Unless a counter explains very specifically just what it’s tracking, its output means NOTHING! Is it measuring

• hits? A hit is registered anytime your computer requests anything from the host computer, be it a button, a photo, or the page itself: a page with 5 buttons and a photo on it will register 7 hits each time it loads. So what?
   
• page views? A bit more meaningful, BUT if your browser is set to save recently-viewed pages in a cache on your machine (for quicker loading next time), it will generate smaller counts than otherwise;
   
• visits? One visit = any number of page views within a discrete block of time. Still a bit ambiguous: does the tally represent large numbers of visitors making a few visits each, or a smaller returning more often?
   
• visitors? Perhaps the best popularity index, registering the visiting machine just once, no matter how often it visits the site.

Be aware also that with many counters, the web-master doesn’t have to start at zero! And if the counter is tracking hits or page-views, can visitors inflate the count simply by re-loading the page? (Try it: press Ctrl + r to reload the page and see if the count goes up. If it does, how meaningful is the statistic?)
 

Our Page-View Counter

Each PrivateList display carries a counter in the lower-right corner of its first page. For the technically minded, here’s how it works:

• the first time a visitor’s computer accesses the page, the counter will note its IP address and boost the count by one;
   
• the next request for the page will increment the count only if it comes from a computer with a different IP address, (which will then be flagged in place of the first IP address);
   
• in practice, this prevents anyone from inflating the count simply by reloading the page, but will count a single visitor multiple times if he/she visits, say, on different days.

Note that search engines are continuing sending out robot programs to index pages, some visitors may stumble across your page by accident, and others may simply be indulging an idle curiosity. Discounting your tally by 30% should give you a rough estimate of buyer interest in your display, and if your property hasn’t been drawing the response you want, the counter can help you determine WHY . . .
 

To boost your visitor count. . .

If you’re not happy with the number of visitors your display is attracting,

• take out more classified ads, not just in your immediate market, but elsewhere across the country (see our list of Canadian sources of inexpensive classifieds) and make sure that each one you run refers prospective buyers to www.privatelist.com;
   
• distribute more highlight sheets, each of which refers to the web-site;
   
• make sure www.privatelist.com appears on your lawn sign;
   
• promote your sale - and internet display - at the office and among friends, relatives and neighbours.

For our part, we will continue our efforts to maintain high rankings with the search engines, to arrange reciprocal link exchanges with related web-sites, and to use the traditional media to spread the word.
 

To increase your phone calls . . .

How many calls should you get for every 50 visitors to your display? It’s impossible to say, though the ratio will be likely depend on the potential market for your type of property (being higher, say, for a house in the middle of Toronto than for an ostrich farm on north Vancouver Island).

If you feel you’re not getting enough calls given the number of times your display has been seen, consider

• reviewing our piece on market value: is your asking-price too high?
   
• sending in some new outside photos more in keeping with the season - winter photos displayed in June may cause some buyers to assume the property has been on the market too long and that there’s something wrong with it;
   
• offering some extra incentive to purchasers, eg. "Vendors will contribute $1000 towards purchasers’closing costs";
   
• promoting a specialized property (eg. a motel or restaurant) in trade or other publications likely to be read by your target audience.