The aim of a website is generally to provide a window of ones offers
on a platform where a good deal of people can get access. A website is
nothing more than a storefront, in a way, providing a catalog of
products, services and information, depending on the area of expertise
of the one behind the site. The general aim then is to get the
maximum number of people to view this window, be interested in its
content, and then make them loyal followers who will come back
repeatedly to the site.
In the jargon of the cyber world, these visits can be termed traffic.
Traffic, in everyones minds, shows how many people are coming by a
site, a good indicator of its popularity and content relevance.
Traffic is actually more technical, explained as the amount of data sent
and received by visitors to a site, and not exactly as the number of
visitors. Though both definitions can be considered the same, giving an
idea of the popularity of a site, traffic is thus a very good indication of
whether a site is thriving or failing.
Traffic is usually the first indicator of whether a site is attracting visits
or not, and as such, is a basis for advertising ventures with sites.
Given that advertising helps site owners financially, regular traffic
ensures they will be considered for advertising proposals--or that they
will earn more from current advertisers (by increasing views and clickthroughs).
Through traffic, owners can also see which pages are more popular
and which are less visited, helping to know where their strengths and
weaknesses lay. This data can further help them to determine trends
on the site, and tailor their offers accordingly by remaining one step
ahead of the game.
Thus, generating traffic and increasing it is a major concern of site
owners. Whether a site caters to marketing products or to providing
information on a specific topic, traffic will be the general indicator of its
success and popularity, and consequently, of its survival - survival of
the fittest on the Net referring to the site that receives best traffic.
Consequently, the aim of sites is to increase traffic. This differs slightly
depending on the type of site. Marketing sites, provided by Internet
marketers and Internet business owners, will want to increase their
traffic to get more unique visitors and also to keep their returning
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visitors, ensuring that the products they offer are seen and considered
by a wider number of potential clients. Content sites, for marketers
and Internet business owners that offer information on a narrowlydefined
topic and that generate revenue through advertising, will want
to increase the number of page views (and, thus, click-throughs) of
the site so as to increase the scope of penetration of their content.