The value of your visitors

Visitors are paramount to the success of any website. I wonder what the point would be in having a website if:

  • No one visits it
  • You don't offer anything for the visitor
  • You are unwilling to cater to the visitors' needs

    Gaining visitors

    If you're only receiving a very minimal amount of hits per day (ten or under), you should ask yourself why. Why is this, do you think? Do you blog regularly? If so, what about?

    Hey every1!! Lol, so I went to the mall 2day with Sarah C. and Anna D. I got some new Levi's, but when I was trying them on Anna D was saying that my ass looked big in them, so me and Sarah C ditched her and went off by ourselves. Oh and lolz we saw Chad there...I'm crushing on him really bad, but I don't know if he saw me. Oh yeah and omg...bitch alert, Jenny from Neon Glitter Sparkle said that I stole my Fall Out Boy vector off Nina at Sugar Pie Honeybunch! BITCH! You're removed from my affies now biarch, and Ima make sure your site is h8ed. Okeii bai bai :)

    Yeah, great blog....not. This is Ground Control to Major Tom - you've failed to make the grade. (David Bowie = love!) Chances are, with blogs like this people are going to exit out of your page quicker than you can say "tahoma 6pt fonts for the lose". No one knows who Anna D. and Sarah C. are, and you better believe that no one gives a flying fuck about Chad either. Airheaded valley girl blogs are so passe.

    If you must blog about situations like these, at least don't do it all the time. Blog about a mixture of different topics - opinionated blogs are always a winner. Cover a broad range of topics - that way there's more of a chance of having someone coming by and reading it and actually giving a damn.

    What kind of content do you have? Do you actually have anything to offer for your visitors? Graphics, although cliche, do seem to be a popular offering, and if they're actually decent, then by rights they should be a worthy asset to your visitors section. Interacting with the visitor is crucial. Write some articles on your opinions - opinions on anything, and invite visitors to leave a comment underneath. Plugboards are also a good idea - nothing like a bit of shameless self promotion.

    If you're doing all these things yet you're failing to draw in a decent amount of traffic, then it's time for you to start promoting yourself:

  • Plugboards - there are tonnes of plugboard sites online, and they're not actually too bad in terms of getting traffic. Plugboard.org offers a list of plug sites you can go to where you can upload your button to the board. Remember to play by the rules and only plug once, and then again only when your button has been bumped off the grid.

  • Comment on peoples' blogs. Okay, so the real reason you're commenting is because you want traffic back to your own site. That's okay - just don't make it obvious! As much as this sucks, you're going to have to make a point to read and understand their blog before you comment. I once came across a blog where the girl was saying she was planning to go on holiday to Hawaii, but her friends cancelled and she wasn't going after all. Someone had commented saying "Hey! Have a great time in Hawaii!". Haha, how stupid. It really does pay to read what they're saying before you comment on it - no one likes a braindead blogger or one who is so blatantly craving hits. Don't make this so obvious! Don't outright invite the webmaster to visit your site either, otherwise you'll come across as desperate. There's a high chance that they'll visit your site anyway, without you having to resort to begging. On top of this, their visitors may also stop by, and if they like what they see then they're going to return! That is, if you've actually got something to offer, eg interesting, varied blogs, articles/opinions, interactive elements, and possibly graphics if they're not crusty. Aim for originality at all times, try and set your site apart from all the rest.

  • If you have a splash page, chances are you're actually receiving more hits than you realise. If your index page serves as your splash - this is probably where your hits will be recorded. I visit several sites that contain a splash page but I doubt my hit is recorded there, because I go directly to their blog without going through the splash, as the url is in my history. Splash pages are hardly ever necessary and serve as an obstacle to the visitor. If you have "essential" information or browser recommendations, then put them on your sidebar instead.

    Retain visitors - build rapport

    Now that you've got your name out there and you're getting traffic, you need to work on ways to retain these new visitors. Update your site regularly - even if it's just a blog. If you feel that you're too busy to do this and wish to go on hiatus - go on an open hiatus. Write a short message on your blog stating that your site is on hiatus, and leave everything up. Don't close off your entire website just because you're taking some time out.

