Fact 1

Almost 85% of new users find sites by using the major search engines.
Source: Georgia Tech's 10th WWW User Survey

Fact 2

Using search engines is the second most popular online activity, behind e-mail. Over 33 percent of all Internet user sessions involve using a search portal.
Source: Booz-Allen and Hamilton.

Fact 3

Only 6% of all site traffic comes from search engines.
Source: Booz-Allen and Hamilton.


Huh? How can all these facts be true? Well, they are, and there lies a profound truth in e-marketing. It's one thing to attract a new visitor. It's another thing entirely to keep them coming back.

The secret to unravelling this mystery lies in recognizing the difference between new visitors and returning visitors. To attract the new visitor, the one who has never been to your site, search engines are still the single most effective way to go. We've talked about this subject again and again in past columns. Today, we're talking about the traffic that makes up over 90% of the total traffic to your site. Those are your return visitors, and they are vitally important to your overall e-marketing campaign.

New vs. Returning

Building return traffic online is no different than building it in a bricks and mortar environment. Why do you keep going back to your favorite restaurant? Because you like the food and the service. Why do you keep going back to a particular store. Because they carry the things you need at the price you want to pay.

It's no different in the online world. First, you have to identify your target market, then you have to give them what they're looking for. Accomplish these two things, and you'll be generating tons of return traffic to your site.

Easier Sells

If you sell something on your site that people need on a recurring basis, it's this return traffic that will spell the difference between success and failure. Even if your product or service is a one shot deal, chances are the prospective buyer will have to make a few visits to your site before they're ready to plug in their Visa number and make the purchase. A search engine may bring them the first time, but it's very likely that it will be a bookmark or a typed in URL that will bring them back.

As your buyers become more familiar with you and your site, they're more likely to buy. If you do sell something that meets a recurring need, each additional sale becomes easier and easier. Humans are creatures of habit and we tend to go back to the same sites over and over. Take advantage of this and give your visitors plenty of reasons to keep coming back, rather than reasons to find a new online hang out.

Playing Favorites, Collecting Bookmarks

One way you can maximize return traffic is to make it easier to bookmark your site. Why not put a hyperlink or icon on your site encouraging visitors to bookmark the page. Here's a javascript you can use that instantly adds a bookmark (Netscape) or favorite (IE) to the visitor's browser.

Once you get the visitor to bookmark your site, make it stand out from the other sites by using the favicon.ico trick supported by IE 5.0 and later. Create a custom icon for your site in an icon editor. You can find an online editor at www.favicon.com. Make it clean and simple. Reduce the color depth to 16 colors and the size to 16x16 pixels. Then save it to all your online directories as favicon.ico. Now, when a visitor bookmarks your site, it will show up with your custom icon, rather than a generic one.

Content is the Key

Yes, content is important! It's vital to lure repeat visitors. Of course, the content has to be relevant to what your visitors are looking for. If they're seeking information, make sure you give them lots with well thought out navigation tools to make drilling down to the required information as easy as possible. Also make sure the content is kept fresh, another key to keep repeat visitors coming back for more. For more on content, see the previous NetProfit, Why Content is King on the Internet.

Research

I've said repeatedly that you have to deliver what your visitors are looking for. How do you determine what this is? Ask them. Just like any business, research is important online as well. In fact, because often visitors can come and go without you even knowing, it's more important than ever.

Here's a few ways to make sure your customers can catch your ear:

• Make sure there's a prominent link to a feedback form on your site. Keep it simple. Remember, time is precious. You might also want to offer an incentive to encourage visitors to take the time to fill out the form. You can also do it as an exit survey, using java to launch a window with a survey when someone leaves a page. Here's a link (http://www.cgiscript.net/popupg2.htm) to a java pop up window generator you can use to create the script required for a pop up window. You can choose a variety of ways to launch the window.

• Capture contact information so you can follow up with a questionnaire. Ideally, this should be done by an independent party over the phone. You'll get a better response rate and more accurate answers.

• Ideally, get someone with a background in market research to help you put together your questionnaire. They'll help you avoid leading questions and wording that results in ambiguous answers.

Another method of research that will provide some insight into your visitors is using your server logs to examine how people move through your website. You can track which pages they visit and which ones they're on when they leave. For more, see Log Hunting, Learning More About Your Site by Using the Referrer Field.

Custom Made Websites

Customer Relationship Management Software now offers sophisticated integration with websites, allowing your visitors to reshape your website to meet their preferences and needs. Just like a tailored suit, a custom made website is more comfortable and apt to encourage repeat visits. For more on CRM software, see Why CRM is the Perfect Match for Your Website.

Y'all Come Back Now, Ya Hear?

There's an old saying in marketing that goes, "Nothing kills a bad business faster than good advertising." If you can draw a new customer to your business, or website, and they leave disappointed, you can be sure they'll never come back. In addition, they'll make sure they tell everyone they can not to bother wasting their time on a visit either. So please, before you spend all your budget on bringing visitors to your site, make sure you give them a reason to come back.