How Is Your Website Engagement?

[FarrisFahad]

How does your site perform in Google Analytics and GSC?
I hope you are fine sharing this info with us.
It would be very helpful for people who are just starting out.
For me, I get 1 sign up for every 100 unique visitor.
And out of 1,000 I get 1 loyal user.
At the beginning I thought it was odd but it turns out most people register but never use the website or don't come back.
What about you? Can you share your numbers?

[rproffitt]

1 out of 1000 is great. Are you new to this?

[Dani]

https://www.daniweb.com/stats/members

Note the heading: 18.6K active members out of 1.2M total members. Then, if you filter just to members with posts, it’s only 1000 members.

Note that this page’s definition of active members are members that have logged in sometime over the past year. DaniWeb has existed since 2002, and who the regulars have been, activity levels, etc. have all changed a lot over that time. In other words, just because someone is not active today doesn’t mean that at one point they weren’t visiting multiple times a day.

[Dani]

1 out of 1000 is great. Are you new to this?

It sounds like you are the one who is new. The rate of activity is completely dependent on what the website has to offer and the target demographic. There are many industries where conversion rates are 75% or higher. For example, in such industries, it typically costs anywhere from $100 to a couple hundred dollars per click with Google Ads. The only way that makes financial dollars and sense is if you convert nearly every visitor you pay for. There are many, but one example of where this is the case is the legal industry. People doing a Google search looking for a law firm in a particular city that offers a particular set of services will often convert for thousands to tens of thousands of dollars or more. They will often only check out a few law firms before settling on the one they want to go with. Positioned correctly, a Google listing that offers legal help with the exactly targeted set of credentials and good reviews can earn a ROI even at such a high PPC.

Here’s another example. Suppose I am in the middle of going over my finances and looking for a quick mortgage calculator. I do a Google search for “mortgage calculator”. I click the first result that comes up. It’s a free mortgage calculator. I use it. Nearly every single person Googling for a mortgage calculator and landing on a URL that offers a free mortgage calculator uses it.

That brings me back to what your website does. Here at DaniWeb, it’s very quick and easy to sign up. You click a link that says Log In with Google, click another link, and you’re signed up. It’s a whole lot harder to take those next steps. You have to think about what you want to say in your profile bio. You have to find a photo or image you like and want to use as an avatar. Even harder, you have to read people’s questions, have the knowledge to answer them, and then take the time to formulate a response. Even harder than that, you have to ask a new question about something you want to know, that you don’t already know, all the while keeping in mind all the rules about How To Ask Questions the Smart Way. (I’m on my phone right now and don’t easily have the link to that available.) In fact, it’s rare for forum regulars here to even think of questions to ask the community.

This is why I’m not against those “me too” posts written by new members. Often, after signing up for a new service, a new member wants to participate, communicate, use that service. But they don’t necessarily have anything in particular to say at that moment. Nevertheless, in marketing we call it a high touch moment. We hooked them and now it’s time to reel them in. We know that once they post just one time, no matter what that post is, they now consider themselves an active member of the community. It’s an emotional bond to the brand. On the other hand, if they sign up and don’t post, they are more than likely to leave the site and never return. It wasn’t memorable for them. It didn’t evoke an emotional reaction in them. We. Have. One. Chance.

If we swiftly deleted or commented on their “me too” post with a snarky saying, the member’s first experience posting becomes a very negative one. They quickly see we aren’t a friendly community and it’s not worth spending more time here. If their first post is met with friendly faces, then they are hit with a surge of endorphins. They came somewhere new. They said something. People liked that they said something. That makes them feel good. Now they want to say more because they want to feel good again. That message now becomes a gateway message to longer and more thoughtful messages in the future.

[Dani]

TLDR: you have one chance to evoke an emotional reaction in a first time visitor or else they will never visit again. Don’t squander it. If you are successful, you own them.

[FarrisFahad]

https://www.daniweb.com/stats/members

Note the heading: 18.6K active members out of 1.2M total members. Then, if you filter just to members with posts, it’s only 1000 members.

Note that this page’s definition of active members are members that have logged in sometime over the past year. DaniWeb has existed since 2002, and who the regulars have been, activity levels, etc. have all changed a lot over that time. In other words, just because someone is not active today doesn’t mean that at one point they weren’t visiting multiple times a day.

It feels good when you know that you are not alone in this. I wish I knew this earlier :(