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Web site traffic reports and demystifying the "single access page" metric Picture this... Sales are down, the economy is not getting any better, and you're prepared to do whatever it takes to make a sale. (Sound familiar?) A potential customer in the market to buy your service has agreed to meet for a cup of coffee. Eureka! You know exactly what she wants and how to deliver. There's absolutely no way she can say no. Even if she tries, you're prepared to overcome every buying objection and pelt her with benefits and successful case studies. Show time The day of the meeting, you feel great and are ready to present an offer she can't refuse. You arrive at the coffee house 10 minutes early to collect your thoughts. This is it. She's here... As you extend a hand to greet her, she gives you a once-over, turns around, heads for the door, and quickly walks out. Holy Toledo -not again! That's the twelfth time this week. Something is seriously wrong with your first impression. Pop quiz What do you do? a. ignore it, pretend it's not happening, and wait for the next opportunity b. immediately figure out and resolve the problem I assume you answered b; immediately figure out and resolve the problem. If not, you'd soon find yourself among the unemployed. Parallels to a Web site The same scenario is happening on your Web site right now. It's been going on since the day you launched the site, and will continue until the problem is resolved. In fact, most Web sites lose 80% of its visitors during the first impression (home page). Potential customers simply give it a once over and leave. Ignorance is bliss Dare I draw a deeper parallel? Imagine your prospect walking in again, and instead of rising from your chair to shake hands with a greeting, you remain seated reviewing your notes and say: "Loading.... Please wait." She stands there stupefied and insulted, to which you repeat: "Loading.... Please wait." Sorry Charlie, she's gone. Think she'll ever meet you for coffee again? How to measure these lost opportunities Grab your Web site traffic reports and locate the area called "single access pages." This metric is loosely defined as the number of times a visitor enters and exits a particular page without viewing another. Or in simpler terms, she enters and leaves before clicking through to another page. How often does this happen on your site -- or on the home page? Once? Twice? Depending on your traffic volume, it probably happens thousands of times each month. Putting the numbers in perspective The best way to determine if your single access page volume is high, low, good, or bad is to compare it against the total number of visitors who entered on that page. Metric: "Entry pages." For example, if 789 visitors entered your Web site on the home page, and 651 failed to click beyond it (read: single access page), the page is only 17.5% effective ((789-651)/789 = 17.5). We have a well-crafted, relevant, industry standard term for these types of pages. We say they suck. Pop quiz What will you do? a. ignore it, pretend it's not happening, and wait for the next opportunity b. immediately figure out and resolve the problem Want future articles sent directly to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter.
Rick Costello, The Web Site Profit Doctor™ is a Chicago Area Web Designer who can transform your “information only” Web site into a profitable customer acquisition tool. Primary web marketing services include general website help, website design help, web site analysis, web site planning, web site competitive intelligence, web site analytics, web site impovements, web site maintenance, and seo help. Article information and opinions herein reflect the most accurate information at the time of publication and are subject to change. Readers are free to forward this article in its entirety, but may not sell, barter or leverage it for commercial profit or gain. ©2002-2013 Rick Costello, The Web Site Profit Doctor. All Rights Reserved.
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