Getting more return from your traffic? Here’s how to do it

Attracting more visitors is not always the solution to increasing sales or growing leads. There is often much to be gained by smartly leveraging existing traffic. Get to work optimizing your conversions. Also map out your customer journey and the value per visitor. But how do you tackle that?

Start with an analysis of your current performance

Increasing returns starts with insight. By analyzing your analytics data, you’ll discover where visitors are dropping out and which pages or funnels are performing well. Pay particular attention to the conversion rates of your pages and channels. Also pay attention to bounce rates and differences in performance between your audiences.

Also see if you notice differences in performance on different devices. This may indicate that your site is not performing as well on mobile devices, for example. These insights form the basis for targeted improvement actions rather than generic optimizations. (1)

This allows you to improve your content in a focused way, without haphazardly turning knobs.

Optimize your most important pages

Not every page has the same impact on your sales or leads. I especially look at pages with high commercial value, such as product pages, service descriptions or forms. In these, improve your text and call-to-actions to be clear and compelling. If necessary, move them to a place above the fold. Also, make sure your forms are as short and simple as possible. Do you also have reviews and customer case studies on your site? I definitely recommend it. It builds trust with your visitor.

Doing these adjustments in the right places will increase your ROI without any additional traffic. (2)

Increase value per visitor

High return is not only about conversions, but also about the value each customer brings. You increase average order value by showing cross- and upsell offers at relevant times. You can also offer bundles or package deals. Also, encourage your customers to make repeat purchases, through retargeting and email marketing.

This way, the same traffic becomes more valuable without you having to attract more visitors.

Test, measure and repeat

With conversion optimization, you need to be continually engaged. Therefore, deploy A/B tests to investigate which improvements work and repeat these tests regularly. What works now may be less effective a year from now, because the behavior of your target audience has changed. By structurally testing and adjusting, your returns will continue to grow.

More leads without an increase in traffic

With one of my clients, a service provider in the IT industry, I experienced this. He wanted to generate more leads, but already had enough traffic. We started by analyzing the existing data: where were visitors dropping out, which forms were not being filled out, and which CTAs were performing below average?

By improving the structure of the landing pages, adding social proof elements and making the forms shorter, conversion rates increased 40% within three months. The number of visitors remained the same, but sales grew significantly.

This case shows well that you don’t always need more traffic to grow. (3)

Summary

To get more return from the same traffic, optimization is important. With a data-driven approach, improved pages and strategies to increase value per visitor, you’ll make significant gains without investing in more traffic. It’s more efficient, more sustainable and often immediately noticeable in your results.

Frequently asked questions about conversion optimization

Optimizing returns often raises questions. I answer the most frequently asked questions about how to get more results from the same traffic.

What exactly is conversion optimization?

Conversion optimization is improving your Web site or campaigns to convert more visitors, such as a purchase, download or contact request. You don’t have to attract additional traffic to do so.

How do I know where visitors are dropping out?

Use tools like Google Analytics, Hotjar or Clarity to see which pages visitors leave your site on or where they stop scrolling. Combine that data with what you hear from customers to better understand why people are leaving.

What does conversion optimization provide?

What conversion optimization yields is often immediately apparent. You get more out of the same traffic, increasing your ROI. Moreover, you learn better what motivates your target audience. This is knowledge you can apply to other marketing channels as well.

How often should I optimize and test?

Conversion optimization is never finished. This is because visitor behavior is constantly changing. Therefore, test regularly, at least quarterly, and adjust your strategy based on data.