Engineering Copywriter Blog

We use the internet every day, and everyone knows that some websites are more popular than others.

As consumers, this is easy to understand. But as marketing managers, we need to consider how to actually manage a site that remains popular and drives traffic.

But how exactly is this web traffic calculated? Which of the very many metrics should you focus on? And, ultimately, why does all of this even matter if you’re running an engineering company?

Website traffic and why it matters

Website traffic, simply put, refers to your number of website visitors, usually calculated over a specific time period.

But this is more than just a metric. Website traffic can actually refer to potential customers, which is one of the reasons most websites aim to draw as many visitors as possible.

Think of it as a store. If your company has a beautiful store but no one enters it, you won’t be able to make any sales. Similarly, if you have a beautiful website but no one visits, you won’t be able to make any sales – or, at least, not by harnessing the power of digital marketing.

But when your engineering site gets thousands of hits a day, it means you’re reaching the right audience – one who finds your content helpful and relevant. And with the right calls to action in place, you can turn this into opportunities for generating leads and sales.

So Bob, who we’ll use as our imaginary friend throughout this article, won’t just walk by the store – he’ll actually enter it and take a look around.

What are the different types of website traffic?

While it is worth considering overall website traffic, there are actually different types of traffic coming from a variety of sources.

To better understand your audience and know which channels are working for your engineering firm (and which you can still work on), it’s important to know where they are coming from.

Organic traffic

Organic traffic refers to the number of visitors who find your website directly via a search engine.

To give a broad example: Say Bob is interested in finding out which companies or articles rank for best engineering company, so he uses that as his search term on Google. Once the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) comes up, he’s likely to see several ads first, followed by a list of websites that organically rank for the term entered. Now, if Bob clicks on one of these organically-ranking listings, this would count as organic traffic.

This Google ranking system is a major focus for all content marketing, and ranking well is usually the result of a well-implemented SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategy. The latest statistics from FirstPage show that the first organic listing for a specific search term receives 39.8% of all clicks, which translates into an impressive number of potential visitors.

Of course, Google isn’t the only search engine out there and the market is slowly beginning to shift as younger audiences rely on different platforms, like ChatGPT and TikTok, to gather their information. But, for now, Google still holds the monopoly.

This is why focusing on organic Google traffic remains important. If you implement a strong SEO strategy, you can boost organic traffic on your engineering site.

What exactly would this look like in the engineering sphere?

There are multiple SEO avenues to pursue, but industrial marketers can focus on aspects like conducting thorough keyword research and establishing a solid content marketing plan within the engineering space, leveraging long-tail and localized keywords to create more targeted content, and relying on good on-page SEO to ensure your site becomes Google’s new best friend.

Direct traffic

Direct traffic refers to the people who visit your website directly rather than coming from a search engine – i.e. this is Bob opening up his internet browser and typing in the URL of your site.

While Google SEO can increase organic traffic, your offline marketing strategies can increase your direct traffic, and there are a number of ways visitors may end up on your engineering website directly:

• – Existing and potential customers may type your engineering website’s URL directly into their browser. This is likely because of brand recognition, seeing the website name somewhere, or word of mouth.
• – The URL may have previously been bookmarked.
• – A link to your website may have been saved in an offline document, such as a PDF, which could be circulating as part of a press release or internal document.
• – The visitor may have scanned a QR code at a trade exhibit or on a business card to visit your website directly.

Direct traffic is usually a strong indication of brand recognition and loyalty, since these are usually customers who already know your brand. But, it also often signifies that your website is offering something that visitors are keen to come back for.

For example, perhaps you have a really informative blog section on your site that shares the latest engineering news or goes into the nitty-gritty of machinery. If Bob is interested in that content, he’ll likely come back every week to read the new article.

In order to improve direct traffic numbers, then, you could focus on creating something that engineers or other potential target audience members want to come back to. You could, for instance, create a resource page that engineers frequently refer to, establish a regular blogging schedule with new industry-related content, create engaging visuals and infographics, or even provide useful tools, such as directories and databases, that engineers may find useful to reference.

Referral traffic

Referral traffic refers to visitors landing on your website by clicking on a link situated elsewhere. So, for example, if Bob is reading an article on an engineering blog and that blog links to your website, he may click on the link and be redirected to your site. This would count as referral traffic.

Referral traffic is invaluable and can help your engineering website soar in more ways than one.

To put it simply: Google constantly strives to push websites that are credible, valuable, and can be seen as high-authority resources. If other sites are linking to your site, this is an indication that your website offers high-value content (content that Google and users like). Google then reads these backlinks as a sign of your website’s authority, which increases your overall DA (Domain Authority) score.

So, not only do you then benefit from the referral traffic, but Google is also likely to rank your website more favorably in the SERPs, leading to a further boost in organic traffic. It’s a win-win.

Aside from this, referral traffic also improves your brand recognition.

You may gain referral traffic by listing your engineering company in online directories, publishing guest posts with backlinks on engineering blogs, commenting in public forums, or simply by publishing high-quality engineering content that makes other websites naturally want to link to you.

Increasing domain authority is an entirely different subject matter, but you may want to check out your engineering website’s overall domain authority by using the free Moz DA tool. You’ll also get other DA and DR (Domain Rating) metrics via analytic platforms like Ahrefs or Majestic.

