PPC and the Return Visitor

[tedster]

Last year I read a survey that revealed that the average purchase is made on the third to fourth visit to a site. The main conclusion, at that time, was not to expect that an increase in traffic will immediately show a corresponding increase in sales, and to give people a good reason to come back. I see this pattern on several sites, where a surge in traffic is followed by a surge in buying a few weeks later.

Somehow, the ppc model gets tangled up in this ... hoping to convert the first time visitor, and that's a tough sale. I'd bet that a lot of clicks on GoTo are not really unique visitors, but recent visitors trying to find their way back by retracing their steps, and costing the site's owner an extra click or two in the process.

Makes me wonder if a "bookmark this page" suggestion would help improve the overall financial picture in ppc marketing.

[rcjordan]

>find their way back by retracing their steps

FWIW, I've often found that I can't remember the banner's target, but I can remember roughly where I was when I first saw it. In the early days, before banner servers, I was always retracing my steps to find a particular banner.

[bigjohnt]

Agreed in SPADES tedster andRC.

Kinda like bringing the mouse to the trap. They may look at your page (trap).
When they arrive do they have a COMPELLING reason to bookmark you?
Did you tell them to do this? (Some won't think of it until they are gone... silly surfers! Kinda like the "click Here" phenomenon - some folks need to be told!
Have you given them an automatic button to do so?
Is your email capture offer on the landing page with a nice piece of "cheese" read- FREE stuff? Low volume email? Etc.