bill
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • No Traffic = No Conversions. But I totally do agree with you that conversions ARE very important too and there is a over-emphasis on traffic, when they should be equally important.
    • [1] reply
    • No conversions = No money or lost money & Time in traffic
      • [1] reply
  • Well said... People put to much time and effort into increasing their traffic online when simple changes to their website can bring huge increases in conversion and profits.
  • Doesn't all that kinda go without saying? I thought that was perfectly well understood by everyone. No conversions=no sales and you can have as much traffic as you like
    • [1] reply
    • I agree

      I think Traffic is Vital but it is the means to an end so when I say is not all about traffic I mean Traffic is Very Important but it is only the vehicle to get where you want.
  • I'm finding that many, not all who are only worried about traffic because they feel it will bring in more sales are not really thinking like a true business person.

    Any business person with half a brain knows that getting people in the door is only a particular segment in the sales process.

    That's like paying for a bill board that say, Come to my store but don't buy my stuff! Its a waste of, time, effort and money.

    Learn to convert, then scale up the traffic, obviously.

    PS: Damn! Learn to convert! As I typed that I thought, crap that's a great domain name! Snapped it up!!!
    • [1] reply
    • I will be checking on that to see if you put any decent info on it! I need to learn how to do that.
      • [2] replies
  • This has been a battle that I have fought for years.

    I am an offline marketer and have been for 37 years.
    I've been coaching small businesses since 1995.

    No matter how many prospects you send to a business
    either online or offline if the business doesn't have it's
    act together they won't see results.

    AND there is the rub. As a small business coach you would
    be amazed at how times it's your advice that didn't work not
    their lack of conversion systems.

    What I have done to eliminate that problem and objection
    is to set up the clients expectations right up front. They
    know going in what they have to do and it's in writing.

    I have walked away from $2500 per month retainers
    because the client wasn't doing his part. The last
    thing you need is a business owner telling other business
    owners at the next chamber meeting that your system
    doesn't work.
  • Thanks a lot
    I appreciate it

    Take Care
    • [1] reply
  • SO TRUE!!!! That is a golden nugget of wisdom that I learned a long time ago!

    Having a client with unfulfilled and unrealistic expectations is in most cases our own damn fault!
  • Agreement here.

    It's much more important to make sure people want what they see before loading time, money, and/or effort into traffic - conversion is the first priority - traffic, the second.

    Old proverb - you can lead a horse to water but....................

    Just sayin'
    • [2] replies

    • I couldn't agree more
    • And what is one of the most simple and cost effective way to drive traffic so you can test and measure conversion?

      PPC FTW!



  • I think the real reason people freak over traffic isn't because it's more important, but rather because it is a hell of a lot tougher to get!

    Conversions you just need a good product with good copy.

    Traffic can take years and thousands of dollars to master.
    • [1] reply
    • I disagree

      Almost anybody can drive traffic to a website, Now driving targeted traffic to a website that converts that's the real challenge

      thanks for posting
      • [1] reply
  • Initial Traffic > Conversion > List

    In that system, initial traffic is the least of my concerns. Better conversions = less focus on traffic. Building a list of buyers (conversions) = even less concern about initial traffic.

    It's about turning first-time visitors into lifetime customers. That's a business. Show me someone constantly worried about initial traffic and I'll show you someone chasing their tails. That's not a business.

    John
    • [ 6 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Zeus66 That is an extremely good point.

      I always run into the how to get more traffic? question on a daily basis and focusing in just traffic can get you in a lot of trouble.

      I think you hit it right on the head when you said "It's about turning first-time visitors into lifetime customers."

      GREAT POST

  • Very true but if you don't get good traffic rates your conversions will be low anyway. Nice info though.
    • [1] reply
    • I don't see the controversy.

      It's not all about traffic.

      It's not all about conversion.

      You have to have both.

      Work on improving both, and the compounded results can be amazing. Here's an example, lifted from a blog post I made back around the beginning of the year...

      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [2] replies
  • It's not:

    TRAFFIC
    CONVERSIONS
    or SALES

    That's most important in my business.

    But, PROFIT

    That is the only number I care about, because that is the number that pays my bills, puts clothes on my kids' backs and food in their bellies.

    Drive more traffic to a page that doesn't convert, and you're wasting your time and energy.

    Test and track everything:

    Traffic sources
    Copy
    Design
    Price
    etc.

    Find what works for you and brings you the most profit, then all you have to do is focus ALL your energy and capital there.

    I was thinking about posting this yesterday - but ended up getting sidetracked:

    If you increased your price from $27 to $67 and your conversions fell from 2% to 1%, most people would freak out and decrease their price again.

    I wouldn't...

    100 visitors converting at 2% on a $27 product = $54 revenue
    100 visitors converting at 1% on a $67 product = $67 revenue

    It is possible that conversions could go up with a higher price point too, seeing as people buy on perceived value.

    So, are conversions THAT important to you?

    Or, are you in business to make a profit?

    Kindest regards,
    Karl.
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
  • Yep... same document, even on ebay reviews.


    Nice thread title to catch eyeballs. As others have suggested, there's not much controversy here - it's more related to getting people to read your thread IMHO.


    FWIW - you may want to avoid replying to one post right after another as you did with replies 14, 15 and 16. And again in 19-20 and again in 27-28.

    Use the multiquote button instead. Otherwise, you may find that the mods think you are just bumping your post count and your threads may start disappearing. Just friendly advice.
  • By and large I agree with you TARGETTED Traffic that is directed to an appropriate page/site is what counts.

