Visitors believe that they buy the sample galleries

[Celdric]

Recently I talked to some visitors on my site and found out that they truly believed to buy the sample galleries in case they sign up. Now I'm wondering how many visitors may think also "what they see is what they get" ?

I know a couple of site try to provide visitors with informations about their products. Example below. Sorry, has my affilate id, but I don't get paid for clicks anyway.


[sorry seems linking isn't permitted.]

I don't say, they do it there in a perfect way. But it's not bad and gives me as webmaster also some infos to which I can refer and that I can tell the people.
Also a short note on hosted galleries would be a help. A note that tells for example how many photos the original gallery includes. And perhaps a example photo of the original size and quality.

Perhaps it's much additional work. But anyway, some sites are going that way already. DDGCAsh for example offers monthly full size photos.

Well, just some personal thoughts. It's too frustrating to see all the visits in the stats, but the conversion stays lousy.

[Greenguy]

Maybe the problem is in your sales text

...and linking is permitted on the board, but I have this feeling you're talking about embedding a picture in your post, which is not permitted.

[Celdric]

Thanks for your response. I tried to post a ******** link. But after posting the it was replaced with stars. Then I tried just the word ******** with the same result.

Sales text? What sales text? I'm talking about product design.
I think actually pornography has still too much the reputation of a filthy, dirty thing that only sick people buy. And the sellers and porn sites are cheaters anyway who will most likely abuse your creditcard datas also. I bet, that's what most of the ordinary people on web are thinking. And why they think so we have those lousy conversion rates.
I mean, I have statistics telling me people even clicked the join button, but after all they didn't sign up. Why didn't they? There must be something that lets them refrain in the last moment. And that's definately not my sales text. lol

PS: the name is again replaced by stars

[Greenguy]

Yes, sales text. Why would people think they were buying a gallery? Because the sales text on the site didn't tell them otherwise.

And are you linking directly to a join page? A tour would probably convince a surfer that they were not buying access to a gallery.

You talk as if no one buying memberships...or you have really stupid visitors

(when you see ****** that means the word is banned on the board)

[Celdric]

Well, problably its a language problem. I'm from Western-Europe and English isn't my mothertounge. Sorry, let my try again.

Why people would think they buy galleries? Well, because many of them are just ordinary people who have no idea about the online adult business and the terms and language which are in use there.
They see a gallery and read that it's to buy. And you can bet, many of them think: "What? For these few photos they want me to pay? They must be crazy." So even when they like a model or scene, they refrain from signing up.

Stupid? I would call people stupid who need a hint by law not to put their pets into a microwave, but not people who don't understand how to buy porn online.
Anyway, I cannot making up poor advertising material that I may get from a sponsor. I have simply not the time, I have to run a live website, you know.

However, I'm wondering at all. In no other branche people say "hell, yeah, we have 10,000 visits and only 14 sign ups. Hell yeah, that is true. But that's the way, that's gods will. So we have to accept that."

In no branche people say so, but seems in the the adult branche they do. Why is that?

Times changed, the market changed, the industry changed. What's wrong with trying new ideas and strategies which take care of these facts? Why accepting this incredible wasting of visits instead to find out how to stop it? That would be smarter business. Just my humble opinion.

[Greenguy]

"They see a gallery and read that it's to buy" That's bad sales text.

It probably is a language problem - find a paysite that have a version in your native language & market that site to people in your country using you own language.

I don't market porn to Spanish speaking people - feel free to ask me why

[Lemmy]

Originally Posted by Celdric

In no other branche people say "hell, yeah, we have 10,000 visits and only 14 sign ups.

That would be a conversion ratio of 1:714 which isn't half bad at all. Maybe you're expecting too much?

[Bobc01]

Originally Posted by Greenie

I don't market porn to Spanish speaking people - feel free to ask me why

I've got nothing better to do so i'm going to take a guess.

Would it be because you don't speak spanish?

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by Bobc01

...Would it be because you don't speak spanish?

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!!!!!

[Bobc01]

Well here's a hint for Celdric, i have to get front page translations for 3 other languages, i wouldn't even attempt it without going through native speakers.

