The following is excerpted from the Keyword Connects eBook: 5 Online Metrics That Matter for Home Improvement Lead Generation (and Five That Don’t). To download the full eBook, please go to www.keywordconnects.com.
METRIC #1: Visitors to Your Web Site vs. Visitors from Within Your Marketing Territory
One of the most common statistics that I see home improvement companies rely on is visitors to their Web site. The thought is “Visits are up! Our Web site must be doing great!”
Having looked at hundreds of home improvement web sites over the years, I can tell you that this metric is highly misleading. Let me explain why.
Maybe your business operates in a 50-mile radius of your office. Maybe you cover three states. Or, maybe you just serve two small counties.
The broader point is that you can’t sell home improvement or remodeling services to people on the other side of the country. Or outside of your territory.
Doesn’t it follow then, that the most important traffic to your Web site – “visitors” – only matters when it’s coming from inside your marketing territory?
Absolutely. Which is why you shouldn’t look at the overall number of visitors to your Web site as an indicator of success. If you operate in a territory 100 miles around St. Louis, why would visitors from Seattle matter to you? It’s doubtful they will ever turn into sales for your business.
The key is to focus on visitors to your Web site from within your territory. Those are visitors who could be real prospects, and ultimately drive revenue for you. And that’s the metric you should focus as an indicator of success.
Google Analytics (we highly recommend you use this free application) offers a mapping tool that shows you where your Web traffic comes from. You can drill all the way down to individual cities and towns, allowing you to ignore overall visitors and instead pay strict attention to the territories that matter to you.
Lead Gen Insight #1:
Web site traffic only matters if it’s coming from within your marketing territory.
One of the most common statistics that I see home improvement companies rely on is visitors to their Web site. The thought is “Visits are up! Our Web site must be doing great!”