traffic « Christopher Ross

Posts Tagged ‘traffic’

08
May
2009

10 simple ways to say thanks to a blogger you enjoy reading

Welcome to my blog, please feel free to subscribe to my RSS feed, join me on Twitter or leave a comment.

When I was working at Yorkville University I met a fellow IT manager named Glen who shared a theory about technology people. If I remember this correctly, his former manager once told him that IT people needed money, toys or interesting projects to keep them motivated. Most of the time people assumed it was money but to people in the technology field, money wasn’t the most important thing.

I feel that way about making money online here at thisismyurl.com, which is why I don’t believe asking for donations is the right way to go when it comes from receiving support from people who read my blog. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that I think most bloggers feel that way. So how can you say thanks to somebody for a blog post you’ve really enjoyed? Here’s a few ways that I can think of off the top of my head:

Support their sponsors

One of the easiest ways to say thanks for a job well done is to simply take a couple seconds and look at who’s buying ads on your favorite blogs and if there’s something being marketing which interests you, click through to check it out. The act of clicking an affiliate link doesn’t put money in your bloggers pocket but it does reinforce with the affiliate company that the blog has pushed traffic to their website and this act alone is valuable to both the blogger and the advertiser.

Support their commenters

One of my favorite ways to support a blog is to read their comments and click through to supportive, helpful commentators. Again, this doesn’t make the blog owner any money but what it does do is prove to the person who left the comment that the time they spent leaving a comment was well received. I get to learn a lot from a lot of great bloggers this way but it also helps encourage people to leave helpful comments which is the best way to support a blog.

Tweet about them

People blog for a number of reasons but regardless of why a blogger takes the time to write posts on the web, telling your followers on Twitter is a great way to help encourage them to continue writing great comments. You can also Digg them or list them on Stumble Upon if you’ve really enjoyed their content.

By ads on their website

A lot of bloggers sell ads on the side of their sites, why not help them out by promoting your own products and services?

Post a link to their story on another website

If you enjoy reading something on one blog and think it could help support and article on another, why not take a few minutes and share the link there? I often post supportive, helpful links in the comments of a blog to help the owner know about other great blogs. It helps both blogs become stronger, better and more co-operative!

Send money

If there’s no other way for you to say thanks, sending the blogger a couple dollars to help keep them infused with coffee is always nice.

Support their plugins and themes

If your favorite blogger writes plugins or themes for something like WordPress, take a few minutes and download it, comment on it or rate it on the public directories. A lot of bloggers get significant portions of their traffic directly from these directories and your supporting their plugins helps build visitors to their websites.

Leave comments

I can never stress enough how much a great comment encourages a blog owner. If you’ve taken the time to read a blog post and found it helpful, spending just a couple seconds to leave a thank you note and encourage the blogger to continue writing is a great way to say thanks. If you can add to the conversation, correct a glitch or improve the bloggers understanding of the subject matter … all the better!

Post a link to their blog

The holy grail of compliments to a blogger? Posting a link to their content! If you run a website of your own and find something a blogger has written to be helpful, post a link and tell your visitors why you liked what you read. It’s amazing how much this helps a blogger build a bigger audience and how easy it is to do.

Tags: Act, Advertiser, Affiliate Company, affiliate link, Asking For Donations, blog, blogger, blogs, Commentators, Couple Seconds, Fellow, few minutes, job, making money online, Marketing Advice, Marketing Advice, Met, People, Plugins, Technology Field, Top Of My Head, Toys, traffic, Traffic Website, Tweet
Posted in Blogging, Web Site Advice

04
May
2009

How can I make $100 a day from my blog?

19 Comments

One of the most intersting things about my job is that I get to look behind the scenes at dozens of websites ranging from small ‘mom and pop’ style blogs to large web magazines run by multinationals and do you know what I’ve discovered? We’re all in the same boat.

Statistically that is, we’re all pretty much the same. There’s a theory in retail advertising which states that assuming all other aspects to be equal, the only determining factor between revenues is square footage. Simply put … if there are two stores in town selling hockey sticks and each has a good location, spends the same on advertising and treats customers well then the only reason one store sells more sticks than the second is because it is bigger. I think there’s a similar concept at work on the web.

Size Matters

Assuming that your website is the same as another and that you have roughly the same visitor volume, you’ve both been online for the same amount of time and you both practice roughly the same traffic building strategies, in theory your two websites should earn roughly the same amount of revenue but if your website posts twice the volume of content, your website will generate additional traffic and therefore money.

