Stating that your traffic stats don’t matter doesn’t sit well for most people…well those people are the ones who need to read this 
The last few months I been reading a lot of blogs, both good and bad….Some were great reads and the content from the other blogs were as fresh as gas station sashimi.
As long as you learn a thing or two from the bad apples in the bunch, it’s really not a waste of your time. Just don’t get paralyzed with information overload because you will read blogs contradicting on the same topic.
Before I get into why traffic sources matter and why you should aim for targeted visitors, you should first understand what type of traffic you’re currently getting. Here are a few options for you to find out your current traffic stats:
- Google Analytics: I’m not even going to start talking about why you should have this set-up already. Just do it! Not robust enough? Fine, go find another tool that costs money, but for most bloggers out there…GA is the way to go.
- Quantcast: Another great free tool online. The only problem is if your domain or site is pretty new, it will take some time to mine your site’s data for stats. Or you can just set up GA and get your stats from day 1.
- Alexa: Say what you will about this tool, it’s still relevant…for advertisers. Who cares if you don’t feel like Alexa is a good benchmark for telling how much traffic your site or blog is getting, what matters most are the advertisers willing to spend some major cash on sites with a great Alexa standing. I wrote a post on how to increase your alexa ranking and I think you should give it a quick read through.
There’s 3 for you…yes there are tons of tools out there…If I were to choose any one of the three above to use? Google Analytics, hands down.
Now that we got that out of the way..
Let Me Ask You Something…..
What’s your purpose for having your site or blog? This is a very important question to ask yourself. If you don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish on your site or blog, there’s a good chance that you’re wasting your time getting the wrong type of traffic.
Yeah I said it….there is such thing as BAD TRAFFIC.
No there isn’t….Uh……Yes there is….read on:
Imagine this…..you decide to create a blog about medieval swords (you dork…jk). For months you’ve built a great blog with tons of information regarding different types of swords and where to buy them online.
Months have gone by and you decide to market your blog with the social media heavy hitters like StumbleUpon & Digg. You spend hours on end building relationships for each of these sites (the right way of doing it) by conversing with other Stumble and Digg members, as well as actively participating on the sites each day.
One day you write a post about “21 Weirdest Looking Movie Swords” and you submit this post to both these sites. You submit this post and a few hours later, you’ve made it on the first page of Digg! Cha-ching right?
Wrong!
You check your traffic stats and your numbers are sky-high, but no one’s buying your damn swords! Why is that? Well, its common sense people. Think about this for a bit:
The traffic coming from these social media sites are not targeted visitors for your site!
If you want to sell swords, you need to target the 40 yr old virgin living in his mom’s basement. I kid…I kid…
But seriously, you need to find people interested in what you’re offering. Social media traffic is wonderful, don’t get me wrong….It builds great brand awareness, but there’s no direct response from these visitors. None of these visitors will convert anything for you if they’re not interested in what you’re selling.
The only reason why they land on your page was because all of your “friends” voted for you! Curiosity brought you these visits….
So What Should I Do Then?
Like every good coach…
When you scold your players for doing something wrong, you must praise him or show him how to do things right…here are the guidelines:
1. Selling: If you’re trying to sell a product or service on your site or blog, you absolutely must do your keyword research! Find out what people are searching for online that’s related to the product you’re selling. I’ve discussed finding keywords many times in my blog…..just browse through it and ask me questions if you have any.
2. Adsense: If you have a blog with Adsense or some other program similar to it, don’t waste your time on social media traffic. Just don’t do it, you’re wasting your time. You wont get an ad click if your life depended on it. The key here is to create a blog that solves a unique problem to the user, find those keyword phrases and do some fundamental seo work on your page like adding your keywords in the title, H1, and H2 tag as well as in the body of the content.
3. Brand: If your main goal is to get your name out there, social media sites are a great way to have your site circulated amongst network of die-hard social media users online. If you want to do this right, it’s all about building a good relationship with others and actively participating on the site as well.
