sources of traffic to your site

When a new store or restaurant opens, the owner will often ask, "How'd you hear about us?" This is an informal way of testing their marketing program: Should they advertise in the local paper? Or is the Yellow Pages enough? Is word-of-mouth what counts? Or is location, location, location all that matters?

Web site owners don't need to ask, because their log files already tell them what they need to know. There are a limited numbers of ways people can arrive at your site.

Users can reach your site by

• Following a link on a search engine

• Following a link on a web site

• Following a link in an email

• Clicking on an ad banner or paid link

• Typing in your URL

• Adding your site to their "Favorites"

• Making your site their Start Page

links on search engines When people are looking for a particular type of web site, they'll often turn first to a search engine to find it. And this is how many visitors will find their way to you by searching on a related topic and following a link to your site. See improving your search rank, p. 309.

links on other web sites For most sites, search engines and portals are the most important sources of traffic. But don't discount the little guy. You'll be surprised how much traffic you can get from smaller sites that link your way. See linking strategies, p. 290.

email links Email yields mixed results as a source of new users, but it's an essential tool for encouraging repeat customers. In fact, email newsletters and updates are the single most important source of traffic to many sites. Content sites, in particular, rely on email to bring in up to 50% of daily traffic. But every site regardless of focus should use email to keep existing users coming back. See email strategies, p. 282.

ad banners and paid links The staple of online marketing, ad banners are an admittedly blunt tool for increasing traffic. But they do work, and combined with their simpler cousin, paid links they're probably the best "buyable" tool for raising awareness and attracting new users. See online advertising, p. 294.

typed-in URLs There's nothing better than someone who knows exactly what he wants and it's you. Or your site, anyway. A good portion of users will arrive after simply typing your URL (or web address) into their browsers. Maybe they heard about your site in a newspaper article. Maybe a friend recommended it. Or maybe they just thought to themselves, "I wonder if anyone has the site, bananabread.com? Whatever the motivation, enjoy it when it happens.

"favorites" lists It's always nice to be someone's favorite. But the best thing about being added to someone's "Favorites" list (which is integrated into the Internet Explorer browser) is that it gives them a slightly better chance of remembering your site and a much better chance of finding you, once they decide to return.

start pages When a user makes your site her start page meaning the first site that appears on her browser every time she starts it up it's a great coup. It means a guaranteed pageview for your site every time she goes online, and a great chance that she'll use your site for her immediate online needs.

getting to the source

You can learn the source of your site's traffic by looking at the referrer log, which displays the name of the referring page for each user that visits. Users that come on their own by typing in your URL or following a bookmark will appear as a "null" referral.