    Visitor feedback is essential. By including a feedback form or even simply providing your contact details in an easy to find location, you are inviting your visitors to contact you regarding your blog or any aspect of your site. Take heed of this feedback, even if you don't necessarily agree. A few weeks ago I had a different layout up at PSGR, and it looked fine on my LCD laptop monitor. However, one person contacted me telling me that it was too bright on their desktop computer. I was a little miffed because I honestly did not see how, but all the same I blogged about this and included a poll on the issue, and as a result I ended up changing my layout. If I had kept up the apparently bright layout, that would have looked bad on my part because I'd have been providing my visitors with an eyesore that I was refusing to change. Not cool.

    The size of your font should also be readable. If you have doubts, then conduct a poll. If you invite people to comment about it then they may just tell you what you want to hear...I've had this happen to me in the past and I've hated that. Polls are anonymous, and you never know, the results may surprise you. If you blatantly refuse to change your miniscule font size after an overwhelming number of visitors practically beg you to, then you're going to look the fool. It's not about you - it's about catering to your visitors, and you're driving them away by refusing to make necessary changes.

    If your site is relatively popular, chances are you'll be receiving e-mails from your visitors on a constant basis. Although it may take a while due to the sheer amount, it is important to make sure you reply to the ones that are necessary. Don't ignore your visitors - be nice to them, treat them with respect. After all, without them your site would be nothing.

    Does validation mean popularity?

    Ah, the v-word - a controversial topic if ever there was one. I know for a fact that there are at least a few webmasters out there who validate their sites and display those obtrusive yellow W3C buttons on their sidebars, who think that as a result they're 'elite and popular', joining all the trendy message boards and greasing up at the popular websites. Although validation certainly has its benefits, having a validated website does not necessarily make it a good one. Generally having a validated website indicates that the webmaster cares enough about their site to make sure it is error free, but even so, this still does not necessarily mean that your site is a success. There are even some people who frown down on invalid sites, treating the webmaster like they are scum. I myself have famously been rejected by the popular web directory, Glitter, and I think this is the reason why. Every site and its brother is listed here - good sites, bad sites, you name it - but they've refused to list every single site I've ever made. My fanlisting is listed there, but that is because I do not run it, Nano does. In the past I have even received e-mails from people saying that it bothers them that my site is not valid, and that I ought to validate it. As I've said, catering to your visitors is important, but sometimes even this has its limitations. If your validation errors are causing the site to malfunction in a major way, then I guess you ought to fix it. But if there's no major problems incurred by non-validating, then surely accessibility should be more important to you. If your site displays correctly in all of the major browsers (and then some) and all resolutions, then for me personally, this should be enough. For these reasons, I do not concentrate on validation. I've come across several review sites that have a shit fit at the reviewee for the numerous validation errors their site contains. You know, "Oh my god! Shock horror!!! Your site has over 200 validation errors at the W3C!!!!! Oh my f*cking god, what the hell is wrong with you!?!?!111". It's fine to make the reviewee aware of this, but it's important that you inform them in the right way. Perhaps the reviewee does not consider validation important, and they've every right to think that way if they want to. Validation isn't the be all and end all for everyone, and although 99.9% of the webmasters who choose to validate do it for the right reasons, there are some who validate to try and get into a particular 'circle', who make a point of being snobby towards webmasters who chose, say, acccessibility over validity. I have a feeling that the credible validators themselves are aware of the fact that some people just do it to suck up to them. Certainly these credible validators have no problem with me as a person, nor do I have a problem with them. Those that do though - you know who you are, just like I know who you are. Validation may well be one ingredient that could lead to the success of a website, but original content and cross browser/resolution compatibility should be first and foremost. To me, validation is secondary. It is possible to have a successful website that just so happens to contain validation errors. If you want to validate your site, do it for the right reasons. If you wish to ignore validation, then also do it for the right reasons. Don't just do it either way to be trendy and try and get in with a particular crowd. Chances are said crowd will see right through you anyway, as the wannabe you evidently are. I have no problem with 99.9% of pro-validation webmasters, although I have run into a few who seem to have a problem with me for failing to share their sentiments. I get the impression that I'm labelled as an anti validation rebel, just because my site is reasonably popular without having valid coding.

