A few DROPSE of secret sauce to boost your web traffic: a simple toolkit

One of the lawyers rightly bemoaned the decreasing level of visitors to the web pages of her flagship service offering. As I listened to the discussion, it struck me that we had diligently tried a variety of techniques to improve matters but had not taken a step back to audit our approach using a structured methodology. I proposed that the team use the DROPSE framework to tackle the problem.

DROPSE stands for Direct, Referred, Organic, Paid, Social, and Email – six key sources of website traffic. 

This checklist is a simple and quick “ready reckoner” to audit the use of marketing channels that drive users to a website. It stretches across owned, earned, and purchased options (OEP). It does not, however, tackle the thorny issues of visitor quality, progression through the sales funnel, or return on investment. It is a starting point for brainstorming ideas to drive volume, which is, of course, only one measure of website results.

Before I describe the model in more detail, it’s worth diving a little deeper into the three OEP channel categories mentioned above:

• Owned are the options your firm has full control of, such as your publications, digital tools, or listings on online platforms.
   
• Earned are those provided to you without cost, such as media coverage, employee or third-party shares on social media, or gratis speaking slots at conferences.
  
  
• Purchased routes are those provided commercially, whether through sponsorship, subscription, pay per click, etc.

Below I will briefly outline each element of the DROPSE framework, and at the most basic level, I will suggest some potential sources of web traffic. I will also touch on techniques for optimisation that could be considered in an audit. These observations are brief and narrow, and they are primarily based on personal experience of best practice and missed opportunities in day-to-day marketing efforts, both at firms I’ve worked for, and at the not-for-profit organisations I have had the privilege of supporting.

Direct

These are visitors typing in your website URL. There are a myriad of prompts that drive these visits, including word of mouth and visibility of wider marketing efforts, both online and offline. Tracing the origin of such users is notoriously difficult. Digital marketers often review data from analytics tools to identify trends amongst such hits. Tactics available to improve visibility include registration or landing pages and short URLs (e.g. via Rebrandly). The latter two should be used both in owned channels, e.g. brochures, and on paid collateral, e.g. conference flyers.

Referred

These are visitors gleaned through links on other websites. Often earned (or purchased) via placed content or PR efforts. The benefits of placed content and PR initiatives are twofold, as not only will traffic result, but backlinks on sites with strong reputations will improve your rankings in search engines. Options are vast, ranging from directories to review sites, trade media, and national newspapers. Surprisingly many marketers distribute material only on owned channels and hesitate in pushing either earned or purchased tactics which would drive referred users.

Organic

These are visitors from unpaid listings on search engines. Clearly, ranking first on Google is better than appearing on page 100. Volumes rest heavily on the ‘dark arts’ of search engine optimisation (SEO). Good quality articles and relevant keywords are common tactics for SEO, as are looking at page titles/H1 tags, URL naming, and reviewing both experience or performance areas such as sitemaps and loading times. Many marketers focus heavily on producing content but stop short of optimising some of the more technical backend points mentioned above.

Paid

These are visitors from purchased adverts, whether on search engines, social platforms, or other media. Both branding and contextual text-based ads are used by many organisations, with the latter being more likely in business to business (B2B) professional services to drive relevant hits. Most marketers will naturally look at return on investment (ROI) metrics on purchases provided by reputable suppliers. However, there is value in cross-checking data provided by vendors with your own analytics to ensure users aren’t lost, and that promised value is actually delivered.

Social

These are visitors from social media platforms. There are many to select from, but LinkedIn is the top choice of most firms. Traffic can originate from owned channels (a firm’s pages/posts); earned routes – where items are shared by influencers, whether employees or those outside the firm; and paid promoted posts. Generating timely content with relevant hashtags is a favoured tactic of many marketers. Despite the regularity of posting on social, most firms only use generic material, ignoring the benefits of ‘chunking’ or tailoring for their audiences, e.g. specific LinkedIn groups.

Email

These are visitors originating from messages sent by or on behalf of the firm. Owned channels include both marketing emails and footers/signatures on employees’ emails. Branded email promotion is the oldest and perhaps most cost-efficient, measurable digital channel. Every marketer in the industry has no doubt used it regularly and is hopefully aware of rules around the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the UK’s Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulation (PECR). Additional traffic, however, can often be generated via options for purchased emails, e.g. messages sent by conference organisers after events have concluded.

DROPSE is intended only to be a quick and straightforward checklist tool, and other similar, more complex frameworks do exist. Some methods extend into progressing users through the sales funnel – what I call the Favourability Journey, and others provide for detailed evaluation of ROI beyond visitor volume. Whichever model you choose, periodically taking a step back and considering the full range of channels is helpful in creating a few DROPSE of secret sauce to boost your web traffic.

Once you’ve considered your options, it’s important to set your findings in context. Above I mention the Favourability Journey. This approach enables you to consider where your target clients currently are in relation to your firm. It articulates four steps: (1) recognition, (2) reputation, (3) relationships, and (4) revenue. For each, tactics are outlined for progressing clients to the next stage. 

Before embarking on a substantial change programme using DROPSE or any other toolkit, looking at the wider picture can be helpful to ensure efficacy and efficiency.

You can read more on the Favourability Journey here. 

Leor Franks is a board member and the Director of Business Development & Marketing at 2022 UK Independent Law Firm of The Year Kingsley Napley. He has spent nearly 25 years in professional services, including in chief marketing officer and director roles across accounting, consulting, and law. He is chair of the Managing Partners’ Forum Strategy & Marketing Group and sits on the advisory boards of MPF, Queen Mary Business School, and Metropolitan Police Canons.