[NY Jester]

Why would they have to buy a gallery they already are seeing for free? Thats where I think Greenie is referring to your sales text..because most would say "More", or "for more" or "Get access to ALL" or something to give them the idea that there is much more of the same type of material behind the join page.

[Celdric]

Originally Posted by Greenie

"They see a gallery and read that it's to buy" That's bad sales text.

It probably is a language problem - find a paysite that have a version in your native language & market that site to people in your country using you own language.

I don't market porn to Spanish speaking people - feel free to ask me why

I just mentioned the language as possible reason why it's difficult for me to express my points and thoughts here in the forum as clear as I would like.

My site runs pretty well and is raising. I see the hits arriving at my sponsors, but it annoyes me to see how few people sign up finally.
Can be I send the wrong traffic to the wrong sponsors. I will find out.

Btw, I'm since a couple of years on web, but mostly as admin in mainstream forums. My adult site I have since a few month now. Turned out to be a harder job than I had expected. lol

However, from my experience as forum admin I know that it's a mistake to expect too much knowlegde from your visitors. Especially if you are a long time in the business everything about it appears to you totally clear and simple. And there is a risk that you tend to think it's for visitors also clear and simple. In fact it's not. Very many visitors have almost zero knowledge. You say. "hey, just click the enter button." And they answer "huh? What's an enter button." No kidding, we all know that they ask those questions. lol

Anyway, I thought perhaps it's the same with adult site visitors. Perhaps many have less knowlegde than we think they have. Perhaps many of them would like to buy something, but somehow it looks all so complicate and risky. So they refrain.

Perhaps, perhaps...yes. But it's worth to spend a thought on it in my opinion.

PS: So gallery templates in Spanish language are no real help? lol

Originally Posted by Lemmy

That would be a conversion ratio of 1:714 which isn't half bad at all. Maybe you're expecting too much?

1:714? Don't make me cry.
Can you imagine how long a manager of a real life adult shop would keep his job with such a conversion rate? They would watch it a few days and then kick his a*s.

[Celdric]

Originally Posted by NY Jester

Why would they have to buy a gallery they already are seeing for free? Thats where I think Greenie is referring to your sales text..because most would say "More", or "for more" or "Get access to ALL" or something to give them the idea that there is much more of the same type of material behind the join page.

Jester, this is a misunderstanding. I'm not writing those sales texts. I'm referring to sponsor texts. In my opinion some sponsor texts are not precise and simple to understand enough for newbie visitors.

[Greenguy]

Originally Posted by Celdric

1:714? Don't make me cry.
Can you imagine how long a manager of a real life adult shop would keep his job with such a conversion rate? They would watch it a few days and then kick his a*s.

1st off, this is a board for webmasters that own/operate porn sites. You can type the word "ass" without the *. You can even type "fuck" & "cunt" if you like

Now, I have 2 things to say about your statement:

1 - based on a PPS averaging about $25, 1:714 is 3.5 center/click & that is a very respectable number (personally, I'm happy with anything over 2.0 cents) Surfers on a website are not the same as customers coming into a store.

2 - have you ever been in a video store where the dvd/tape was not in the display box? Does the customer think they are buying an empty box when they get to the register? If so, do you think the clerk sells them the empty box or do they explain to them that the dvd/tape is in the back & then go get it for them?

In the website world, you're the clerk. If your surfers think they are buying a gallery, it's your job to tell them otherwise. You do this with sales text.

[Celdric]

Originally Posted by Greenie

1st off, this is a board for webmasters that own/operate porn sites. You can type the word "ass" without the *. You can even type "fuck" & "cunt" if you like

Thanks for the hint. It's a remain from the years on mainstream boards.

Well, I see your points. I think I will give it a try and make a site in my mothertounge also.

[lassiter]

Originally Posted by Celdric

1:714? Don't make me cry.
Can you imagine how long a manager of a real life adult shop would keep his job with such a conversion rate?