Content Matters

The other determining factor to your income level is content. Say for example that the two websites described above each produce exactly the same volume of content, logic dictates that they will generate roughly the same volume of advertisement clicks right? Wrong. Once of the more interesting things that I’ve noticed watching dozens of websites is that some sites such as cooking and home repair websites generate a significantly higher volume of clicks over technical websites such as mine. This isn’t to say that they get more clicks overall but that they receive a higher click rate pre thousand visitors.

The other reason that content matters is the value of the ads located on your website. Renovations for example has an average cost of $4 per click through for ads as opposed to $2 for web design. If you take both the value (50% higher) and the increased click through rate per thousand of non-technical website, you’ll notice very quickly that websites which focus on non computer content are more likely to earn money.

Why is this? I actually have a pretty simple explanation for it in that ads on web design sites tend to be repetitive and people surfing for technical details are more immune to advertising due to increased exposure to web content.

So, how can I make $100 from my blog?

Step one, if my analysis is correct … don’t run a technology blog :) Actually that’s great advice but since I am running a technology blog (actually I run closer to 20 blogs on a variety of subjects) what I really need to do is understand the statistics of running a blog which luckily, Google makes available for free with Analytics and Keyword Tools.

Tags: Ads, Advertisement, amount of time, blogs, dozens, Hockey Sticks, Interesting Things, job, Logic Dictates That, Mom, Multinationals, Pop Style, Retail Advertising, Size Matters, Square Footage, Technical Websites, traffic, Visitor Volume, Web Magazines, Web Size, Website Renovations
Posted in Make Money Online, Questions and Answers

24
Apr
2009

I’ve lost everything? This can’t be good.

2 Comments

Lately I’ve seen a spike in traffic for an article I wrote last month called 25 Things to Do, Now That you’ve Lost Everything., I guess it’s good that people are finding me on the web but a lot of you guys are coming into the site using keywords such as:

I’ve lost everything
What to do, I’ve lost everything
Everything is lost, is suicide the answer?

Wow. Look, I want to be frank here … I’m not a therapist and most of my advice here is about formating HTML but I do want to share a thought with all of you, the global economic crisis aka the 21st Depression or the cluster fuck we call the new economy will get better … the world is pretty messed up right now and a lot of people have lost absolutely everything but in the end, it’ll all be OK.

It’ll be OK

Let’s say that again … it’ll all be OK in the end. This time last year, I was the Director Corporate of Technology for a leading university, I left my job a few weeks before the world imploded and it took me a long time to accept the global collapse, heck I’ve even written about it here a few times with articles like So You Lost Your Job, Now it’s Time to Live. and What to Do Now That you’ve Lost Your Job but the key is this … in the end, it’ll all work out.

How do I know that’ll work out? Because you’re already doing what it takes to make sure it does … you’re reading articles on the Internet by people who’ve been through it and come out on the other side, it’s a little like a storm and as long as you’ve got something to hang onto you’ll be OK in the end. So what should you hang onto? People, they’re all that matters.

Technology Workers

This post is sort of like a continuation of my piece, Technology Burnout, the Downside of the IT Industry where I talked about the stress levels a lot of IT workers feel and how in the end many people I’ve worked with over the past 15 years reached a point that they snapped and walked out of the industry. One such friend left his promising career and began kickboxing in Thailand, only to fall in love and have a whole new life.

Why am I telling you this? Because as depressing as it is find out my most popular SEO value this week is about losing everything, it’s even more depressing to see that so far today 12 people have found my website while surfing Google contemplating (even briefly) suicide. Don’t get me wrong, I’m actually a proponent of suicide as a choice for those with painful illnesses and I believe that everybody should have the right to choose when they check out of life but not as an alternative or a side effect of a few bad months in the economy.

What to do, instead of killing yourself

First, get over whatever it was that you just lost. Yep, that’s a big one but it’s crucial if you’re going to get back on the right track. Men, I believe have been trained to assume that our job is who we are. We introduce ourselves at parties and tell people what we do, so the loss of our job is in some ways like losing part of ourselves. Get over it. If you want to be something, order some business cards with a fancy title on it and start telling people what you are.

Are you out of money? No problem, Laid Off Technology Workers are Finding Work Online. There are plenty of jobs out there for people who are willing to look for them and try hard. Otherwise, go back to school, learn a new trade or build your own online business. Maybe it’s time to be your own boss?

Tags: burnout, Continuation, Depression, Downside, Global Collapse, Global Economic Crisis, guess, job, Keywords, Leading University, Long Time, Lost, Many People, New Economy, Promis, reading articles, spike, stress levels, Suicide, technology workers, traffic
Posted in Blog Posts

06
Apr
2009

Five simple things I did to increase traffic to my website.

