Why Website Traffic Generators Don’t Work

No, they’re not idiots. It just seems like that. To the untrained eye.

You know who these people are. They’re the ones on Twitter with only a handful of followers. Enough followers to literally count on one hand or perhaps a bit more. But certainly nothing like the Ashton’s, the Gaga’s, or the Bieber’s.

Like many other users, these “idiots” also want to be big on Twitter. Yet they refuse to buy Twitter followers. Even at $5. Even when delivered in 24 hours. And even when the followers are provided by “2Good2BTrue”, a top-rated seller on Fiverr.com.

Can you believe it? Somehow, these “chumps” think they have to put in the time to build an authentic audience. They just don’t “get it”.

Actually they do. For as we’ve said, these kinds of Twitter users are not idiots. Not by a mile. If anything, the true “idiots” are the ones who think they can buy followers.

Calling this latter group “idiots” might seem harsh. But the point needs to be emphasized. There’s nothing smart or savvy about buying Twitter followers. The same holds true for Facebook fans, website visitors, or any other measure of online audience engagement.

Yes, for argument’s sake, using a site like Fiverr will technically get you more fans/followers/visitors/etc. Often within 24 hours too. But at what cost?

This is where things get ironic.

The reality of fake audiences is that they end up costing you far more than $5. Or whatever you paid that guy with 1,000+ hours on UpWork. The one who calls you “Sir” even when you tell him not to.

Any “deal” you think you’ve gotten goes up in smoke when you look at your newly acquired audience. Who, for example, is “Jane Woodrow”? The woman who just liked your business’s Facebook page. You don’t know her. Her FB profile doesn’t have a picture. And she only has one friend. Is this “Jane” lady even a real person?

No. Probably not. Especially if she liked your page at the same time you bought the likes. No, “Ms. Woodrow” is probably a fake profile, created in bulk by the scammy outsourcer you hired.

“But we’ll just keep that our little secret.”

Good luck. If you can spot fake engagement, don’t you think other people can to? After all, your audience on Facebook (of real people) isn’t stupid. In many cases, they’re going to know. It may be obvious that you’ve populated your business page with fake fans. Or if it’s not painfully apparent, a few inquiring souls may dig and discover the truth for themselves.

Why endanger your brand like this? Why take everything you’re working to build and risk it all with a single $5 purchase?

Even if you have yet to make a profit, your brand is still worth more than this. So much more. Both now and in the future, as you continue to grow it.

No, what you need to do is think bigger. Open your mind and consider all of the ways you can scale your online audience.

This is precisely what we do at Human Proof. As we build niche sites, we’re continually thinking about what reputable strategies could be used to promote these sites. Our focus tends to be on increasing website traffic. Depending on the strategies we devise, our sites almost always see substantially better results than with website traffic generators. 

So what are those strategies? No need to keep you in suspense. Let’s dig into three of them here. These strategies are purposely broad. That way you can use them regardless of whether your specific goal is increasing traffic (ours) or getting more fans/followers/engagements.

Strategy #1: Understand the Process

Why don’t website traffic generators work? Apart from the issue of the traffic being fake or unqualified, there’s a bigger flaw. Website traffic generators don’t work because they hide the process.

Those who use these tools/services are often clueless on how to get traffic. That’s why they turn to the traffic generator in the first place. But the traffic generator, for its part, rarely illuminates the process. Traffic simply appears. No rhyme. No reason. It just happens.

Despite the surge of traffic, the website owner then remains just as clueless. The owner knows that something has been done to get more traffic. But he/she is likely at a complete loss on what the something is.

That’s not an empowering position to be in. Nor is it a position from which a site owner can understand their audience or customers.

A better way is to focus on understanding the process. What’s the process that brings people to your website?

From our experiences (at Human Proof), we’ve found keywords to be an integral part of the process. The right keywords on a website can make all the difference in getting traffic. What those keywords are is going to vary from one website to the next. But it’s not classified information. You could find out using one of the free, albeit time-consuming tools in Google AdWords. Or you might opt for one of our Keyword packs. In either case, you’ll be in a far better position than if traffic was just handed to you by a generator. You’ll know what did what, empowering you to build on your success or change course if necessary.

Strategy #2: Make It “Stick”

Ever heard the expression “water off a duck’s back”? It’s an expression used to describe when something fails to have any real impact. We mention the expression now because it describes what can happen when you use a website traffic generator.

When you use a generator, traffic often arrives on the website only to “slide” off. Like water off a duck’s back. Usually that’s because the traffic was unqualified. But even if the traffic was qualified, it still probably wouldn’t stick. Here, the traffic would slide away because the website itself lacked the content to hold an audience.

In this case, your website might have valuable articles. Those articles might be well-written too. But without knowing keywords and the greater process of getting traffic, your content wouldn’t hit the right notes. Visitors to your site might still glean some value from your articles. Yet it wouldn’t be enough to capture the tidal waves of traffic from a traffic generator. None of that traffic would stick.

If, however, you wanted to make it stick, we’d recommend two options. One is the “D.I.Y.” (do it yourself) option. You could review your keywords and take time to write a few sharp, value-packed posts. The kind of posts that will serve as Gorilla Glue to any traffic you receive. It might take you a few cups of coffee, but this option is doable and can definitely work.   

If coffee and writing aren’t your thing, you might opt for a non-D.I.Y., paid option. We offer an article writing service, for example. Our service isn’t the only way, of course, but it can definitely save you time. Especially if you’re juggling a million loose ends in your business and needed articles that stick yesterday. 

Strategy #3: Invest in Education

No, we’re not suggesting that you buy shares in any educational company. Rather, the point is that you should invest in educating yourself.

Educate yourself to the greatest extent possible on online marketing. Study SEO, PPC, and any other relevant 3-letter abbreviation. Learn as much as you can about platforms like AdSense and Amazon’s affiliate program. Become a student of the online marketing greats (too many to name here!).

You can do all that by reading blogs like ours or by using any of these tools.

Whatever you do, just get started. Someway. Somehow.

Once you do, you’ll understand just how many legitimate options you have for getting traffic, likes/followers, or other forms of online engagement. That understanding will free you from the temptation to order dodgy Fiverr gigs. And your newfound understanding will also pave the way for long-term success with a niche site or other online business.

     

—————

Is the dictionary really the only place where “success” comes before “work”? Or are there exceptions? Your read our opinions on this, as they relate to niche sites and online businesses. But what about you? Leave a comment below and let us know your opinion on this topic.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Copy link
Powered by Social Snap