More people are visiting your website. That’s a good thing, right?
Usually. But higher website traffic doesn’t necessarily mean better results. Traffic tells you how many people arrive, not whether they find what they need, engage with your content or take a meaningful next step.
Rather than only counting how many people visited your website, instead look for metrics which indicate whether your website helps visitors accomplish what you want them to do.
That metric can reveal much more about whether your website is working for your organization.
Start with what you want visitors to do
Before deciding whether your website metrics are good or bad, start with the purpose of the website itself.
These actions can all be considered website conversions. A conversion doesn’t have to mean a sale. It’s simply a meaningful action that moves a visitor toward an outcome that matters to your organization.
Once you’ve identified those outcomes, traffic becomes more useful because you can evaluate it in context. A website attracting 10,000 visitors without generating meaningful action may be less effective than one attracting 2,000 visitors who regularly engage and move forward.
Maybe you want visitors to:
- Requesting a quote or contact your team
- Make a purchase
- Register for an event
- Making a donation
- Find an important resource or piece of information
Not all website traffic is the right traffic
Traffic volume can also hide another important question: Are you attracting the people you actually want to reach?
An increase in website traffic may come from stronger search visibility or a successful marketing campaign. But a bigger number doesn’t necessarily translate into better results if those visitors aren’t interested in what your organization offers.
For one organization, that might mean visitors exploring products or services. For another, it could mean finding programs or reaching an event registration page.
The goal isn’t simply more traffic. It’s getting the right people to the website and giving them a clear path forward.
Rather than looking exclusively at total traffic, consider:
- Where are visitors coming from?
- Which pages are attracting them?
- Are they exploring the website after they arrive?
- Are they reaching pages connected to your goals?
Look at what happens after someone arrives
This is where website engagement and website analytics become more valuable.
For example, if a service page receives significant traffic but few visitors continue to the contact page, attracting more visitors may not be the answer. The bigger opportunity may be improving what happens between interest and action.
The same principle applies if visitors reach an event page but don’t register, or browse products without purchasing.
Your highest-traffic pages can therefore be some of your biggest opportunities. If a page receives a lot of attention, make sure the content is still relevant and visitors can easily understand what to do next.
Instead of treating analytics like a scoreboard, use the information as clues about the visitor experience.
- Where are people entering your website?
- What do they look at next?
- Where do they stop?
- Are they interacting with important calls to action?
If people aren’t taking action, look at the website experience
If you’re seeing website traffic but no leads, sales, donations or other meaningful actions, the problem may not be how people are finding your website. It may be what happens once they arrive.
Your website user experience can influence whether visitors understand what you offer, find what they need and feel confident taking the next step. Unclear navigation, a hard-to-find call to action or a frustrating mobile experience can all create barriers.
Accessibility is part of that experience, too. Clear navigation and readable content can help make your website easier for a wider range of people to use.
These issues become especially important when you’re investing in marketing. A campaign may successfully bring the right people to your website, but if the site makes it difficult to move forward, more traffic won’t necessarily lead to better results.
Connect website traffic to meaningful outcomes
Your website conversion rate shows how often visitors complete a meaningful action, but it’s also important to understand what happens before that action.
The answers can reveal a specific point of friction or a broader issue with the website experience. Sometimes a targeted adjustment is enough. Other times, it may be a sign that your website hasn’t kept pace as your organization and audiences have evolved.
Improving results isn’t always about attracting more visitors. It may mean making your existing website work harder for the audience you’ve already earned.
Consider where visitors may be losing momentum:
- Are they leaving before reaching your contact page?
- Are they starting a form but not completing it?
- Do popular pages offer a clear next step?
Look beyond the traffic number
Traffic matters, but getting people to your website is only part of the equation. What matters more is whether the right people are arriving and whether the experience helps them take meaningful action.
When reviewing your website performance, look beyond visitor counts. Consider where people lose momentum and whether the site is supporting your organization’s goals. More traffic is only valuable when your website is prepared to do something with it.
If your traffic is growing but your results aren’t following, it may be time to take a closer look at the website itself.
Flying Orange combines website design and development expertise with an understanding of broader business and marketing goals. Not sure whether your website is making the most of the traffic you’re already getting? Reach out to start a conversation.
Flying Orange has been a trusted development resource since 2007, meaning we’ve seen our fair share of design trends. Feel free to reach out for a free quote. We’re here to help with both ongoing, monthly website maintenance, or full website redesigns. We would love to learn more about your needs.
