Focus on Revenue, Not Rankings

Suppose you could double your web site traffic today. What would that be worth to you? What if you could instantly obtain 10 new #1 rankings on Google. How much would you pay?

If you answered “It depends,” give yourself a pat on the back. What you don’t know is whether or not the increased traffic is from qualified prospects. And you don’t know two things about the rankings: 1) are the search terms closely related to your web site, and 2) is anyone searching for those terms?

The fact is that search engine rankings and web site traffic should not be your end goal. The goal of your internet marketing campaign should be to increase conversions.

In order to effectively measure the success of your SEO or PPC campaign, you must define what a conversion is for your site. Put another way, what do you want people to do when they come to your web site? Here are a few examples:

• Place an order
• Sign up for a newsletter, webinar, or more information
• Click-through to a specified page
• Call us

Once you define your conversion(s), you must accurately measure your results over time to gauge the effectiveness of your internet marketing efforts. In upcoming posts, we’ll look at conversion scenarios for three types of web sites:

1. transactional
2. lead generation
3. informational

In the meantime, determine what a conversion is for your site. If you don’t already know, how can you possibly determine what those search engine rankings are worth?

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