March 16, 2010
How to Make the Most of First-Time Visitors
An interesting study found that 80% of business blog traffic comes from first-time visitors. I'd imagine that number is pretty close to most other blog types as well.
Let that sink in for a minute.
This means that for most of the people that touch your site, most of them will never come back.
Most bloggers and site owners blissfully think that if someone pays a visit to your site, then they'll most likely keep coming back. Unfortunately, this couldn't be further from the truth.
People have been sharing more news and articles with social news sites like Digg and social media networks like Twitter and Facebook. (You can see the stats from AddThis on how sharing keeps rising.)
These social services have become great platforms for sharing links because of the trust factor. Because you know and trust the person sharing the link with you, you're more likely to follow it.
Don't Wait For Repeat Visitors
One way that many sites get large readerships is by getting their content in front of the same people multiple times. For example, if I repeatedly keep seeing your blog on the front page of Digg, then I might eventually subscribe to your feed.
But why wait for someone to visit your site more than once before convincing them to subscribe? We already know that most people won't come back to your site a second time anyway.
So let's start turning some of those "one-and-done" visitors into subscribers and active members of your community.
How to Hook Newbies
The number one reason most new readers leave your site and never come back again is because they can't figure out what the site is really about. Because most new visitors don't visit your homepage, it's hard for them to understand what your site is about in a single visit.
You've got to hold their hand and show them.
And the best way to start is with a "New Here?" page.
The "New Here?" page
If you're really wanting to appeal to first-time visitors, give them content that is specifically for them.
After all, they make up most of your overall visitors.
The best way to do this is to create a "New here?" page. The goal of this page is to (at the very least):
Tell the casual visitor what your site is about and give her a strong call to subscribe.
The page could have these elements:
- Ways to subscribe to your feed
- A "Best Of" list that highlights some of the best content, or showcase certain series, etc.
- A quick bio about yourself and the site
- What the site hopes to accomplish
If you can give the visitor a quick overview of your site and some of the best content, then there is a better chance you'll win over a subscriber.
Here are some other effective ways you could gear your site towards welcoming new visitors.
1. Tease what you're about at the top of the page
UXBooth.com has text at the top to give users a better idea what their site is about.
Dedicate a little space at the top of your header to describing your site. This can immediately give your new visitors a snapshot of what your site is about, before they start reading the article.
2. Beef up your About page
Jared Christensen has a creative about page.
Too often about pages are bland piles of mush. Most sites don't take advantage of about pages and write them off as one of those features of the site that should be put together in five minutes.
A great about page can make a huge difference to any site. They add credibility and can tell a story that endears the visitor to your brand.
Here's a tip: don't write in 3rd person. There's nothing weirder than seeing a one-man blog with an about page that sounds like a book jacket bio. Be authentic and write about you.
As consumers want more and more transparency and authenticity, they're going to become more wary of posturing and chest-puffing. If there's only one person writing in your blog, don't act like you're an entire newsroom of writers. And if you've simply got to write in silly 3rd-person, at least make it humorous.
3. Add a strong call to action at the end of the post
Jonathan Fields uses a strong call to action to subscribe at the end of his posts.
Most sites don't take advantage of the valuable space at the end of the post. Many people think that the best place to put a subscribe link (or other calls to action) is at the beginning of the post. However, if a reader has made it to the end of the article, it means they probably liked it. And if they liked it, they're more likely to share the article with friends or subscribe to the site.
Use this valuable area to give visitors a strong call to action like subscribing to your site. Just make sure you don't push too many choices on your visitors. One or two specific calls to action (ie. "Subscribe to the newsletter or follow on Twitter").
A word of caution: Don't push too many choices on the visitor. If the paradox of choice is too great, then the user will be overwhelmed and just leave.
4. Add Related Content
FreelanceFolder uses images and text with their related content recommendations.
If you've got a blog, adding related content to the end of a post is a fantastic way to hook new visitors. The more interaction they have with your site, the more likely they'll become regulars. Related content adds a "sticky" factor to your site, and adds exposure to the rest of your great content.
The more of your content you can get first-time visitors to see, the more they'll see what your site is about, and eventually give them more reason to subscribe to your site.
Photo by 27147