I worked in an adult video rental shop in my younger days. Think of it this way - If you consider a gallery to be the same thing as a customer picking up a tape or DVD box and looking at the pictures on it, then I'd say a 1:714 ratio would be about average. Customers would come in, spend an hour looking at dozens of tape boxes, and then leave. It's the same thing with galleries. It takes work and skill to make something attractive enough to close a sale, particularly when there are 100s of other offerings right next to it.

And as Greenie says, for most sponsors, 1:714 is damn good. Only *very* specialized niche sites (like, say, Filipino transsexual foot fetish domination in graveyards) are gonna do consistently better, and even then only if you can drive the proper traffic to the site.

[Celdric]

It takes work and skill to make something attractive enough to close a sale, particularly when there are 100s of other offerings right next to it.

Lassiter, tell that the sponsors. I'm since a half year in the business now and today after looking at countless sponsor programs it appears to me that there is to much massware on the market which is almost impossible to sell. And each week sponsors are throwing more of this stuff on the market.

Okay, I think one can live with this situation, if one signs up with very many sponsors. You may earn just a little from each sponsor, but make your money with the sum of all sales.
But I don't want to sign up with 100, 200 or more sponsors. I think it must be possible to earn a good money by promiting just a handfull good sites. Or is it an impossible wish?

[Useless]

Originally Posted by Celdric

Lassiter, tell that the sponsors. I'm since a half year in the business now and today after looking at countless sponsor programs it appears to me that there is to much massware on the market which is almost impossible to sell. And each week sponsors are throwing more of this stuff on the market.

Modern sponsors have educated themselves on traffic generation or have hired those who know how to do it. You won't see many sponsors anymore who you aren't competing against you for the same traffic. But that's business. If they can sell their product themselves, that makes them all the smarter.

Originally Posted by Celdric

I think it must be possible to earn a good money by promiting just a handfull good sites. Or is it an impossible wish?

Even if you are signed up to 100 sponsors, you'll see that it's only a handful which make you any money. Once you know which ones seem to convert best for you, put more effort in to promoting them. Just never limit yourself to only one or two.

[tickler]

Originally Posted by lassiter

Only *very* specialized niche sites (like, say, Filipino transsexual foot fetish domination in graveyards) are gonna do consistently better, and even then only if you can drive the proper traffic to the site.

Originally Posted by Celdric

But I don't want to sign up with 100, 200 or more sponsors. I think it must be possible to earn a good money by promiting just a handfull good sites. Or is it an impossible wish?

I promote micro-niche sites much like lassiter suggested. But, I needed to search through 100s of sponsors(1000s of sites) to find the best in each of the various micro-niches.

Most of the general industrial porn type sites I don't even bother with because the surfer can find tons of free stuff. Even the more general niches I want to see less than 1:500 before I push any heavy traffic to it.

[Celdric]

Modern sponsors have educated themselves on traffic generation or have hired those who know how to do it. You won't see many sponsors anymore who you aren't competing against you for the same traffic. But that's business. If they can sell their product themselves, that makes them all the smarter.

I agree. Although it's difficult sometimes. I think that no sponsor can ignore a profitable niche. They are forced to jump on the train, even when it means competing for the same traffic.

Well, that's okay as long as they are really serve the niche with more than just a matching domain name. There are still too many sponsors who have sensational looking niche sites in their lists, but no content inside to promote these sides.

I mean hard to imagine that they think that webmasters say "...okay, they tricked me in, but because I'm already here I will drop my plans and promote one of their other sides..."

Anyway, searching for good sponsors demands actually a big part of my worktime. Is that normal? Hey, if I had a wish free, I would drop even a night with Claudia Schiffer for a big list of sponsors approved and found usefull by successful veterans.

Originally Posted by tickler

I promote micro-niche sites much like lassiter suggested. But, I needed to search through 100s of sponsors(1000s of sites) to find the best in each of the various micro-niches.

Micro-niches, well, surely profitable. But my domain name is Sexworld. Not related to any niche. I can offer asian content (it's a tw domain) or all niche content in my opinion.
It's a litte off topic, but did you see any good Indian ones on your search for sponsors?