37 Comments

When I started thisismyurl.com I didn’t have a loyal base of visitors, in fact I barely had a trickle of traffic. For the first month, I only received a couple visitors each day but now, five months after launching my website I receive a few hundred unique visitors everyday. Still not huge numbers but it’s a start right?

I follow five simple rules that I believe helped me build a successful website, five rules that everybody can follow.

I posted simple, honest content. Most the content on my website is designed for people with little technical expertise who need to solve a problem. This is an easy way to generate traffic, find a problem and help people solve it.
I posted content often. While I was building my website traffic I often posted content twice a day to help establish new visitors, then once I knew people had taken the time to read my posts I began posting less frequently but with more focus on content.
I posted what people wanted. I spend a lot of time looking at the stats for my website and I know what articles people read and which are worthless. The articles people read inspire me to write more (better) content on similar subjects while the less popular posts are reviewed and improved.
I posted different kinds of content. When I started out I made a lot of mistakes (and still do) but by testing different content styles, I’ve learnt the proper length for many posts and how to make them more readable for the audience.
I posted what I knew about. Instead of trying to chase trends or break news stories, I posted content designed to help business owners make better websites, a lot of it is still pretty technical but it’s getting more ‘people’ friendly everyday.

What I’ve learnt over the past five months is that people love free stuff. My post popular page by far is Fundraising Thermometer Plugin for Wordpress a free plugin for WordPress designed to help charities display their current fundraising level. My second most popular post is another WordPress plugin called WordPress Plugin to automatically update the copyright notice., a simple post to allow the display of copyright details on a post. Other popular posts on my blog have been:

As a website owner, the best way for you to increase your website traffic is to understand what people want and give it to them. This might sound like common sense logic but often times we as business owners (because my website really is a business) forget that serving content is about the reader, not the writer.

Happy five months of reading my website, I look forward to another great month writing.

Tags: adobe, article, articles, auto, blog, building, center, content, copy, copyright, create, css, design, easy, easy way, expert, fireworks, forget, html, photos, photoshop, Plugins, site, traffic, tutorial, website, WordPress
Posted in Marketing Advice

02
Apr
2009

Web Jobs and What People Really Do

18 Comments

These days I spend a lot of time looking at job postings around the Internet, it’s a tough place to be especially since most recruiters have no idea what web people do and those who are aware of the industry are often completely unaware of the ridiculous nature of their requests. The other day I saw a posting on Monster for:

a Senior Web Developer with 6+ years Adobe Flex experience and a working knowledge of Word, office printers and networks.

First … Flex was only invented in 2004. Second, it’s a specialty … Flex experts are like dessert chefs, asking them to be good at washing dishes in addition to making authentic French meringues will not get you qualified candidates, it will get you dish washers. Here’s a quick look at what I believe are accurate descriptions of jobs in my industry:

Web Designers

A web designer is a pixel pusher, they use Adobe Photoshop or similar tools to create Graphical User Interfaces to be converted to Hypertext Markup Language. Ideal web designers sway to one of two sub specialties, they are either functionally capable Usability Specialists or entry level Web Developers in addition to being a designer. Web Designers are artists, akin to Graphic Designers and photographers and rarely have a university degree, though most go to college.

Multimedia Specialists

There are sadly, dozens of areas of Specialists in the Web field from those who specialize in Flash or Flex to QuickTime, Shockwave, 3D artists and those who work in the video or audio production fields. Often these Specialists will have backgrounds in design as well as their media specialization. Few in the industry have degrees, and only a handful have college diplomas since the work is profitable from an early age.

Web Developers

A web developer programs websites using the Hypertext Markup Language to convert a designer’s artwork into a language compatible with web browser technology. They are also capable of programming the interactivity of a website using PHP or ASP based languages, JavaScript or other languages. Web Developers are coders, similar in nature to C++ or Java computer programmers.

Usability Specialists

The web is a marketing platform, the job of a Usability Specialist is to ensure the average user can successfully navigate a website and achieve the business objective, regardless of what the object may be. Often the Usability Specialist is also the Project Manager and has an obsessive nature geared towards Quality Control and meeting objectives.

Web Publishers

A Web Publisher is a data entry person, they’re job is to convert information from print or electronic form into web based content following strict document structure guidelines. After the designer and developer have put together the skeleton of a website, the Web Publisher works with Copyrighters and the Marketing team to ensure all content is placed in the right places before launching a website.

