Are you reviewing web metrics?
I am assuming that you know how long the average visitor stops on your site. However, based on conversations with many businesses I know that few actually review their website performance on a regular basis. This is one of the reasons I believe that 95% of business websites fail to deliver real value. If this applies to you, then one of the best tips you will get all year to improve your business performance is to set up key web metrics and a programme to review them on a regular basis. Read Is Measuring Marketing ROI A Key Part Of Your Web Marketing Strategy
It depends on site type and quality of content
Back to how long is long enough for a website visit? One web metric is how long people stop on your site (Visit Duration) and this will depend on the type of site and the quality of content. If you are visiting a site to check the weather, you might only be there for 20 seconds. If you are planning to buy a new car then you might spend more than 20 minutes doing research and getting a detailed quote based on your specification.
How do you start?
A good start point is what do you want your targeted visitor to do on their first (and / or subsequent) visit? How long should this take? Let's assume that you have decided that a targeted 1st time visitor should easily complete the desired task in 5 minutes.
Depending on which web metrics software you are using you should be able to establish the average visit duration. Make sure you split out the duration for 1st time visitors from regular visitors as the figures are likely to be different.
Averages hide the real picture
If I had one foot in a bucket of scalding water and the other foot in cold water, on average the temperature would be comfortable but it hides the real picture. It's useful to also look at visitors who leave really quickly as well as those who stop a long time. So if 50% of 1st time visitors leave in less than 60 seconds when you believe the average desired visit should be 5 minutes then this suggests either:-
- the content does not match the visitors expectation
- you are attracting the wrong people to your site who leave immediately after they realise this (wrong keyword or ad copy)
- they don't know where to go because the site structure or navigation is confusing so they go somewhere else
Reviewing other web metrics will help identify which of the causes is most likely for your website.
Alternatively, if you have a content site and you make money from ad revenue you might want people to stop longer. Looking at more 'committed' visitors, say the share of visitors who stop over 20 minutes is something you would want to increase.
Either way you need to determine a guide time that works for your website and review performance on a regular basis to identify areas for improvement. Remember time is money!
Web marketing tips that any business (large or small) could apply to attract and retain valuable customers
- Make measuring marketing ROI a key part of your web marketing strategy
- Have a business objective for every marketing activity e.g. attract x target web visitors per week at less than £z per visitor or achieve p sales per week with an average revenue of £q at less than £r per visitor
- Measure your web performance against your key objectives on a regular basis. The more you spend, the more frequently you should measure
- Identify what's working and what isn't
- Make improvements based on the learning
- Continue measuring & improving
- If it's too daunting for you or you need help then get a Web Marketing ROI expert to help
Remember...web marketing is about solving customers' problems profitably.
Peter Hawtin is an internet marketing specialist with Brand New Way, a UK web marketing agency (based in Wiltshire & Bristol) which helps companies to attract and keep valuable customers online.
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