Understanding Web Analytics for Your Resume Website

With more and more clients finding their resume writers through web searches, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and website traffic strategies are becoming more important for resume writers to understand how to drive visitors to your resume website.

One way you can objectively tell if your website traffic generating strategies are working is to look at your web analytics. You can use the analytics built into your website hosting program, or you can use a free tool like Google Analytics. Here's the first page of an actual Google Analytics report:

Website analytics can tell you a lot. For a resume writer, understanding web analytics is a crucial skill. Your analytics can tell you whether people understand what you're offering, whether people like your brand, and whether or not your website is doing everything it can to bring you new clients.

Here are some of the important numbers every resume writer should be watching in their web analytics.

How Many Visitors Are You Getting?
The first -- and most important -- number you should be watching is how many visitors you're getting. In addition to the raw number, also pay attention to whether the visitor count is going up or down. (You can check this weekly or monthly, but quarterly trends will give you a "bigger picture" analysis.)

As your marketing efforts progress, you should see a direct boost to your visitor count. It might not happen right away, but within a couple months, you should see a measurable increase.

How Many Hit a Goal?
Your resume website should have a very clear goal. For most resume writers, that goal should be to get a website visitor to either inquire about -- or purchase -- your resume services. (How many visitors do you convert into inquiries and/or sales?)

You can actually use Google Analytic's "Goals" feature to track your progress towards your stated "goal." You can measure progress in terms of folks who fill out an inquiry/contact form, sign up for your email list, download a special report on a careers-related topic, or make a deposit or sale.

Whatever the case, you should be carefully tracking the goal hit rate for your website.

Learn more about the "Goals" feature in Google Analytics.

Geographic Location
Are the people who're landing on your website the right kinds of people? If you have a small local business, check to make sure the traffic you're getting is actually from your area. Many resume writers nowadays work "virtually," so location isn't as important as it used to be.

Where Does the Traffic Come From?
How do people end up on your website? Do they type something into the search engines and end up on your site? Or do they enter your URL manually? Is someone else sending people to your website? (LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook can be huge "referrers" to your website.)

Tracking your traffic sources and your referrer data can give you valuable information about what's working and what's not working when it comes to generating traffic.

Bounce Rate
This is an analytic that is often misunderstood. The bounce rate measures the percentage of people who land on your website and leave without visiting a second page on your website. (They only visit one page -- maybe your home page, or a landing page -- and then they leave the site.)

A high bounce rate usually means that visitors came to your site expecting one thing but didn't find what they were looking for. If your bounce rate is above 60%, you might have some serious revamping to do.

Are People Coming Back?
Finally, check to see whether or not people who visit your website come back again. (Look at the "New Visits" analytic.)

For some businesses, this is an irrelevant statistic. For example, a restaurant's website doesn't really expect to get repeat visitors. People just use the website to find the address or phone number so they can show up. But for resume writers, you want people to keep coming back to your site -- especially if you have a blog.

Most people who are looking for a resume writer aren't ready to "buy" when they start their search. This is particularly true for prospects who are spending $400 or more on a resume. (Under $250, resumes are almost an "impulse buy" and you may be able to get them to purchase right away.)

Over $400, the goal is to get them to your site, give them some valuable information, and then -- most important! -- get them to opt-in to your mailing list, can move them along the process to making a direct inquiry about your services.

These are some of the many things that your analytics system can tell you. Learning to understand analytics can really help you steer your resume writing business in the right direction.

Why You Should Have a Membership Site for Your Resume Writing Business

Are you looking for ways to serve your resume writing clients more effectively -- or create another stream of income? Try a membership site. It is not easy, but it can pay off in many ways for your business.

Why do people seek out your resume writing business? They want a job ... even if they are just buying a resume. They really want more help -- and it may be more help than they are willing to pay for ... at least up front. The advantage of a membership site is that you can provide "group" services (with corresponding "group" pricing).

A membership site can increase not only your profits but also your expert status and visibility in your niche market. Be aware, however -- while there are many advantages to a membership site, the first requirement is that you are ready to handle the increased workload. You can decide what you are going to offer in your membership site -- some of them, like a fixed-term membership site, can be "set it and forget it." Others, like a membership site that includes a weekly Q&A call, won't require much preparation, but will test your expertise as you might get some unexpected questions. You can also create a membership program where customers pay a monthly fee to get priority access for resume updates and resume retargets. You can provide them with a monthly e-newsletter with career tips as their "tangible" membership benefit.

Research all that you need to do to get and keep it up and running. Make sure you don't overextend yourself -- pick a program you can manage without too much extra time and effort. If you can fulfill all the promises of your program, then you are golden.

So, back to the reasons why you need a membership site. Here are a few.

