If I were to ask you what a website is for, you would probably tell me that it is a tool to promote your business or organization online and communicate what you are about to whoever stops by. Fair enough, so they search for you, the find you, they learn about you and . . . then what?
Websites are indeed promotional tools and are essential to communicating what you are about, but there is another critical piece that many organizations, particularly small ones, overlook. If a visitor to your site leaves without taking any action, they will probably never be back.
Your website's purpose is to convert traffic.
Converting traffic can mean a lot of things, but it is best to think of it like this: You want as many visitors as possible to take some action that will add them to your network. Whether they sign a petition, become a fan on Facebook, or make a purchase directly, you want them to do something that will allow you to reach out to them again.
If your site has a good conversion rate, even a small amount of traffic, over time, will grow into a large lists of people that you can reach out to again, and again, for free. Want to promote a sale or contest? You could spend a bunch of money on an ad campaign to reach 10,000 people, or you could send an email and post on Facebook for free to reach the same numbers.
There are people on your website right now. What do you have up there that can convert them?
Nathan Havey