Damn..I’ve said enough…Now it’s your turn
Cheers!
image by: William Notowidagdo
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{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
Twitter: AndBreak
June 30, 2010 at 10:40 am
Nice post Jack. I totally agree with you. I believe that social media traffic is great but you are simply not going to make money from that kind of traffic. I have just gotten a huge spike in traffic recently still the reader engagement was worse then ever.
As you have mentioned it is a good way to build awareness of your site still I don’t believe that social media traffic is that important. If I had the chance to pick between 100 000 social media visitors and 10 000 search engine visitors I would always pick the search engine ones.
Twitter: jacknguyencom
June 30, 2010 at 10:19 pm
Well said Julius! Social Media sites are also good to build backlinks and they also tend to rank higher in the SERPs than newer blogs, so there are a few perks for SM sites. You just have to figure out what you’re going for.
Did a presentation this past weekend at Drupal Camp Chicago 2010 on HEO. You touched on a ton of the concepts i spoke about. Getting the right traffic so that you can convert is key!
Twitter: jacknguyencom
June 30, 2010 at 10:21 pm
Hey John! That’s awesome. I’m glad we both agree on this topic! Thanks for dropping by again!
Twitter: josiahstaggs
June 30, 2010 at 8:27 pm
Well, you’re pretty much dead on hah. Social media works for branding and awereness, SEO works for money. I suppose if you’ve built up an amazing social media following then you could start nunging for donations or entries for contests, ect. Realistically, not much traffic from SM sites will convert a sale or lead. In-order to do that, you need to write blog posts laser-target at a keyword phrase that gets searched on google.
Nice post.
Josiah @ Free kinect´s last blog ..Kinect Priced at 150
Twitter: jacknguyencom
June 30, 2010 at 10:23 pm
You got it Josiah! There needs to be a a good mix in your strategy but I agree with you about the money being in the seo.
Twitter: bprofits
June 30, 2010 at 8:49 pm
Hi Jack,
I have used 2 out of the three tools you’ve mentioned and have just looked at Quancast. Much appreciated for the suggestion. Looks like another winner.
I also don’t rely much on digg, stumbleupon or other social networks as much as Google, Yahoo or Bing. While I focus on blogging from an aesthetic view, SEO is something which I’ll probably work on more if I’m into niche site marketing.
Thu Nguyen´s last blog ..This Month in Review PLUS How You Can Simply Generate Some Traffic To Your New Blog Posts
Twitter: jacknguyencom
June 30, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Hi Thu, Just keep in mind that having the best looking blog won’t bring in the traffic. Think of it as a Grand Opening for a store……Yes, it’s great that the stores there, but what good is it if noone knows about?
Nothing worth more than an related traffic,
for monetized by adsense, new visiters are more profitable than fidelated ones.
Twitter: askbrian
July 2, 2010 at 1:34 pm
Great article. I found that people on SM sites like information and news but not much else. Since I have spend more of time on SEO and keyword research, the results have improved greatly in terms of traffic to my blog and loyal visitors. I personally think social media is greatly over-rated and SEO not taken seriously enough by bloggers and internet marketers.
Brian@Online Marketing Tips´s last blog ..Google Adwords Tricks and Tips
Twitter: jacknguyencom
July 5, 2010 at 11:04 pm
Hey Brian – SM sites are great for different purposes, making money isnt one of them….Im glad youre spending more time on kw research and seo! Thanks for dropping by!
Twitter: bprofits
July 9, 2010 at 11:03 pm
That’s absolutely one of the things that’s been perplexing me but I’m glad you pointed that out. SEO is something worth working on but not everyone is motivated with keyword research.
Thu Nguyen´s last blog ..Some Frequently Asked Questions About Toolbars
I have a friend who have recently increased his site backlink rapidly. His method is simple and using a little amount of money. However to use this method you must have a very quality, informative and interesting blog so people will link your blog on theirs.
Using Google Adword content advertisement( bid as minimum as you can ) to attract quality reader and potential blog/website owner. If they think your blog is good to them, they sure will link them to you.