SEO Specialists

Unique to the Web, an SEO Specialist is an Organic Marketing professional who’s sole purpose is to increase the traffic rate of a web property through non paid advertising means. Often the SEO Specialist will also manage online advertising programs, purchasing and real world marketing but his/her real goal is to broaden the success of a website without paid placement.

Web Managers

The Web Manager is the business brains of a website. They’re job is to manage timelines, budgets, analyze Analytics and convert web traffic to measurable business. In many smaller organizations they’re also Web Generalists capable of lending a hand in all other areas of the puzzle, those who have mastered multiple ares of expertise are often called Web Masters. This is a tough job, it involves managing the egos of artists and the surly nature of programmers while meeting tough deadlines.

Network Administrators

I like to call NA’s the Backend Boys but for some reason they don’t like that title. A Network Administrator is a specialist which every Web person needs, they don’t get a lot of glory and they’re often (rightfully so) the first to get blamed with things go wrong but a Network Administrator’s job is to run the hardware (physical computers) the Web teams software (the website) operates on. They spend long hours ensuring email, servers, data streams and corporate software work.

Director of Technology

These days, our companies have become technology saturated. The role of a Director of Technology is to understand the business objectives of the organization and utilize cost savings methodologies to deliver the best computer solutions possible. Simply put, they’re job is to always do more with less while ensuring the best people are capable of delivering timely solutions and the rest of the organization sees technology as a friendly resource, not an aggravation.

Chief Technology Officer

The CTO title always interests me, there’re rarely a Vice President of Technology in an organization so I’m not sure if the title is a silent salute to Star Trek. The job of the CTO is two fold, first they have to keep the technology of a whole organization flowing smoothly and they also have to plan for future technologies by knowing where the company needs to be down the road. Their job in short is to lead the whole technology team for the management team and to solve the problems of the business through new, innovated methods.

Tags: adobe, advertising, analytics, artists, artwork, aware, budget, company, content, copy, copyright, corporate, create, design, entry, expert, experts, face, flash, graphic design, management, media, photos, photoshop, php, site, traffic, usability, website
Posted in Business Advice

11
Feb
2009

Free SEO eBooks

17 Comments

Well this morning was a momentous day, my blog has been operating for just a few months and I’ve been putting up content whenever I have a chance but today I received my one thousandth comment. That’s right, there have been 1000 comments posted here on thisismyurl.com and I wanted to celebrate by giving something to all of those who took the time to post here, not just the person who posted as Culinary Art School on my Want to Know How to Make Money Online? Stop Thinking So Hard. posting, so here are five free eBooks on Search Engine Optimization, thanks again everybody!

Tags: blog, free ebooks, how to make money, press release, Search Engine Optimization, traffic
Posted in Search Engine Optimization

10
Feb
2009

Five Days of Free Marketing Articles, Day Two

3 Comments

All this week, I plan to post a series of links to online marketing web articles that I’ve enjoyed with the hopes that you’ll also find something useful in them. Take the time to comment below and let me know what you think and remember to comment on their website too as it will help build both your online business and theirs!

Here are four sites I found on the weekend and added to my RSS feeds so that I could go back and see what’s new:

4 Unique Ways Of Promoting Your Website - Tired of the same old tricks? Here are some clever ways to reach a new audience.
The Dummies Guide To Getting Started With Online Video Marketing - Video marketing is huge and it’s really cost effective, so why aren’t more of us doing it? Take a look at how easy it really is.
How To Win Online With Article Marketing - Writing articles is one of the best ways to build new traffic, so why are so few people doing it?
Internet Marketing Tips¸ Tricks & Resources - I’d had not seen this blog until this morning, but you’ll be sure that I’m going to add it to my RSS feeds.

You know what I’m looking for but have the hardest time finding? Great articles on social networking and viral campaigns. There’s a lot out there with buzz words but I’d like to find some quality sites. If you know of any, please let me know.

Tags: amp, article marketing, buzz words, campaigns, dummies guide, hardest time, marketing tips, marketing web articles, promoting your website, quality sites, social networking, traffic, video marketing
Posted in Marketing Advice

06
Feb
2009

So you lost your job, now it’s time to live.

33 Comments

OK, so you’ve taken the time to read my article about how to avoid Common Mistakes Web Marketers Make, you know the Top 10 Web Site Mistakes That Businesses Make and you’ve read How even a College Student can Make Money on the Internet but now that it comes down to it … you’re totally stuck and have no idea what to write about. Never fear, I’m here to help you with that as well.

Recently Under Employed?

