Less grief, more benefit

Seth’s post Silly Traffic is worth a read. To use a cliche, it’s a reminder to not sweat the small stuff, in this case as it relates to web sites. Your site may get a lot of traffic, and you may be working your behind off to get that traffic, but it doesn’t necessarily translate into worthwhile traffic. Quality trumps quantity.

Ideally, you would have both: loads of visitors who are engaged.

It reminds me of when I worked in radio years ago. A station might be “No. 1!” in the ratings. Another, number 3 or 4. Yet the latter station made more money. Why? Because the numbers the station at the top of the heap where made up of very young people, a lot in the teen range or early twenties. And their disposable income was limited and when they did spend, what they spent on was also limited.

The other station, with smaller total numbers, made more money because the demographic was older, often women, and they not only spent more, what they spent on meant more money (like shoes, cars, houses, furniture etc.). In this case, while women made less than men (and still do), they were decision makers in households. And it all boiled down to greater advertising dollars because the station provided a more lucrative audience.

They point is, a lot of traffic (or big audience) doesn’t mean it has a lot of value. It might all just be “silly traffic.”