    John
  • Many times viral traffic will not produce conversions: Case in point - I have a site with a famous female athlete/health and wellness coach. I found a very rare picture of her when she was younger and much "plumper"... I wrote up an article, posted the picture and put in affiliate links to her health products. I got TONS of traffic...but not very many actual sales.

    The problem was that most of that traffic was people who just wanted to see the pic! No interest at all in the products. So... targeted traffic is really the important thing.

    -DTM
    • [1] reply
    • Yea h in that example I guess you'd have to take a look and see if your offer matches their reasons to visit your site
  • I have been telling clients that for years, its a hard sell. the myth that traffic is the be and end all is rampant.

    And it kills a lot of dreams, you can send a million visitors a day to your site but if it doesnt convert you get zero sales.

    Conversions have always been the deciding factor

    you can be really bad at creating products
    really bad at driving traffic

    But if you have the conversions down pat you will still make boat loads of money

    Get the conversion part of the equaton right and site owners will fall over themselves to send you their traffic
  • Yes...

    It is cheaper to triple conversions than it is to double traffic...
  • Take a bucket and cut the bottom out of it. Place bucket under a hose bib and set the flow rate to 3 gpm. You will notice the bucket never starts to fill up.

    Now increase the flow to 25 gpm. No difference in the fill rate of the bucket.

    Until you fix the bucket, you are just wasting water.
    • [ 3 ] Thanks
  • Old sign in resell shop

    "Lookers Welcome"
    "Buyers Adored"
    • [2] replies
    • Seems to me that should be Targeted Traffic

      Rick
      • [1] reply
    • You are correct However

      You can only do what you are saying, ONCE YOU HAVE Traffic so it goes without saying that Traffic is still the #1 PRIORITY for any new site.

      Once you have built your Traffic stream you can start concentrating on increasing conversions.

      But Traffic is Still King for any new business.

      Gaz Cooper
      • [ 1 ] Thanks
      • [1] reply
  • I think both is equally important.

    High traffic + High conversion = High income
    • [1] reply
    • No traffic + No Conversions = Nothing Happens = No Results
      No Traffic + Conversions = Nothing Happens + Good Potential = Little Results
      Traffic + No Conversion = Wasted Time + Wasted Money = Bad Results
      Traffic + Conversions = Profits = Good Results
  • I definitely agree that traffic is the lifeblood of any website....Without good traffic your online business is at the brink of bankruptcy.
  • i dont why your article should raise controversy elsewhere...
    in fact i agree that traffic is not your ultimate goal....

    like most people responds here, traffic is what get your visitors come knocking on your door... but conversion is the one that made the sale...

    so traffic and conversion are both necessary
  • I don't why posting this would cause controversy - it's just common sense. Of course traffic is irrelevant in and of itself. Any shop owner would tell you they'd prefer 10 buying customers to 1000 non-buying browsers, so why would a website owner be any different?
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • Let me simply put it in a nice way that easy to understand (In my part, lol)

    Traffic is the FUEL for your Business
    Conversions and Website is your CAR.

    So you may have a Ferrari or Lamborghini but without the Much Needed FUEL, will you go anywhere? You just have a nice Ferrari!

    Just my 2 cents.
    • [1] reply
    • Actually its the other way around..conversions are the fuel
      • [2] replies
  • I often discount the wild claims about how much traffic you can get from the various products and software that are sold online. What I always want to know is how much money did you make. Getting a lot of traffic is as you say a waste of time if no one is buying the product or signing up for your newsletter.

    What you say is just a common sense approach and analysis of an obvious fact for serious marketers. At one time, many individuals would sign up to get "clicks" to their website. A click is worth squat unless you are trying to cheat Google and that is not a smart thing to do. Traffic is worth squat without conversions. Thanks for an insightful look at a problem that many new marketers might not understand.
  • Need traffic first then conversions.The key issue here is targeted traffic.
    Targeted traffic=higher conversions.
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • Well, maybe it's not all about traffic, but if I get 20,000 unique visitors a day to a site, I can pretty much guarantee that I'll make a nice chunk of change out of it.

    You can make decent money with 20 visitors a day too, but you have to be a lot more clever about it. At the end of the day, it's a numbers game.
    • [1] reply
    • Oh I disagree if you get 20,000 unique visitors a day to a site does not necessarily mean you'll make money. You are probably able to because you understand what you can offer to that traffic that will make you profits (AKA conversions).
  • Hello skyline-SEO. I agree with you, but it starts with traffic. It starts with getting peoples' attention...getting people to check out your capture page, blog, website etc. Then, by giving good quality content and following up with people the conversions happen.

    To Your Success,
    Brad Marcus
    • [1] reply
  • Banned
    No traffic + No conversions = No sales! A rule that all of us internet marketers live by!
  • Yeah but everyone thinks their own website is great, at least newbies for the first few months so traffic must be the problem
    • [1] reply
    • Yeah but everyone thinks their own website is great, at least newbies for the first few months so traffic must be the problem

      Exactly my point. traffic first, then convert it.
  • I agree that conversion is the heart of a business. Yes, you need traffic, but not any traffic. You need targeted traffic, and this can help to boost your conversion.

    Not all traffic is targeted to your niche.
  • At first Traffic is more important then conversion. (Traffic should always be targeted and preferred free)

    If you have no traffic, you cannot test your conversion as fast. Once you get a lot of traffic, it is a lot easier to test what is working and what is not to convert better.

    If you are getting 2500 visitors a day and you can test conversion. A 1/2% increase would mean an extra 12-13 customers a day.

    You can move much faster in testing conversion for what works.

    Also list and backend sales are important as mentioned. It is part of a bigger formula.

    Cheers
    Mukul

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