Wow, I gotta tell you recessions are awesome. I know most people hate them but I’m 34 years old and in the tech industry. For me, I started my career in the recession of the early 1990’s and watched the Southern Ontario steel industry implode. Then … I went into computers and watched the millennium bug evaporate along with all the jobs, followed by the great IT bubble burst of the early 2000’s and the Nortel collapse that followed. My entire professional career has been in a recession so guess what, the fact that you lost your job is the best thing that ever happened to you.

Remember, you’re not unemployed … you’re haven’t been downsized … you got dumped like a cheerleader the morning after the prom so it’s time to buck up and take your life by the horns. It’s time to learn everything you need to know about blogging, making money online and building your expertise so that you’re no longer working for others, you’re working for yourself.

In my blog over the past few months I’ve told you how to register your domain name and setup a website without hiring somebody like me to do it for you, and I’ve told you how to find the best software like WordPress to run your website and I’ve told you how to increase traffic to your website. In fact, I’ve told you everything you need to know to be successful on the Internet, so now the big question … what should you write about?

Here are five easy ideas for you to write a blog about and say goodbye to a hard day’s work forever:

Write about your industry

I was amazed the other day when another blogger (I totally forget where it was now) made the comment that there’s always somebody behind you on the learning curve. That’s so true! If you’ve been let go, take advantage of your years of knowledge and write about your industry. This will do a few things, first it will help you make money but more importantly it’ll help build your expertise on a subject. There’s nothing like sending out resumes to people when you have a successful, industry recognized blog with your name on it to back that up.

Write about your hobbies

The interesting things about hobbies to me is that we do these things because we like them. The chances are, if you like them … so do other people. My hobbies? I like photography, cycling and designing websites (geek) so guess what I write blogs about? Yep … you guessed it and do you know what? Over a hundred thousand people a month like to read my websites.

Write about your community

People often over look the things around them, which is funny because I have a lot of friends who live on Prince Edward Island (home of Anne of Green Gables) and yet not one of them write a blog about the island. Actually when I tell them they should write about PEI they look at me like I’m nuts. Who would want to read about their dull little island (no offense, I love PEI)? According to Google, 1,233,143 people searched for information on their home in January! That’s insane, 1.2 million people are searching for a subject and they’re not blogging about it?

Write about your life

There are 303,824,640 people living in America today … come on, you’ve got to have something in common with some of them. Write about it! If you’re a woman, write about being a woman in America. If you’re a man, write about that. If you’re a Cantonese American then write for the 65,000 people who search for more information on that subject in January.

Write about your TV schedule

Honestly, I’m not making this up. Let’s say that you’re unemployed and still a little depressed so you’re spending a lot of time sitting in front of the TV watching reruns of old Scooby Doo episodes … (I know I’m going to regret this) … write about it! If you’re watching it, others are watching it too and just like you, they want to know what are in Scooby Snacks.

Tell me what subjects you like to blog about, include a link below to your own blog!

Tags: blog, Bubble Burst, cheerleader, Collapse, domain name, horns, job, making money online, millennium bug, professional career, prom, recession, Recessions, Register Domain, Register Name, Setup A Website, southern ontario, steel industry, traffic, web marketers, WordPress
Posted in Blogging

30
Jan
2009

What do Search Engines Really See?

Comments Off

One of the most difficult things for the average business owner to understand is how major search engines work and what they can read from a web site. All of the holiday and hotel web sites we build here at Getaway Graphics are designed so that major search engines can properly read the content from sites.

To see what major search engines see, take a look at our free SEO checker found at seocheck.getawaygraphics.com. This tool was original designed as an internal tool for our development team to ensure quality marketing and online promotion for our clients so it’s not the prettiest tool but it gives you a great idea of what major search engines can see.

Why does it matter?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) isn’t really about making it possible for companies like Google or MSN to find you, it’s about making it possible for people who have never heard of you to find you. If you think of major search engines as a blind person, then you begin to understand that the single most important aspect of your web site is the text you display and that by extension the better the text you display, the more people can find you.

We call it organic traffic, it’s designed to save you countless marketing dollars.

Tags: Blind Person, business owner, checker, getaway, google, hotel web, Internal Tool, major search engines, msn, Quality Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, search engines work, Search Optimization, Seo Optimization, Single Most Important Aspect, traffic
Posted in Search Engine Optimization, getawaygraphics.com

29
Jan
2009

Five More Things to Write if you Want More Traffic

7 Comments

Following up on last weeks post, here are five more things to write about in your blog to increase traffic:

Write something your believe in

Take a stand on a subject, don’t be afraid to let people know what you really believe and follow it up with solid facts. Your readers might not agree with you but honestly, who cares?

