If you have just started an online business then you’ve probably already realised that the cost of creating it pales in comparison to the time, money, and effort spent driving traffic to it. You are in the same boat as millions of others.

Let’s take a proper look at website traffic

With this in mind, it’s worth considering how the best brands overcome this challenge every day. In doing so, you can take comfort in realising the time it took them to establish their place in society. You can also learn a great deal without spending a penny and using tools that provide instant, reliable and actionable data.

Let’s consider five brands considered to be amongst the best in their respective industries using SimilarWeb, a free tool available to help you analyse web traffic. Click on the links, and it’ll take you straight to the site’s analysis. We’ve also linked to the respective industry posits for each brand.

Analysing the website traffic of five industry leaders

Note: Click the links to find the latest figures.

Read our fitness industry analysis

Nike generates over 40% of its traffic direct and 40% from search. This means those searching for the brand already know what Nike is. Think about that for a moment. Visitors already know the brand. If you factor in that 20% of the organic search traffic also comes from putting the word ‘Nike’ into a search engine, that’s most of the brand’s traffic. Nike has a societal presence, which goes way beyond its impressive digital capabilities. Many things come together to create this, including sponsorships, billboards, and brand partnerships.

Read our banking industry analysis

Monzo has captivated a new generation of savers by helping them to manage their finances with greater ease. The brand’s ability to simplify money management through a visually intuitive user interface has driven Word of Mouth recommendations. This is reflected in 58% of its website traffic coming from direct search, 35% coming from search, 2% from social media and 2% from referrals. Monzo is well-known for its excellent digital capabilities, but its offline efforts have been just as crucial. The Monzo card is a great example of this, with its distinctive branding.

Read our mindfulness industry analysis

Headspace is widely recognised as one of the leading mindfulness companies. Its rapid growth has been accompanied by sophisticated digital marketing capabilities. Despite these, 60% of its traffic comes direct. Yes, that’s 60% not through online channels. Clearly, the brand has taken significant time to realise how to build a sustained and lasting brand awareness both on and offline. Referrals of 5% play a crucial part in this, providing context for the brand. Media and blogger relationships also take a long time to establish. They are a sign that the brand is genuinely interesting to write about.

Read our law industry analysis

DLA Piper is widely recognised as one of the world’s leading law firms. Its credibility has been established over decades. Yet, unlike the other brands above, over 60% of this comes through search channels. This might imply that SEO may be playing an important role. If, however, you evaluate the main search terms, ‘DLA Piper’, ‘DLA Piper careers’, and ‘DLA Piper Careers’ rank at the top of the list. In other words, they aren’t the result of industry keyword searches. That said, the firm is still driving significant traffic through a host of other keywords, making SEO an essential part of its strategy.

Read our e-learning industry analysis

Virtual College is a leading e-learning provider with a brand that lives almost exclusively online. This is typical of many e-learning providers who rely on SEO as a major driver for success. The company’s top organic keywords are not just brand related. ‘Free online courses’ is third, a major keyword to rank against. That said, 40% of its traffic still comes from direct sources. These are repeat visitors that have developed a strong enough relationship with the brand to return. Virtual college also notably derives 0%, yes nothing, from social media. Instead, the company focuses on generating referrals from other sites. 8% through referrals is high for any brand.

Final thoughts

Creating an instant and impulsive sale online is the dream. The reality is that lasting credibility wins in the long-term. This takes years to develop. It is also a good thing for the consumer. The idea that brands can come and go overnight isn’t very appealing.

We hope you’ve enjoyed the blog.

Until next time.

Any questions?