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One more thing on conversion rates.

Looking at (and measuring) your website in terms of conversion rates cuts through the clutter of everything and gives you the definitive measuring stick of your website’s performance. This is because sometimes your website’s performance might not be reflected in total revenue. Personally, my overall revenue numbers fluctuate depending on the size of the jobs I am currently doing — yet, initially they all come in on the same quote form, and count as one conversion. My revenue is also determined by how well I convert my prospect once they have contacted me. If I have an interested prospect, my website largely did its job (it delivered me the prospect, and now I have to take over). So it’s not really fair for me to judge my website’s performance on revenue (or whether I close the deal), is it? If I’m getting a nice flow of interested prospects, and my revenue is still bad, my problem almost certainly lies elsewhere (maybe in my demeanor or my pricing).

To give a slightly clearer example of the previous, imagine if you were unemployed, and had a nice rÈsumÈ made. You sent it out, and it got you a few calls or interviews. But then you proceeded to show up to the interview in shorts and a “work sucks” t-shirt, and (surprisingly) did not get offered the job.

Is it your résumé’s fault that you didn’t get hired? Should you change your résumé? Or is the résumé doing its job (delivering contacts and interviews) and the real reason you remain unemployed lies elsewhere?The answer is pretty obvious (I hope)!

To wrap this part up, in very simple terms, knowing your website conversion rate is probably one of the best ways to get a handle on how your website is doing. It also gives you a clear picture on how changes affect your business.

Okay, let’s move on to targeted traffic.