To Get Repeat Web Traffic - Take a Critical Look at the Value You Offer

By PChip | Category: Business Management |

Business Tip: When your site visitor finds value at your website and really connects with you and your own original style, they tend to stick around longer and return more often.

Mini-Tasker: Today I’m encouraging, every blog writer and website owner to ask themselves “How can I improve my web content and get my site visitors to keep returning?”  Review your site and continue asking yourself questions like… Am I saying the same old thing everyone else is? Am I giving my readers something new to think about or at least a new way of viewing something old?  Does my website offer enough unique and interesting information to encourage repeated visits?

Be Critical in Your Review

Sometimes it’s hard to be non-biased about your own digi-art, your own website, or even your own hairdo for that matter.  But it pays to take a step back and try to see your work from the perspective of your site visitors.  If you could distance yourself from your website and visit it as a first time visitor - would you be able to find REAL value and uniqueness there? Be honest and really critical with your response.  If you can do this it will help you decide if corrections need to be considered.  If you simply can’t see things from the visitors point of view then consider getting help from a consultant.

Offer Something of Value

In the world of digital scrapbooking there are so many sites saying the same things these days. Your visitors will only come back to your site if they see inherent value in it.  To generate a sense of value, deliver to them info that will insure they are 1) gaining new knowledge about something they can’t get anywhere else, or 2) receiving a bargain that they can’t find anywhere else.

Offering them new information doesn’t mean never using content you’ve learned from other sites or gathered from outside resources.  On the contrary!  If the info is of interest to your readers, it’s smart business to provide it to them.  However, when you do this, at least do it by adding top quality value instead of saying the same thing everyone else is saying.  Quoting others and doing re-writes are okay, but if you pick quotes and articles from other websites be sure to actually form new articles on your own site.  Make your work distinguishable and in your own writing style.

Cheap Aint Good

When I say give them “a bargain they can’t find anywhere else,” I don’t mean the lowest prices on digi-art.  I don’t mean another weekly freebie.  I don’t mean the same standard package they can get from 150 other digi-scrap stores.  I mean give them something of high quality that stands out from the crowd or is unique and provide it at a fair price.

If you think about your website in a more thoughtful manner, and provide value to your visitors, I am sure you can turn your digital scrapbooking business into a successful one.

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7 comments
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  1. Rachael September 6th, 2007 5:14 pm :

    Hi Cindy, I just wanted to let you know how much I have been enjoying this series. The timing is not quite right for me to be implementing them on my S4O’s business but I have been saving them for future reference. Also I do have another (non-scrapbooking related) website and business and I am finding these tips to be as equally valid and applicable to it as well. So thanks for all the hard work you are putting in here. I wish you success.

  2. PChip September 6th, 2007 6:37 pm :

    Most excellent! I’m glad you are finding the series helpful. I have several websites as well and yes, you are right - the info presented here can most definitely apply to other businesses.

    I welcome you to offer any tips you’d like to share with the group that you think might be helpful. Success back to you too!
    Have a great day!

  3. David September 6th, 2007 6:59 pm :

    Tip for Day 6: Taking the Plunge. Looking through the comments here and on other scrap-booking sites, I’ve seen a lot of people thinking, and thinking about starting a business. If you read any text book or online help section on starting a business, the sheer number of steps to take seems impossible.
    Traditionally, a large investment was required to start. Stock, storage, advertizing, legal, stationery, office, storefront, leaflets… let alone the cost of focus groups and research that the investment demanded.

    We live in a golden age for starting a business. The internet now allows you to sell to the world almost before anything else is in place. Sure, register your business name and legal structure, open a free bank account, buy the URL and get some hosting set up. Within $100 or so, and in many states, you are set up and going. That’s half of the traditional expenses taken care of.

    Now here’s the good part - LISTEN - yes, listen to your customers, ask for honest critique and learn. Apply what you learn to your site and business. This is the research applying itself to your actual business. Live and in real time. In fact, there are fewer cheaper ways to do actual real consumer research on your service than to actually start.

    If you have a disaster on your hands, that can’t be easily put right, shut down and cancel the hosting. You’ve risked $100 and learned a LOT about business.

    And if you actually start to make headway? You’ll wonder why you were waiting for the perfect time to take the plunge. There is never a better time than NOW.

  4. loonyhiker September 6th, 2007 7:48 pm :

    Thank you so much for all these tips. They have really made me think and analyze the blogging process!

  5. PChip September 6th, 2007 7:59 pm :

    Loonyhiker, You are most welcome. Do you have a website?

  6. PChip September 6th, 2007 9:07 pm :

    David, Your advice about listening to your customers and learning from what they report is sound advice. Thanks for putting such thoughtfullness into your comments.

  7. DSD-Pro Business Association Pre-Launch » Digital Scrapbooking Turn-Key Business Opportunity September 7th, 2007 8:10 am :

    […] interesting that David made a comment on the DSD-Pro blog yesterday about the low cost of starting up a businessthese days. Because as I was pondering which of the things I wanted to update here on our DSD-Pro […]

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