Is your website a roadside billboard or an off-ramp?  A good way to look at increased website traffic.   By John Bolduan RealWebMarketing.com

I was thinking about increased website traffic the other day and wanted to find a good way to relate it to the average person trying to gain market share. As I was driving along the freeway I noticed the billboards, businesses, buildings and of course, the endless stream of cars. I thought about how most people call their website traffic, "traffic"! This is just like what we call everyday on our road trips to wherever we might be going. It brings up a couple of points that I would like to discuss. The roadway can be compared to what we run into online and how to better design for online success. Here are some of the comparisons.

Traffic Jam

One of the biggest scams these days is companies offering to increase website traffic without knowing anything about your business. For $300 they'll send you a certain amount of people to your site. A lot of times it's not good qualified traffic nor is it even legitimate. I think that this type creates only an online traffic jam, where you get frustrated people who didn't want to visit you or are annoyed that they can't get where they're going. There is only a negative feeling with traffic jams, avoid doing it online.

Billboard

With a roadway that has traffic constantly, sometimes a billboard can be an effective way to reach certain people through the shear number of ad impressions. It illustrates the point that the Internet is a numbers game to a certain extent and the more people that find you, the more sales you'll get. This is just like people that invest in billboard advertising, they know that if you throw enough linguini at the wall, some of it's going to stick. This type of approach is similar to Internet pay-per-click ads like you would find on Google. It has a fair result but it's much lower than natural search listings. So writing effective ads is important if you want relevant increased website traffic. But if all you do is pay-per-click ads, you're missing most of the traffic that's whizzing by your site as most people ignore ads as well as billboards.

Construction zone

Don't ever make the mistake of having a construction zone online. It's okay for the road because there is no other way to get the roadwork done. The good news is that online website development can happen where no one will see it. Never show an under construction sign on your website. It means a slow down or disappointment to your visitors just like the roadway.

Off-ramp

This is the ultimate sign of progress when you're on the road, an off-ramp or exit ramp. It means that you're making progress to your destination or that you're already there. It's a wonderful feeling to have arrived and being where you wanted to be in the first place. Increased website traffic should always have a result of increased sales or interaction with visitors if you've made your site an off-ramp. Your website should be a place where they find what they're looking for or they find the correct direction to where they're going. It's really about making your site a content rich environment that's easy to navigate. Provide a feeling that your website visitors have arrived and can be comfortable with you and your offering. Make sure that your increased website traffic is guided enough that visitors will find what you have. These wonderful online travelers are buyers too.

We Americans are a very mobile society and the road is where we live part of our lives for better or for worse. The Internet has become that kind of place too with people interacting and looking for information, products, services and more. Make your roadside stop a place where people find what they need and the kind of results you would like to see online. Think about your increased website traffic like you would roadway traffic and you'll find ways to better channel your offering to the online freeway.