They Measure Traffic Instead of Results

SEO Companies That Measure Traffic Instead of Results

Unless you're selling advertising based on page views, more visitors doesn't automatically mean more customers. Not all traffic is good traffic. Would you rather have 10,000 visitors who never call, or 500 visitors who become paying customers? Traffic volume is only one measurement. What really matters is leads and sales.

Here's an example of how easy it is to mislead a business owner who doesn't know what to look for. I come in and tell a Ford dealer I can send 10,000 to 20,000 more visitors to their website every month. Based on the traffic they're getting now and the number of vehicles they're selling from that traffic this sounds like a great deal.

Now I write several articles about the 1967 Ford Shelby GT500. It's an iconic car. There isn't a lot of competition for that content compared to trying to rank for current Ford models that are actually for sale. Those articles could generate thousands of additional visitors every month.

Sounds great...until you look closer. What happens when those visitors arrive at the dealership's website and discover there isn't a 1967 Shelby GT500 for sale? They leave.

The traffic report looks impressive, but the dealership isn't selling any more vehicles because the traffic isn't made up of buyers. It's made up of people looking for information about a collector car. The dealer asks the SEO company, "Why aren't we selling more cars?"

The response might be:

"Your inventory must be the problem."
"Maybe your sales staff isn't handling the leads correctly."
"There could be a problem with your website."

Meanwhile, the SEO company continues collecting a monthly check while sending the dealer on blind chases for months—or even years.

This is just one of many ways traffic numbers can be manipulated.

That's why it's important to understand your website statistics. They are one of the best tools you have for identifying problems and pointing you in the right direction.

Don't just look at the number of visitors. Also pay attention to:

Time spent on the site.
Bounce rate.
Number of pages visited.
Traffic sources.
Conversion rate.
Leads generated.

A good marketing campaign doesn't just bring more people to your website. It brings the right people to your website.

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