Do website hits actually mean anything?

When my website went live in October of 2002, I asked the same question any businessperson would ask: how can I get lots and lots of hits?

Because in my mind:

hits = good website = success = sweet moolah

Not really. In fact, Internet guru Tom Antion once said that H.I.T.S stands for “How Idiots Track Sales.”

When I first heard that, I laughed and cried at the same time. Here’s why…

My website gets a lot of hits. At least, I think it’s a lot. Honestly, I don’t know what “a lot” means. But for a few years now, it’s been roughly 8,000 a day. (1,500 unique users.) And since I recently got sucked into the delicious vortex of MySpace, I now get about 18,000 hits a day (2,000 unique users.)

The reason I get so many hits is because:

1) I publish weekly articles
2) I’ve done hundreds of interviews
3) I have thousands of outgoing and incoming links
4) I’ve been featured in hundreds of media outlets
5) I publish two blogs daily

…blah blah blah. Who cares, right? I guess what’s more important is: are those hits converting?

The answer: it took a while, but yes.

(And “converting” probably means something different to every businessperson.)

I guess the point I’m trying to make is: “hits” is a deceptive word.

On the other hand, lots and lots of hits might not lead to success and/or sweet moolah, but they certainly help.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…

What do “hits” mean to you?

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Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That guy with the nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com