The Evolution of Replicated Websites Part IX: Metrics

The Evolution of Replicated Websites started with the first attempts at direct selling online. Over the past week we have looked into what grew out of those initial attempts and how modern replicated websites were born.

Parts 5 and 6 of this series looked at distributor needs and what solutions became available.

Once a system has been decided on, training and education has been completed, roll-out is right around the corner.

Direct selling companies need to set up some expectations and have a firm understanding of what the near future holds.

Metrics

Before launching your replicated websites, a few crucial questions need to be answered.  Today’s post will ask these questions and get a firm grasp on their importance of their answers.

What is ROI for Your Company?

Screen shot 2011 04 07 at 12.35.52 PM 232x300 The Evolution of Replicated Websites Part IX:  Metrics

Every company needs to understand why they are building replicated websites and what their goals are. Metrics will vary for different companies with different goals for their sites. Replicated websites designed to attract and enroll new distributors will have a different metrics for success than a company focused on product promotion and sales.

Regardless of why a company has decided to launch their replicated websites, having robust analytics running on both the individual site level and across the entire platform will help to understand the activity throughout the company.

The data being returned on site usage and activity will help to identify what is working, such as popular applications, content creation methods and visitor frequency. It will also provide valuable feedback on what is not working, what features are being ignored and how distributors can be getting more out of their sites.

Analytics was a no-brainer decision for us to implement with the Empowerkit platform. Both at the distributor and company levels, real-time detailed analytics are just a click away, so that everyone can understand the performance of the replicated sites at the end of the day.

Tracking Adoption and Use

It is important to remember that this is a totally dynamic interaction with distributors and site visitors alike. Nothing is set in stone and best practices that apply to one company don’t necessarily apply to the next.

The right replicated website is constantly evolving and growing to not only meet the demands of distributors, but to move with technology and consumer trends. The system you choose needs to be flexible and one that can be adapted to the ever changing marketplace.

Uniqueness of Content & SEO

One of the key factors in SEO is unique content. Search engines reward original and frequent content updates on websites, so distributors having the ability to create and post photos, short blog posts, videos and other content is sure to keep them ranking well – which ultimately means a bigger pool of prospects learning about your company, products, and opportunity.

Have a clear internal communication system to encourage and inspire distributors to keep their sites as up-to-date as possible.

Fresh content is not only a way to boost SEO, but it also makes for a much more engaging and relevant experience for the website visitors. Ultimately the goal is to build trust and initiate relationships in order to generate and capture leads, so what better way to start the engagement process than through genuine, personalized content straight from the distributor?

Up Next – Analyze & Iterate

The final piece in this series will focus on the value of the data being returned on your replicated websites.  Launching your site is just the first phase of finding success online.  Understanding what is working and what is not will become an important part of the work flow moving forward.

April 14, 2011

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