    If someone calls you out for having invalid coding, it's important to handle it in the right way. If you rebuke this with "Um get a life you nerd, validation sucks!!" you're bound to get a whole host of angry pro-validators commenting on your site about your atittude. You're a nerd too, anyway, because you're on the computer in the first place. We're all nerds, and there's nothing wrong with it!

    In turn, pro-validation people shouldn't automatically treat someone like shit if their coding contains errors. Perhaps they have their reasons for going down the non-validation path.

    PSGR's story

    A year ago, PSGR used to get around sixty hits a day, so I whored every plug board under the sun. I also tried my best to make my site accessible, and tried my best to engage the visitor by offering a variety of content. If I still whored myself out , I'd certainly gain a bunch of new visitors, but as it is now, PSGR is 99.9% made up out of recurring visitors. Just the same 300+ people visiting several times a day. There's obviously something here that they like, although to be honest I have no idea what it is. I guess as the site owner, I see my site differently. I currently have 176 e-mails that need replying to - and I will be. (I do this on Sundays!). I have tried my best with this site - teenagers and adults, validators and non-validators - all sorts of people come by every day, and everyone is welcome because I've tried my best to make it that way. I cannot stress how important your visitors are, and how important it is to gain their respect. Your site is nothing without them, so you ought to treat your visitors like gold and be as accommodating to them as possible.

    Don't expect your site to have thousands of visitors a day unless you have something major to offer, specialising in things like graphics, decent tutorials, and scripts etc. For a content based site like mine, I'm fairly happy with the number of hits I receive. There's nothing here at the moment that would justify any kind of increase. While hits are important, recurring hits are even more so. If you have the same people visiting your site over and over again, you know you've done something right. Validation isn't a surefire way of gaining respect. If you're nice to your visitors and try your best to cater to their needs, then to me that automatically guarantees respect. Be yourself - don't try and make out you're someone you're not in your blogs. Be honest but tactful, don't knock peoples' opinions, and if someone starts shit at you then defend yourself in an appropriate manner. This usually includes the use of quotations, with your argument underneath. Don't just flood your own blog with profanity and then a plea for your visitors to go and start drama, because it doesn't work that way.

    Don't beg your visitors to click on your crusty voting links either, or don't beg them to comment on your blogs. Your visitors are real people you know - they're not just a number, although I can think of a certain someone who seemingly thinks they are. Quite the bossy girl I must say...although I don't visit this site often because the full page celebrity layout plays havoc with my dialup modem.

    To summarise...

    There's nothing like the use of bullet points to summarise a long winded (and arguably anal) article about visitors' needs.

  • Establish yourself in the web scene - gain exposure by commenting on blogs and using plugboards.
  • Once you have some consistant traffic - try and keep it that way! Keep your site regularly updated and constantly strive for originality. "Think different", try and set your site apart from the rest. Generic content such as forwards and java games isn't going to do you any favours.
  • Try and make your site as accessible as possible - pleasant colour schemes and standard font sizes are a must.
  • Don't assume you're the bee's knees if you choose to validate. It means fuck all if the only reason you're doing it is to be trendy
  • If validation is no biggie for you, at least attempt to focus on cross browser/resolution compatibility.
  • Don't take your visitors for granted even if your site is relatively popular. Take the time to reply to them, but make them aware that it may not be instantaneous.
  • Build a relationship with your visitors - you owe them shitloads of respect because they made your site what it is today. Without respect, you have no visitors. Without visitors, you have no real reason for having a website.
  • Don't use your visitors. They're people, not statistics. Understand that just because they visit your site, it doesn't necessarily mean they're going to agree with everything you say. Don't knock them if your opinions contrast.

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