Write something emotional

People love puppies and kittens more than they move pointy sticks so write something to connect with them on an emotional level, let them know that you’re not just a robot tossing out recycled content.

Write something to calm their fears

When I talk to prospective clients, you know why their current websites usually suck? They’re afraid of technology, the Internet and the web. My entire blog is about helping to take away that fear.

Write something to motivate users

Help your users be better at what they need to achieve through quality writing and articles designed to stimulate their goals.

Write something that gets a response

I get emails from users all the time commenting on articles here and not always in a good way. Honestly, I love when people call me out on stupid things I’ve posted here … it helps me write better content.

Tags: blog, emotional level, fear, fears, kittens, love, prospective clients, puppies, robot, stupid things, traffic
Posted in Web Site Advice

28
Jan
2009

The Vomitorium and Data Mining

8 Comments

This is an article about a vomitorium and how money can be made by people just like you and I by getting a little dirty and mastering a poorly practiced art. It’s called data mining.

In the old days of the Roman empire, the great chefs of Rome all had to start somewhere and where they started was the vomitorium which oddly, it exactly what you might have already assumed … it was a place for guests to vomit. See, the Romans loved to drink and loved to eat so much that they’d excuse themselves from the party and head off to a small room and force themselves to throw up.

Pretty gross.

The room was usually just off the kitchen and the top chefs of Roman culture would then go through the vomit of their guests to determine what foods they should be cooking. I guess you could say that it was a little like modern retail inventory control, by looking at what had been expelled they knew what products the guests ate and in turn what needed to be replenished.

These days I don’t think you’d find Ramsey or Oliver poking through the remains of a guests sick but I’ve worked in enough kitchens to tell you that a waiter would get thrown out of a modern restaurant if he didn’t show the chef what a customer didn’t eat during a busy dinner order. It’s not as effective as the vomitorium but a little more social.

On the web we have a similar capacity to look at what our guests are doing on our site and what they’re not doing. The fancy name is Analytics and it’s all about looking at what a customer is doing, what they’re not doing and what we (as the web content provider) is doing wrong.

To the right is a real screen shot from the last month of traffic to my website. The blue circles represent the total number of visitors I’ve received each day over the past month and the blue line connecting them helps show the dramatic curves. This would be impressive enough if my website only received dozens of visitors but it receives thousands of visitors every day, so a spike of this measure is an amazing bonus for me but it’s more than a nice pat on the back, it’s a data mining dream and just like the chefs at a party I’m busy combing through thousands of new visits to determine what (if anything) I can do to improve my website for future visits.

First, I look at the hourly reports created by the WP Stats plugin it’s free and it’s timely. To be honest I have no idea how often it updates but every hour I pop over to my stats counter to review four key performance indicators:

Total Traffic – this tells me how I’m doing overall
Top Posts and Pages – what are people reading
Search Engine Terms / Referrers – how did people find me
Clicks – what did people do once they read my content

With that information in hand, I look at the posts I’ve previously written but have not released (I’ve always got about 75 articles in reserve) and much like a comedian on stage, I try to determine which articles will be most helpful on certain days.

Next, I look at the Google AdSense data for my traffic. I do this at least three times daily, it tells me a few things. First it tells me if I’ve made money but it also acts as a verification method on the data provided by WP Stats. Often the plugin reports ~10% more traffic than AdSense, not sure why but the two reports combined tell me what I need to know.

At least once a day I look at Google Analytics for the day previously and compare my notes to the results. Again I look at the total traffic, how people found me etc. but I also look at unusual spikes in traffic and a geographical breakdown in traffic. This week? I’m huge in Russia, Texas, California and New York … what does Vermont have against me?

So what does it all mean? Maybe I just have too much time on my hands or maybe I’m too obsessed with my website but I don’t think that’s the case, I think by keeping a close eye on what readers are after it helps me refocus and ensure I’m reaching the maximum number of people. For example … last week I launched a new website called seocheck.getawaygraphics.com that I thought would be pretty popular but only 15 people have been to the site in 10 days vs. over 100 downloads for my latest WordPress plugin since last night.

What does your data say about your website visitors?

Tags: circles, curves, fancy name, great chefs, inventory control, ramsey, retail inventory, roman culture, roman empire, romans, rome, spike, traffic, vomitorium, waiter, web content provider
Posted in Web Site Advice

26
Jan
2009

10 Questions To Ask Your SEO Firm

9 Comments

So you want to hire an SEO firm to help with Search Engine Optimization? Great, here are ten questions to help you make the right choice.