Social traffic

Social traffic refers to the visitors who come to your website via links on social media platforms, like LinkedIn, Facebook, X, Instagram, or TikTok. So if Bob is browsing your Facebook page and sees something he finds interesting, he can click on the link and be redirected to your website. This would count as social traffic.

With the industry being valued at roughly USD 28.49 billion, there is no modern-day marketing strategy that can afford to exclude social media.

Like DA, leveraging social media traffic is a whole new subject matter, but engineering marketers can begin by creating company profiles on various social platforms, optimizing a consistent brand identity and including bio links, and designing a coherent strategy that includes pushing relevant content, staying on top of trends, and engaging with audiences.

Paid traffic

Paid traffic refers to visitors who come to your website by clicking on the paid ads you’ll see at the top of the SERPs. So if your SEO game is not yet strong and you’re paying Google to be listed at the top of the search results for a certain keyword, Bob may come across this ad and click on it – this would then count as paid traffic.

When investing in paid traffic, it’s essential to monitor ROI (Return On Investment) closely, as paid campaigns can very quickly cost more than they’re worth if not executed correctly – and especially if they direct to a website or landing page that hasn’t been optimized well.

How to measure website traffic

At this point, you’re probably asking yourself one burning question: How do you even measure website traffic?

As a marketing manager, you can certainly rely on external tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, Ubersuggest, or Crazy Egg to give you a complete analysis of your site. But the best way to measure traffic and see if your marketing efforts are having the desired effect is to rely on Google Analytics and Google Search Console.

These tools are not only free to use, but they also give you the best Google-verified metrics and insights into visitor behavior, helping you to establish what type of traffic your website is most benefiting from.

What to pay attention to when measuring website traffic

It’s very easy to be overwhelmed by the powerhouse that is Google Analytics, and things have become even more confusing recently with the final implementation of GA4, which has replaced the previous Universal Analytics model.

While there are whole courses dedicated to understanding Google Analytics, here is a quick overview of the key metrics to consider when looking at your engineering site’s Google Analytics database:

1. Page views: The total number of pages viewed by visitors on your website. This metric helps you understand the overall traffic volume.
2. Unique visitors: The number of distinct individuals visiting your website. You may find that your site has fewer unique visitors and more page views if each visitor views a number of pages. This metric helps you understand the size of your audience.
3. Bounce rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page without interacting any further. A high bounce rate usually indicates irrelevant content.
4. Average session duration: This is the average amount of time a visitor spends on your website. This metric is usually an indication of content quality, and longer session durations suggest more valuable content.
5. Conversion rates: This is the percentage of visitors who complete a desired action, such as filling out a form, sending an email, making a purchase, or subscribing to a newsletter. High conversion rates are usually an indicator of how much your website is helping you in achieving your business goals.

Google Analytics will also give you metrics with regard to traffic sources so you can get a better idea of where your traffic comes from and which avenues you may need to work on.

In addition to measuring overall website traffic, you may also want to consider some additional metrics, such as looking at heat maps (which allow you to see where users click, scroll, and engage with your pages) or engagement metrics (which allow you to see how your pages are shared on social media platforms or what community feel they develop).

These metrics will help you analyze not only how long Bob is spending on a page, but also how he is interacting with your page and which bits he’s finding the most interesting.

Why does website traffic matter?

So why does all of this matter? And why would you want to put your valuable time into developing a website that drives traffic?

We’ve already hinted at some points, but let’s take a closer look at what benefits maximizing your online presence has for your engineering company.

Lead generation and sales

Your website can’t work for you unless people see and visit it.

By attracting more visitors to your site through effective digital marketing strategies, engineering firms can expand their pool of potential clients and project opportunities. Put simply, the more people visit your site, the higher the chance of generating leads and turning visitors into clients.

For example, if Bob didn’t know your company but used a random search term and landed on your company site, he would just be a visitor. But if he then likes what he sees or finds your content engaging, he may come back for more or even reach out to you directly, thereby becoming a lead.

You can also utilize website traffic information to gain a better understanding of your audience and your competition, giving you the chance to exploit any potential market gaps and develop new products or services.

Brand awareness and visibility

Engineering is an industry based on trust, and brand recognition and authority play a key role here.

Focusing on increasing your website traffic will push you to pursue higher brand visibility, while consistently attracting the right visitors can help build brand recognition and establish credibility.

Still keeping with Bob, imagine this: Perhaps he’s just landed on your website but isn’t entirely sure if you’re the company he wants to work with. But now that he’s seeing your company page rank for a number of search terms, is impressed by the quality of your content, and sees that you have good social media pages, he may just be convinced that you’re the right company for him.

Don’t forget that this is cyclical: Improved website traffic signals to search engines that your site offers valuable content. This can increase your site’s DA, lead to higher rankings, and thus further increase organic visibility, which attracts even more traffic.

So the more Bobs find your site valuable, the more your site will be shown to future Bobs.

So, how can you use your website traffic to succeed?

The first step is to start thinking of website traffic as an important part of your digital marketing strategy, and then to start building your audience.

There are many ways you could do this, from on-page SEO to different avenues of content marketing, social media, and even paid advertising.

And that’s where we come in. Drop us a line today if you need help generating website traffic and taking your engineering company to the next level.