You’ve probably heard of “junk traffic”—that is, traffic that’s irrelevant to your business and doesn’t convert into paying customers. It’s a common complaint among marketers that their efforts are overtaken by “non-essential” links and content that have no value to their sites’ performance.
Junk traffic is a problem because it eats into the effectiveness of your marketing efforts in two ways:
- It lowers your conversion rates by being less relevant to your target audience
- It dilutes your brand equity, as studies have shown that consumers perceive links and content that aren’t associated with your brand to be less trustworthy.
What Is Junk Traffic?
Simply put, junk traffic is any traffic that doesn’t fit within two categories:
- Paid traffic (that is, traffic bought and paid for by advertisers)
- Natural traffic (that is, traffic discovered by search engines)
The first type are the most valuable, as advertisers pay money for these users to show up on their site. They’re typically highly engaged with the content, clicking on links and sharing content on social media.
The second type are the least valuable, as they’re not influenced by advertisers and thusly provide no commercial value.
Why Should You Care About Junk Traffic?
The simple answer is that you shouldn’t. Or, rather, you shouldn’t unless you have to. Having a high volume of traffic that’s concentrated on one area of your site (usually the home page) can be enormously beneficial.
Since the home page is often the first impression a prospective customer has of your brand, it makes sense that you would want to have the most valuable impression possible. A high-quality home page can drive immediate interest and engagement, encouraging the visitor to click on other areas of your site. Having several high-quality home pages across your site can drive even more interest and engagement.
Additionally, a well-designed homepage can increase the likelihood that a visitor will stay on your site. The fewer distractions they encounter while browsing, the more likely they are to stay engaged and make a purchase.
Last but not least, having a well-designed homepage also makes your website more accessible to search engines, as it improves web crawlers’ ability to “understand” your site’s content. This, in turn, helps expose your site to more potential customers who are seeking products and services related to your niche.
Reducing The Amount Of Junk Traffic On Your Site
The first step in dealing with junk traffic is understanding exactly what it is. As mentioned, junk traffic can be defined as any traffic that doesn’t fit within two categories:
- Paid traffic (that is, traffic bought and paid for by advertisers)
- Natural traffic (that is, traffic discovered by search engines)
The first type are the most valuable, as advertisers pay money for these users to show up on their site.
The second type are the least valuable, as they’re not influenced by advertisers and thusly provide no commercial value.
The combination of high commercial value with low commercial value is what makes junk traffic so difficult to combat. Your aim, then, should be to reduce the volume of junk traffic on your site. How much is too much? That’s difficult to say, but you can start by assessing how your site’s current traffic levels compare to what you’d ideally like to see.
There are a number of ways to do this, but one tactic that’s proven particularly effective is quality trimming. Quality trimming is a process by which you remove content that isn’t as valuable as what’s left. It essentially involves the curation of quality content, typically found on the homepage, that draws visitors back to that area of the site time and time again.
A Template For A High-Quality Homepage
While it’s certainly not essential that every page on your site look the same (in fact, you should embrace the uniqueness of each page to establish your brand identity), it is absolutely vital that your homepage look the same. Why?
Well, first off, having a uniform look and feel across your site makes it much easier for your team to maintain a cohesive brand image. Additionally, a high-quality homepage serves as a “landing page” for your site, encouraging visitors to continue exploring your content.
To create a high-quality homepage, follow this simple 3-step process:
- Gather all of your key content into one place (articles, videos, etc.)
- Determine the dominant theme for your site
- Use that theme to create the framework for your homepage
To put it simply: Your homepage is your “brand voice.” The more you can do to make it unique, the better. With the above mentioned points in mind, let’s examine each element in more detail.
1. Gather All Of Your Key Content Into One Place
The first step in creating a high-quality homepage is to gather all of your key content into one place. The content you need to include is typically found on your site’s homepage and throughout other relevant areas of your site. It includes articles that have the potential to become series, video content that highlights your brand’s unique value proposition, and anything else that can be used to generate leads and grow your business.
To start, you’ll want to review the structure of your homepage. Is it a simple list of links to other pages? A video introduction with call-to-action buttons? A classic infobar type of layout where you display key stats about your business?
The answer to this question will dictate the type of content you should include on your homepage. Do note, however, that your homepage isn’t just a collection of content—it serves a vital function in terms of brand identity and should, therefore, adhere to a certain format to ensure this.
2. Determine The Dominant Theme For Your Site
After you’ve gathered all of your key content, it’s time to determine the dominant theme for your site. This is the “tone” you’ll use to guide the design and function of your site. Essentially, you want to choose a theme that accurately represents your brand’s voice. As mentioned, your homepage is your “landing page,” so you want to ensure that the dominant theme on this page accurately reflects your brand identity.
Now, you don’t have to choose a theme that’s already designed for your site—you can create a unique look and feel for your site by combining elements from several pre-made themes. But, since this is your unique identity, you want to choose a theme that’s representative of your brand. Once again, let’s look at the example of a luxury goods brand—they may have a sophisticated and luxurious brand identity, but that doesn’t mean their marketing materials, product information, and website all have to adhere to this identity. In fact, they could include a fun and quirky element to give their site a human face.
3. Use That Theme To Create The Framework For Your Homepage
Once you’ve determined the dominant theme for your site, it’s time to use that theme to create the framework for your homepage. To do this, simply find the main area of your site (i.e., the part that serves as the front entrance). This is typically the area where you display an “about us” section, followed by a large image(s) of your products or services.
In the case of the luxury goods brand mentioned previously, the main area of the site is the area above the navigation menu. In terms of look, you want to choose a theme that compliments your business’s brand identity. Below the main area of your site, you want to include a couple of columns containing relevant and valuable content.
The content within these columns doesn’t necessarily have to be displayed inside of columns—you could choose to have images or videos aligned along the edge of a “card” or “box” type area. Essentially, you want to create a consistent look and feel throughout your site, so this is a great place to do this.