How do you get SEO results?
Who have you worked for in the past, can I call them?
Have you worked in my industry before?
What are your long term strategies for my website?
Do you have case studies I can read?
Do you have to alter my website at all?
What tools do you use to track and analyze traffic?
What type of guarantee do you offer?
What type of relationship do you have with Google?
How long until I start seeing results?

How do you get SEO results?

The answer here may vary but make sure the methods are above board, honest and openly discussed with you. Your website’s reputation depends upon how Google (and other search firms) see you. The best way to know if an SEO firm is legit is to ask them bluntly how they get results. Remember, you’re responsible for what they do so don’t be fooled.

Who have you worked for in the past, can I call them?

Make sure your SEO firm provides you with references and that you take the time to call them. Find out what (if anything) they did for previous clients and search for them yourself. Don’t use the keywords given to you, if they did a website for a Vermont inn just go to google and try to find them yourself. Keep in mind, SEO firms are like anybody else, they should be able to send you references.

Have you worked in my industry before?

Try not to think of your industry as your competitors, if your SEO firm has experience in your industry it’s a bonus for you.

What are your long term strategies for my website?

SEO isn’t a short term game, it takes years of hard work to get (and stay) on the top. Make sure your agency knows this and has plans for your website.

Do you have case studies I can read?

Most successful SEO companies have already put together case studies for previous clients, read them carefully and understand what they’ve done in the past as well as what they’re planning to do for you.

Do you have to alter my website at all?

The answer here must be yes. Altering your website is critical to the SEO process, if they promise to be able to increase your traffic without editing or altering your content then they’re lying.

What tools do you use to track and analyze traffic?

There is no reason for a company to use their own in-house tools for traffic analysis. In fact, I’d worry about anybody who was. At a minimum make sure your website has Google Analytics installed on it. The tool is free and gives you exceptional reporting on not only who is visiting your website but also where they’re originating from.

What type of guarantee do you offer?

Guarantees are difficult to judge in the SEO industry, frankly when I do SEO work I don’t guarantee my clients anything. That might sound harsh but honestly, I can’t guarantee you’ll see any results regardless of how many hours I put into trying to help you.

What type of relationship do you have with Google?

I love asking SEO firms this question … the only answer is none. Nobody has a “special relationship” with Google and absolutely everything an SEO firm can do for you, you can do yourself. The only reason to hire us is because we can do it faster and without a steep learning curve, just like the only reason to hire a chef is because they’ve already mastered the art of cooking … but remember, a chef has the same relationship with the pig that you do.

How long until I start seeing results?

Again … no idea. Man, I love my industry. Honestly though? No idea, it’s not up to me (or your SEO firm). The Search Engine firms (Google, Yahoo, MSN) control everything about the SEO industry, the only things that we can do is help educate our clients and help build your website to the best of our abilities to conform to our interpretations of their previous statements, actions and test results. How long will it take to see a result? That’s a little like asking how long will it take to drive through the city, it depends on when you want to do it, what the road conditions are, if there is construction … all factors outside your control.

Tags: bonus, case studies, google, relationship, reputation, right choice, Search Engine Optimization, search firms, seo firm, term game, term strategies, traffic, vermont inn
Posted in Search Engine Optimization

25
Jan
2009

Fresh Post at Getaway Graphics: Google Analytics

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Fresh Post at Getaway Graphics: Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free tool developed to help website owners take better control of their website. It offers a host of compelling features and benefits for owners, designers and site managers including the ability to discover where traffic comes from and what users view once they’ve found your website.

Tags: designers, Discover, free tool, getaway, google, google analytics, Graphics, traffic
Posted in Blog Posts

22
Jan
2009

Five Things You Can Write on Your Blog to Increase Traffic

6 Comments

Write something useful

If you’re familiar with my website, then you know that I’m a big believer in writing quality content. The best way to increase traffic to your website? Write something worth reading. Tips, tricks or advice to help your audience.

Write something original

You don’t have to be the best writer out there but it helps to be original. Stop trying to compete for high end key phrases or recycling the same old content. Write something fresh that people would care to read about.

Write something timely

During the Democratic competition I wrote an article about Obama’s use of technology, that piece brought in more traffic to my website for a week then any other piece. The second most common piece during that time? Rednecks for Obama.

Write it first

Be the first to come up with an idea and write about it.

Write something with value

If nothing else, your article should give your reader knowledge. Improve their world, cut down on their costs, increase their profits or help them understand the simplicity of technology. Just make sure when they’re done reading … they know more then when they started.

