How you cope with zero web traffic

Maltanaannon just raised the bar. While I’m pretty sure my content is good – I also know its also available almost everywhere else. I’m not sure what the answer is, but it can’t be more of the same.

well….the whole traffic issue mostly breaks down to the golden web “rule” -content is king- …but as Jacob has stated, there are things you can do, to get some valuable attention and those users are “worth” way more than anybody who got to click on your link after (s)he performed a search on goo…umm….yahoo

here is another thing that takes this one step further:

-competitions and events-
I was lucky to participate in the “unplugged title challenge contest” and made it to the final round. Beside the invaluable experience of seeing all those talented artists putting great animations together and John’s constructive critique on each single (!) contest entry, it brought me some significant traffic…although I didn’t win. And, on a side note, I got to meet 2 amazingly talented artists that I am still in contact with.

So participating in online events and contests (such as the five second project on GSG for motion designers) is a perfect opportunity to do both, showcase your skills, connect with other users and get their attention. I don’t know the exact marketing term for that, but just like “hard facts” those users are definitely worth more than a random person who is surfing the web.

Is there an exact expression for that kind of user/traffic?
(as I am always willing to learn, I’m closing this with a question …)

-Hakan-

Jeff’s and Maltaannon’s comments are spot on. This discussion is particularly poignant to me/us as we’ve just launched another site which has incorporated what was previously niche, online content.

Starting small and scaling up has always worked well for us.

The ‘content is king’ mantra is always true. But we have a slightly different approach insomuch we never write any editorial copy or site news with SEO in mind. This is a policy decision based on the fact that we’re writers first and foremost and don’t want the constraints of SEO expression. There’s also another side to this.

We direct people to our content using a diversity of social media systems. It’s the old adage attached to presentations. Tell them what you’re going to tell them. Tell them. Then tell them what you’ve just told them. This is true of any piece of web content. We never worry about search engine ranking as we’re not sitting back waiting for something to happen. We make it happen. We want to build loyalty and interaction. This doesn’t mean we get hung up on people leaving comments on the site. Comments are left all over the Social Media platforms.

There’s a reality check needed though. You have to allocate a significant amount of resource to connecting, commenting, talking-to and interacting. This is very often overlooked. Our content production is miniscule in real terms. Generating the traffic takes up the bulk of time. But the added benefit of the social interaction centered on a piece of content is where the real payback is. That, in turn, can open up all kinds of opportunities.

The other really good point Jeff made is that nobody knows your site ambitions. We make a point of launching with 20 pieces of high quality editorial content, photography etc. with 10 articles in the bank to follow up with whilst we get other things in order.

Get as much feedback as possible. Listen to the people who drop in. You HAVE to get feedback. Then, listen to it. Act. Change. Our original concept for our first online publication was very different to the one we ended up with.

Jeff’s point about losing time is a very good one. And Maltaannon’s comments about Google keywords is terrific advice.

Finally, I’d say this. It doesn’t matter how much a website cost – or its functionality, if the content you’re reading is poorly written, or badly formatted. Being multi-skilled and understanding/studying written presentation can make the difference between someone coming back or never wanting to read another post.

Oh yes. And ask questions!

Great post, Robin and great feedback from the commenters. Traffic is a funny subject because it’s not about how much traffic comes to a site – it’s the quality.

And those quality visitors want quality content – especially if you want them to engage regularly.

But before you run off and develop tons of quality content, you need to know what you want your site to accomplish – what is your niche or differentiation and have a long-term strategy. How will you continue to deliver long-term? You also need a customer acquisition and communication plan.

Your site doesn’t need to attract everyone – just the right people who will be part of your community, share your resources and their great experiences with others, and buy your products/services.

I also find with blogs – a long-term strategy is ultra-important because in the early stages it’s easy for people to manoeuvre around a site. What about a year from now – will they be confused by tons of unorganised content?

And, just like Jacob Henderson mentioned – it’s a two-way street. You need to be part of the community and contribute. That’s how people get to know you – social media sites/tools/tactics help this along like Tony Hollingsworth said.

Lastly – using analytics to understand what people are doing on your site is crucial – it’s needed feedback so you can improve what you are doing and continue to improve your visitor’s experience.

I could go on for days – but I’ll leave you with this post from SassySEO.com on how to come up with content: http://sassyseo.com/2010/01/sassyseo-insights-vol-5-content-ideas/.

Keep tossing us bait for fantastic contributions. It’s stellar here.

Cheers,
Kristin

How could I neglect this conversation – there is so much value here, I’m humbled. But if the rule is “the only hope is hope” I hope I have something of value to add as well. I’ll try to summarise my thoughts from above.

I’m interested on branding here to drive traffic. Tony’s, Kristin’s, and Jeff’s comments in particular intimate towards brand.

I’ll give an example from my experience: My Microsoft blog when I worked there, generated more traffic, with the same content, than my personal blog. http://blog.rog42.net. It’s true to say that the most hit sites are huge brands in their own right – Apple, Google, NYTimes, NineMSN etc.

Now of course besides already being in the community “psyche” and having valuable, or at least prolifically available, product, these organisations have huge resources to hand. But I do think that even using the same resources as I, with my Thesis themed WordPress site (eBay anyone?) they would still generate more traffic.

Marketing 101 will tell you that all brand is, is a well recognised summary of your organisation’s values. What you stand for.

Once you have a recognised brand, you’ll generate traffic regardless. Then you work on maintaining the brand – i.e. adding value through content, building trust through relationships both on- and offline.

So my question is: “Is it more important than even content, or SEO, to work on your brand?”