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How to convert new visitors into subscribers
< Subscription should be an offer your visitors can't refuse | Building a subscriber base | Incentives for subscribing to a site >
Before you start
Accept that not everyone will like your site. Sometimes, a visitor will look at your site and decide it's not for them. No matter how much time you spend making it appealing, some people just won't be interested.Think about why you want to blog. Who are you writing for? Find your target audience, and make your site appealing to them. Don't try and impress anyone and everyone. Focus on your target audience.
First impressions
Think about what a visitor sees when they first come across your site. What information will they see first? Don't assume that people will scroll down - many people won't. You need to capture the attention of visitors in a very short space of time, so it's important to look at what comes up first.How big is your header? I've seen headers that take up the whole screen. If a visitor can only see the header, you're not giving them any of your content.
Do you use an eye-catching theme? You don't have to have a really over the top graphic-heavy design on your site, but there's something to be said for a clean and unique look. Still using a theme that's on a hundred other sites? Maybe it's time to get your own look. After all, your site should have its own identity.
How quickly does the site load? Slow loading sites are a major turn-off. I've seen sites that take over a minute to load - and they're still loading things at this stage. I'm not on a particularly slow connection, either - goodness knows what those sites are like on dial-up or on a mobile device. Yes, people do use their phones to surf the web!
Will a visitor understand what your site is all about? For instance, "Ben Barden" is the large text at the top of my site, but "blogging and website tips without the jargon" is the focus. That description makes it very clear as to what the site is about. Do you describe your site clearly?
Why should a visitor stay on your site? They have to like what they see. Let's look at what they will look for as they have a closer look at your site.
Looking around
What's the latest post about? Is it any good? If you think you can get away with only writing one good post a week, remember that the "filler" posts will be at the top of your site from time to time. Are these really the ones you want people to read first?You may be thinking it would be helpful to use a "sticky" post of some sort to keep a good post at the top. If you have this option, use it with care - it can make your site look like it isn't updated very often. Plus, it's rather confusing if the posts aren't shown in date order (newest first).
Is the posting style consistent? Did the visitor find one good post only to discover that the rest of the content is dull? Are the posts mostly on-topic or are they totally irrelevant? I've lost count of how many "make money online" blogs I've read that don't actually write about how to make money online! You might be able to get away with this once your blog is huge (no names mentioned...) but if you think you can do it when you're starting out, think again.
Is the site clear and easy to navigate? Is it relatively free of clutter? If you have ads or widgets on your site, keep them neat and organised - don't scatter them all over the page.
Who is this person?
Some people will want to find out a bit about you before they subscribe, or perhaps once they've read a few of your posts. Give them a good About page to read. Say who you are and why people should read your site.Although I understand that not everyone wants to say who they are, I highly recommend including at least your first name and a small photo. You don't have to give out too much information or write your life story. Just say what's relevant to the topic you're writing about.
My About page is not necessarily the format that will work for you, and you might want to include less information than I did. But you might be able to get a few ideas from it, so check it out.
Make it easy to subscribe
I've been told that some of my readers found they gravitated to my subscribe button. I think this is because it's easy to find the subscription link and because I don't force it on people.Subscription should be an offer your visitors can't refuse. Including an obvious subscription link is a good start - have a look at my home page for an example. I'm not a big fan of the huge icons next to the subscription link, but I have found that a small icon makes it easier for people to subscribe than having no icon at all.
Not forcing subscription on people means not asking people to subscribe over and over again. I have the subscription box on my home page and a quick reminder at the end of each post. I don't include things like "welcome, you must be new here, why not subscribe?" For me that's an immediate turn-off - I'll be the judge of whether I want to subscribe. If I feel like a site is pushing me to subscribe, I usually don't bother.
There's little point in getting people to subscribe as a way of entering a competition. Just ask them to leave a comment instead. After all, they're only going to unsubscribe when the contest is over, or stay subscribed but forget to read your site. This isn't always true, of course, but if people were going to stay subscribed I think they'd choose when to subscribe in the first place.
Let people make up their own mind!
What do you think?
Do you agree or disagree with any of the above tips?Have you found any other ways to turn visitors into subscribers?
What techniques have you seen on other sites? Do you think they work or not?
Related Content
Comments on How to convert new visitors into subscribers
Thanks, Ramona - and welcome to my blog. :) I like the look of your blog. I've subscribed, so I may comment when I've had time to read some of the entries.
Hello Ben and thank you for the warm welcome. I am glad you like the looks, I still have many things to add and the design is not yet perfect, but it's a beginning.
I love your blog too, this is why I chose to comment. Love reading some quality articles and this blog seems to really give all I need. Be sure I'll be a constant reader ;)
I especially agree with your comment about the RSS feed - I've seen so many sites recently that greet you with a message telling you to subscribe, and it's definitely a turn-off. Thanks for the tips!
Great article. You obviously have been doing this for awhile. I,on the other hand, am new. If you get the time I would love for you to stop by my site and sit by the campfire for awhile and give me whatever feedback or advice you can. Thanks for you help. rick
This article has come at the right time for me. I have decided to try my hand at designing my own WordPress theme. I am still in the planning phase and many of the things you have mentioned here has caused me to re-think some of the features of my new theme.
It would appear that I should lengthen this planning stage to ensure that when I actually start the development, I get it right the first time.
Thanks, Ramona! :)
Erin - welcome aboard. Glad you found the tips useful.
Rick - welcome to you too. I'll make a note to comment on your site soon.
Arnold - welcome back. If you can get it right first time, it'll save you a lot of potential rework. Glad this post was useful.
Thanks for all the comments. :)
There was once where I got 35 new subscribers from StumbleUpon traffic. Two days later, it decreases to 17 lol
As you said, they probably expect posts that they like, and not everyone will like it.
You can't make everyone happy :) So just keep doing what you're doing as there are people who appreciate what you're doing.
hi Ben,
briliant tips.
I want to add
-how about giving 100 EC for exchange os subscribing :)
- run online contest
- provide useful tips like you did :)
Thanks Michael - it's always best to focus on your target audience instead of trying to get everyone to read a site. :)
lankapo -thanks for commenting, but I don't think you read the whole post. Towards the end, I said this:
There's little point in getting people to subscribe as a way of entering a competition. Just ask them to leave a comment instead. After all, they're only going to unsubscribe when the contest is over, or stay subscribed but forget to read your site. This isn't always true, of course, but if people were going to stay subscribed I think they'd choose when to subscribe in the first place.
Too many blogs are already giving out Entrecard credits or running contests. At the moment, I think it would be counter-productive to do the same.
Very informative and well communicated post. I agree with not being pushy - people will join or they won't. Beating them over the head virtually is a sure way to make people head the other way.
I am curious, though - how important is it to a blog or site to have people subscribe to the rss feed? Is there some hidden (or not so hidden) benefit? In case it wasn't obvious, I am an rss noob.
Thanks, Gargantua - and welcome. :) The number of subscribers is really just a figure, but there's a benefit to the subscriber: they can easily find your content via a feed reader, rather than having to visit your site each time. Some people don't use a feed reader so they are not all that interested in this, but they might subscribe by email.
Having regular readers who check in as soon as you make a new post is like gaining a friend who shows an interest in the things you do. People can be regular readers without being subscribers, but I always encourage them to subscribe as it means I can keep track of how many subscribers I have.
Edited: June 16, 2008 23:18
These are excellent ideas and tips. I do agree with them since they are the secret to make one visit more often and even subscribe to the site. Keep on posting all these good ideas ;)