Tags: audience, believer, blog, phrases, profits, quality content, reading tips, simplicity, traffic, worth reading
Posted in Web Site Advice

09
Jan
2009

How do I build traffic to my website?

18 Comments

I’ll be honest, that’s the most common question that I get asked. Over, and over and … over again but there’s an easy answer, hard work and determination. Far too many people put up a website and assume it’ll be easy to build a loyal reader base or start a blog and sit back, waiting for the income to roll in. Unfortunately, that’s not how it works which of course leads me to the first important lesson about websites. If it was easy to make money on the web, web designers would never be available for hire, we’d all live in Whistler.

So, you have your domain name registered and you’ve setup hosting. Maybe you’ve already installed a great package such as WordPress and of course, you did this all by reading my great article called Can You Put Up a Web Site for Less Than $100? but now the moment of truth, how do you drive traffic to your website?

What is the value of traffic?

A few years ago I was sitting in a board room with the CEO, VP of Marketing and online marketing manager for —– Corporation. The marketing manager was just wrapping up a presentation and explaining that in order for the companies website to make money, they needed to drive 1,000,000 visitors a month to the site. Her math was based on the old rule of 10’s. For every ten people who come to your site, one will look around. For every ten who looks around … blah blah blah, anyways her proposal was that we needed to buy lots of ads (surprising since her department was in charge of buying ads) and then we could sit back and rake in the cash.

During this exchange I must have chuckled or snorted or something rude because the CEO turned and asked me if I had something to add. I then explained that we didn’t need 1,000,000 new visitors to the site, we simply needed 10,000 people interested in buying our product. In fact, I went as far as to tell them that for a fraction of the proposed marketing department budget ($100,000 a month) I could drive a million people a day to the site. How you might ask? Simple I would reply, buy $100k a month work of banners that simply read “Want to get f—-d? Click here.” … only without the dashes.

Obviously, my advice wasn’t well received but the fact still stands that getting traffic is not what you want, or at least it shouldn’t be what you want. I have a web template on my site that gets 30,000 hits a month … not one of those visitors converts into a lead. So, before we talk about how to get traffic to your website, the more important question is … what type of traffic do you want to get to your website?

How to generate traffic to a website

First off, let me go against every piece of advice you’ll find on SEO websites and tell you to forget Google. Heck, search my own website and you’ll find out that I’m back peddling on my own advice but maybe I’ve been drinking or something. My new, improved 2009 advice still stands, forget Google. If you want to build traffic to your website, focus on what really matters … content, content, content. Write good content, follow my next advice and respect your elders.

Build a strong site structure

We live in a world of RSS, smart phones, Wii surfers (280 of my visits last month came from Wii surfers), Sony PSP users, Mac users, people on Internet Explorer, FireFox and a ton of other systems. Don’t design a website to look good in a web browser (somewhere a designer just cried a little), instead design a website to function effectively in all browsers. This will help your site be accessible to the blind, perform well in automated crawlers and be readable to users.

Be a positive part of the community

Use your website to help improve the internet, not take away from it. An old boss of mine gave a lecture once, he spoke about being assertive vs. being aggressive. Don is a brilliant speaker, he simplified the two words by defining assertiveness as being willing to standup for your rights, while being aggressive required you to take away the rights of others.

This point really hit home for me and made me think about websites. Build assertive website, boldly proclaim your place on the Internet and stand for your believes but don’t be aggressive, there’s no reason to try to tear down others or over power them.

Give a little, get a lot

I wrote the other day about how I got a Google PageRank of 5, what I didn’t really touch on was the importance of giving back to those around you. The Internet is filled with some really remarkable people, some great websites and a lot of amazing blogs. Most of these people write daily, with little feedback from those who read their blogs. Take the time to comment on their articles when you see a piece of interest, thank them for advice and question them when you disagree. This doesn’t just give them a reason to keep blogging, it also gives your website some great exposure. My most popular incoming links? Those that link to an article on my own site, supporting a point on another blog.

What’s the lesson here? Contribute to every forum, blog, newsgroup, message board, social networking website and social discussion you can add something positive to but remember … nobody likes a self promoter, so make sure you have something positive to say.

Finally, read.

The best investment I ever made in my business was an RSS reader. Now I can’t live without it. My iPhone chirps away all day long, pulling down excerpts of articles by some of the Internet’s top performers … they’re literally giving away the secrets to their success, if only you’re willing to read.

Tags: blog, ceo, department budget, domain name, fraction, marketing department, marketing manager, moment of truth, money, proposal, seo, traffic, vp, web designers, Web Site Advice, web web, whistler, WordPress
Posted in Marketing Advice