AJ@Moving Boxes´s last blog ..About Moving Boxes Ireland
Twitter: jacknguyencom
July 5, 2010 at 11:06 pm
Hey AJ – backlinks is what it’s all about in the SEO game, but getting them fast can get you slapped by Google. Don’t over do it on the links, spread it out evenly throughout the week.
Twitter: mabizdaily
July 4, 2010 at 4:22 am
Jack, you are absolutely right about this… I have clients who are pretty much obsessed with their traffic stats. When I try to explain to them that their gross numbers aren’t as important as their net leads generated, they’re often skeptical or they get confused. Eventually, most of them start to get it when I talk about the difference between targeted traffic and junk traffic. Good post!
Mike@Martial Arts Marketing´s last blog ..How To Get Multiple Top Rankings In Google
Twitter: jacknguyencom
July 5, 2010 at 11:08 pm
How’s it going Mike – You can always do a test with your clients in terms of targeted traffic to generated lead, compared to the traffic numbers SM sites to generated leads. Even though checking your stats is like crack, sometimes the numbers doesn’t always tell the whole story. Thanks for sharing!
Jack,
It’s refreshing to find someone in the blogosphere who actually knows what they’re talking about when it comes to traffic. These people chasing after Digg, Stumbleupon, etc. traffic are simply wasting their time. Search traffic is the name of the game, which means time should be dedicated to building backlinks. As far as stats services go, I prefer Statscounter. I personally don’t feel very comfortable with Google knowing so much about my sites. Its not as comprehensive or intuitive as GA, but it sure gets the job done.
James@Nail Polish Display Stand´s last blog ..Where to Buy Nail Polish Display Rack
Twitter: jacknguyencom
July 5, 2010 at 11:15 pm
Hi James! Thanks for the compliment…If you’re goal is to make money off your blog or ecommerce site, work the KWs and get the backlinks, but also mix in SM submissions for brand awareness and possibly some lead generation.
GA is pretty robust, and it can really be a powerful keyword research tool for your site. You can basically view their site search option to see what people are looking for on your blog. With this information, you can tailor your site to your users, which in turn will increase conversions. You have to learn to love Google, because essentially that’s whats making it all possible.
Twitter: ryanlhearn
July 6, 2010 at 2:27 pm
Jack,
Coming from a PPC background, I found this post spot on. Too many people are driving “traffic” to their sites and not factoring in the word “qualified.”
I ran into your site researching for a Facebook Ad campaign I am about to launch and your write up offered some great insights. Thanks for the great read.
Twitter: jacknguyencom
July 6, 2010 at 11:49 pm
Hey Ryan! Thanks for chiming in! You got it right man, quality over quantity!
It’s very influenced by social proof ideas. I think that’s an area that has a huge influence on what we do, but doesn’t get enough coverage. This was my attempt to change that, just a little.
Twitter: mothersland
July 7, 2010 at 11:27 pm
This is a very informative post for lots of new bloggers, who are just try to start a blog and I also gain alot as well.
Google Analytics is definitely the way to go, it took me a while to discover it, back in newbie days, but ever since I did discover it, I never switched to anything else! I do think that Alexa is still relevant, after-all these years, everyone still talks about Alexa, and their data can certainly be used if you know what you are doing
Till then,
Jean
used tires´s last blog ..Used Tires Dealers Website
I figured id revisit this post and share about a client experience i had the other day. We had been driving about 350 clicks a day to their site for under $30 and the client was extremely happy about this. We soon found after about a week on the campaign that the traffic was 95% from asia and india.
Now we had originally included these in the campaign as they are a viable source of revenue for the client, however, we werent expecting to use that proportion of the budget for that audience.
Moved an “international” version of the campaign to its own campaign and budget. we are getting less traffic but greater conversion now.
This is very true, quality traffic is the best traffic you can get. This is traffic that converts. A good way to get this kind of traffic is from related blogs and forums. And also from Search Engines.