• Dedicated customers. Once you convince someone to buy a membership, they will automatically renew each month as long as you provide the promised tools/services. The idea of a membership site is to satisfy a need, but at a higher level. Even if the members one day opt out of the membership, they will more than likely still use your services in some other capacity. (And the monthly payment is a reminder of you each month.)
• Monthly income. Like I said, you are creating a new income stream. As long as your customers are satisfied, you can count on that money coming in each month.
• Increase your brand. Through offering exclusive services to your members, you are strengthening your brand. This means having the resources to provide consistent quality to your members each and every month. When that happens, these members will promote your membership site with their network which can net you more membership site members -- but also more prospective resume clients as well.
• You can expand this portion of your business. Your membership site may start out with one level until you get the hang of managing it and/or you pick up more customers. Adding a multiple tier of services increases monthly profits and opportunities to attract more customers. It also helps solidify your position in your niche market. (If you have a membership program with weekly Q&A calls, you may add a second tier that includes you answering up to 3 email questions from the member each week.)

Membership sites can be a pitfall if you are not careful. Being prepared can avoid this problem. Have your resources in place to continually provide tools and benefits for clients each and every month. Also, donít forget to create a communication system where a client can reach you when they need you and get a timely response.

Membership sites can be a big boon to your resume writing business if you are prepared to take the challenge.

Free Teleseminar on Wednesday, April 11 - "Using Content to Capture New Career Clients"

Free Teleseminar: "Using Content to Capture New Career Clients" --

How You Can Use Article Writing, Blogging, Special Reports, and Other Types of Content to Establish Yourself as an Expert, Build Your Mailing List, and Convert Prospects Into Clients for Your Resume Writing and Career Services

Wednesday, April 11, 2012 • 3:30 p.m. Eastern time

with Bridget (Weide) Brooks, editor of Resume Writers' Digest and founder of BeAResumeWriter.com.

Creating content -- shared through articles, blog posts, information products, teleseminars, webinars, and/or live speaking opportunities -- is a great way to establish yourself as a career services expert. It can also be vital to increasing your online presence (content ranks very highly in online search results), which drives traffic to your website. Content can also be used as a revenue stream, providing passive income (through special reports, ebooks, membership programs, or hardcopy books). It can also help you grow your mailing list, allowing you to increase your prospect conversion rates and generate referrals.

This teleseminar is designed to help you in several ways:

• How can you come up with content? You're busy. What content do you already have? What content can you access for free or a very low cost?
• How can you repurpose content so you don't have to constantly create new content? How can you leverage content across multiple platforms to get the maximum impact? 
• Some topics are widely covered in the careers industry. How can you make your content unique to you? How can you enhance your brand profile through content?

About Bridget:
Bridget (Weide) Brooks has published the Resume Writers' Digest trade newsletter for resume writers for more than 10 years, and founded BeAResumeWriter.com in 2011 to provide careers industry professionals with information and tools to help them be more successful in their work with clients and in their business. She has been a featured speaker for numerous professional associations, including the National Resume Writers' Association, CertifiedResumeWriters.com, and Career Directors International.

To register, or for more information:
Using Content to Capture New Career Clients Teleseminar

The Hands-Off Manager

Leadership comes from partnering, NOT criticizing.

Managers have a choice: be hands-on or hands-off. This choice presents itself over and over again each and every day. Every interaction with an employee is a version of this choice. But, what is the right choice? The Hands-Off Manager: How to Mentor People and Allow Them to Be Successful helps to answer that very question.

In The Hands-Off Manager, authors Steve Chandler and Duane Black offer a new vision for all managers. With stories, examples, and vibrant activities for the reader to practice, this book shows any manager—new or seasoned—how to coach and mentor employees, rather than hover over their shoulders and goad them into action. In this system, each employee’s strengths are honored and honed in a climate of partnership and mutual goal-setting.

The information presented in The Hands-Off Manager will help create an organization that fosters harmony and functions in the best possible way. The lessons presented can be applied to any form of leadership, at home or on the job, in the community or in the workplace. These concepts can be used to create success beyond anything readers have ever imagined possible.

The Hands-Off Manager: How to Mentor People and Allow Them to Be Successful (EAN 978-1-60163-223-4, pages: 224, price: $14.99) was published by Career Press.

Steve Chandler is one of America’s best-selling authors whose dozens of books—including the best-sellers 100 Ways to Motivate Others, 100 Ways to Motivate Yourself, and Reinventing Yourself—have been translated into more than 20 languages. Chandler is also a world-famous public speaker who has been a guest on hundreds of radio and TV shows. Chandler has been a guest lecturer at the University of Santa Monica, where he teaches in the graduate program of soul-centered leadership. Chandler has been a trainer and consultant to more than 30 Fortune 500 companies worldwide.

Duane Black is now retired. Black was the executive vice president and chief operating officer of SunCor Developments, where he oversaw 150 employees and more than 150,000 acres of housing developments.