Mobile Beat - July 2008

I always enjoy getting my copy of Mobile Beat Magazine, Ryan Burger's magazine for the mobile entertainment industry. It's always got a great cover. The stuff inside is good too!

Todd Donald's article "Can You Really Afford Your Web Advertising?" is right on.

Bottom line: if you're not running a PROFITABLE business you're not in business - all the advertising in the world won't change that - so you have to be careful advertising online because it can add up fast.

He talks about website conversion of 1% to 2%. Sadly, he's quite accurate.

Website conversion is when someone who visits your website actually does something you want them to, like fill in an inquiry form or call you on the phone.

He goes on to say that this miseable conversion (miserable, being my word) is a factor of 24/7/365 access by anyone anywhere in the world - and that's partially true.

The Internet makes it really easy to just waste time clicking around because you're bored and you've already seen The Matrix about 1000 times on cable... who hasn't mindlessly browsed the web for hours?

But also another reason, and the #1 reason for miserable conversion, is:

LOUSY WEB SITES

Lousy websites, websites that don't present a company well, that probably have one of my "10 Reasons A Bride Will Leave Your Website" problems, that don't give a bride/groom the information they came looking for - fast, and deliver a poor "what's in it for me" message and poor "unique value proposition" are THE NUMBER ONE reason conversion is 1% to 2% at most websites.

At some, it's even worse.

Another factor, in calculating conversion, which I've been saying for years; THROW HALF OF YOUR VISITOR SESSION TRAFFIC OUT.

You're not counting "hits" right? If you are we need to talk.

Half of your traffic is no good. Visitor sessions, that is. It is not from real people looking to buy your services. It is search engine spiders, spam-bots collecting/searching for email addreses, people in the Phillipines hired for $100/week to find web-forms and fill them out with SPAM, your own staff updating the website, your mother, your mother's friends (because she's telling everyone you have a website!), and these people are not people who are qualified or interested in buying your services/products - so of course, they don't make inquiries.

As a result, one of your conversion variables, "total visitor sessions" is skewed from the start.

Try this instead: Take half your visitor sessions and throw them out!

1000 visitor sessions last month
divded by 2

=500 visitor sessions

50 inquiries = 10% conversion
25 inquiries = 5% conversion

Frankly, if you have anything less than 5% there is something wrong with your website and your marketing to brides online strategy.

Keep up the good work over there at Mobile Beat guys!