5 Reasons Your Station Site Isn’t Driving Traffic and Sales

Sales is probably the biggest reason your station website exists in the first place. It’s not just about throwing up a “listen live” button and calling it good. If your website isn’t pulling in revenue—or giving listeners and advertisers enough reason to stick around—then something’s off.  I’ve been there: staring at web analytics, wondering why the numbers are low, and trying to figure out how to turn clicks into dollars.

Your station website can be a powerful sales tool, a community hub, and a content powerhouse all at once—if you give it enough time, love, and promotion. Trust me, once you start treating it like a core piece of your station’s strategy, you’ll see the difference in both audience engagement and advertiser interest.  Today, I want to share five reasons station websites often lag behind expectations and have a lack of revenue to show for it.

1) The Website Isn’t Getting Enough Love

Do you treat your website like a priority, or is it more of a side project? If it’s not regularly on your meeting agendas—programming, promotions, sales—and if no one’s talking about it on-air, guess what? Your staff and audience will sense it’s not a focus, and they’ll treat it the same way.

Common Pitfalls

• Managers who think the station’s site is just there for a “listen live” button.
• Others who rely on social media alone to reach listeners (where competition is stiff, and algorithms limit your reach).

What to Do

• Bring up the website every time you meet. Discuss fresh content ideas, promotions, and sales opportunities.
• Talk it up on-air, giving people actual reasons to visit—like a fun contest or exclusive article—rather than just shouting out your station’s URL.
• Remember, you control your website content and design. Social platforms can change their rules anytime, so treat your site as home base.

My Take: If something’s important enough to broadcast, it’s important enough to put on the website. That’s how you send the message that your website is part of the station’s core identity.

2) You’re Not Using On-Air to Drive Traffic

Your on-air presence is gold for marketing. Don’t waste it! Whenever I listen to stations that barely mention their website, it drives me nuts. Then I listen to SiriusXM, and they’re plugging their website and/or app every other break.

How to Get the Ball Rolling

• Frequent Teasers: “Find out who won last night’s local talent show—details at mywebsite.com” gives listeners a reason to visit right now.
• Create Anticipation: If you’re dropping a local news story or an exclusive interview online, hype it up first. People want “behind-the-scenes” or “bonus” content.
• Consistency Is Key: Once you’ve teased the site a few times on air, don’t stop. Keep that momentum going.

If we don’t believe our own site is worth mentioning, why would advertisers or listeners bother checking it out?

3) Content That’s Old, Boring, or Non-Existent

Let’s be real: if your station’s website looks like it hasn’t been touched since dial-up internet days, it’s going to repel visitors and potential advertisers. Listeners expect up-to-date stories, show highlights, local events, or anything else that connects with what they hear on your station.

Strategies for Fresh Content

• Repurpose On-Air Segments: If you talked about a big local event or a quirky news item, post a quick article or audio snippet. People who missed the broadcast can catch up online.
• Optimize for Search: Basic SEO (keywords, descriptive titles, meta tags) helps listeners find you when they search for local info or even your call letters. Search might bring in new audiences.
• Social Media Funnel: Use social posts to tease a story or event that’s fully covered on your website. More clicks for you = more reasons for advertisers to come on board.

Google loves fresh, relevant content. Consistent updates can push you higher in search results, driving new traffic you might have missed out on otherwise.

4) Sales Team Isn’t Selling the Website

I’ve seen sales teams that focus 100% on on-air ads, barely acknowledging the station’s digital side. That’s a missed opportunity. A solid online presence can be the deciding factor for many businesses considering local advertising.

How to Get Sales Pumped About Digital

1. Educate Them: Host a crash course on what your site can offer—banner ads, sponsored posts, custom contests, etc. Introduce a Digital Inventory List.
2. Show Them Real Numbers: If you’ve got traffic stats or metrics proving that people actually engage with your site, share them. Nothing motivates salespeople like proof that something is working.
3. Show Diversity in Offerings: Don’t limit yourself to banner ads. Think of advertiser-friendly content like sponsored posts or pages, newsletters, or podcasts.

If your sales team doesn’t see the value in what you do online, neither will your advertisers. Once they realize the potential, they’ll be pitching digital space just as often as on-air spots.

5) You’re Not Measuring What Works

Even if you’re creating amazing content and regularly promoting it, do you actually know which parts are landing with your audience? The beauty of a website is that everything’s trackable if you set it up right.

How to Track and Adjust

• Analytics Tools: Google Analytics (or a similar platform) will tell you how many people visit, how they find your site, and what they do once they’re there.
• Content Performance: Notice which topics get the most clicks or shares. Double down on those to keep your audience engaged.
• Advertiser ROI: Show off measurable stats—like page views, clicks, or even on-site conversions—to prove real value to potential clients.

I’ve seen stations drastically improve their online ad sales simply by showing businesses the pageview numbers for sponsored articles or contests. When you can show that proof, it’s a game-changer.

The Bottom Line

Your website can be so much more than a digital afterthought – especially if you want it to make money. Think of it like another station in your cluster—one that needs regular programming, promotion, and sales strategies. Once you give your online platform the same love you give your on-air signal, you’ll notice a jump in traffic, listener engagement, and yes, actual revenue.

Perhaps you don’t have the right platform for generating content and more revenue?  We can help with that.  Reach out to us at https://www.skyrocketradio.com.  We’ll give you the tools you’ll need to take your online revenue to the next level.