That’s really the key, I bet most business owners would rather have 5 visitors that turn into customers than 1000 that only turn into 1.
You can only improve what you can see and measure, and I wanted to illustrate visually how the process works. Hope it’s helpful.
Twitter: blogreaction
July 15, 2010 at 4:28 pm
Jack, as soon as I saw the title of the post, I instantly though of online advertisers that pay monthly fees for ad space on “high alexa rank sites”.
That random factoid being said, I do agree that Google Analytics is the best free (and usually paid) option for tracking stats.
As far as PPC ads go, I have had some success with using Adsense on blogs that are only marketed toward social media. You are correct that they are not super high click-through rates, but I’ll take a few extra dollars a day if they do decide to click on an ad.
Aaron@Free Blogs´s last blog ..Free Blogs
Twitter: pravin sharma
July 24, 2010 at 3:44 am
One thing that stopped me though, was when you suggested “asking for links”. That’s just something I’d never be able to do. I always feel very awkward when someone asks me for a blogroll link exchange, for example, and I’d hate to put anyone else in that position. Maybe it’s just me? It’s a fine line I guess.
Used Machinery´s last blog ..Mechanism at its best……!
Twitter: jacknguyencom
July 26, 2010 at 10:04 am
As long as you can fulfill the “what’s in it for me?” question, they are more than welcome to add your links….
Very nice post. When you put up a website for the reason of earning money then the volume of visitors that are coming to your site doesn’t really matter but it is the number of visitors that came to your site and give some revenue to you.
Twitter: jacknguyencom
July 26, 2010 at 10:03 am
That’s right Rommel – There is a purpose for building a site, although not all sites are built to generate revenue, the marketing strategies are the same.
Twitter: samudary
August 3, 2010 at 6:34 am
Great article Jack
I really like your writing style.
I totally agree, in any venture one should always focus on particular niches and be very specific about the marketing techniques employed. Or we may find that we waste a lot of time entertaining people who will never convert. Its better to have 500 visitors and 50 sales than 5,000 visitors and 10 sales.
Robyn@Sam’s Web Guide´s last undefined ..Response cached until Tue 3 @ 15:31 GMT (Refreshes in 60 Minutes)
Twitter: jacknguyencom
August 3, 2010 at 12:04 pm
Thanks Robyn! I try to make it fun to read my posts as well as educate my readers at the same time. You’re absolutely right about the quality of traffic. Conversions is key!
This is a very interesting post. Quality rather than quantity must be the main focus of every business venture. If you only focus on the number of people but only few of them are ever interested in purchasing your product, then it will be a waste of time and effort on your part. Social media sites are good, provided if you can find a group there or something that will buy stuff that you offer bigtime! Otherwise, too much effort and small amount of purchases will only frustrate you on your endeavors as an internet marketer.
Felicia @ No deposit poker´s last blog ..Leaderboard Update – Party Poker 50-000 August Leaderboard
Twitter: pravin sharma
August 11, 2010 at 9:53 pm
I want to know how to check the traffic status like from which country, site or search engine are the traffic to my site coming from. Are they any tools available? or is there any other method?
Lol, you make me laught with your “gas station sashimi” xD.
@ Used Machinery: to check the traffic from differents countries, yo can use Google Analytics!
And also, Google Webmaster is a good thing to know our position in search engines!
Great article and i agree with the targeted traffic because quality win onver quantity!
Thanks for the tips. I really enjoy your writing. It’s refreshing to read about SEO and be able to laugh about 40 yr old creepers buying swords online. Thanks for keeping it fresh.
Twitter: apartrental.com
August 29, 2010 at 9:01 pm
I totally agree with you. I believe the flow of social media is very good but you’re simply not going to make money from that type of traffic.
Currently building the world’s Internet site is popular that is why I believe a good way to build awareness about web traffic information that social media can be important.Therefore a means of building good and great traditions is essential and most important, to have the best traffic you can get. I thank you for all the information you provide in this blog post. I will send this site to many people who want to learn more about transportation means of social communication.