Q&A – Should I Worry About People Leaving My Site?

[Question] I’m thinking about setting up a portal site that links out to other sites like we’ve talked about.  But I want them to want to come back to my site.  How do I make that happen?

[Answer] Well, I think that once again we go back to this idea of by doing this are you adding value to the people that are on your website?  Are you adding value by giving them these lists?

[Response] I wanted to really make comments about some of the things, to offer some of the best products, and to perhaps join with those sites, and perhaps to have some partner sites.  To maybe present some oversight.  Some recommendations to some sites and things.  I don’t just want them to go off to that site.

[Answer] If that’s going to be valuable to people on your website, then I would say yeah, go ahead and do it.  You make the links so that they open up on a new page, then your website will still be open.  So, when they finish wherever they’re at, they close that tab, or that window on their computer, then your website will still be up.  And if they want to continue to still spend time with you, they will.

[Response] Okay, that’s true, they’re still on my site, aren’t they?

[Answer] Yes!

Remember, you want to get back to this idea to adding value to the people that are on your website.  If you’ll add value, they’ll want to come back. But, to kind of force them to come back.  I think now we’re trying to force some things.  You see, it’s kind of like trying to force people to believe the way that you do.  You try to force people to believe the way that you do about anything, and it usually backfires.  But if you can gently persuade them, then it can work more easily.  Same thing on your website, if you can gently persuade them to share, then you’re probably going to get more traffic than if you try to force people to do certain things.