What is more important for a manufacturing business, click through rates or RFQ submissions?

Answer: For a manufacturing business, the relative importance between Click Through Rates (CTR) and Requests for Quote (RFQ) submissions depends on several factors, including the business's stage of growth, marketing goals, and sales process.

Click Through Rates (CTR)

Limitations:

• Not Directly Tied to Sales: A high CTR does not guarantee conversions or sales. It's possible to drive a lot of traffic that doesn't convert.
• Surface-Level Metric: It shows interest but not commitment or intent to purchase.

Requests for Quote (RFQ) Submissions

Why RFQs are Important:

• Intent to Purchase: An RFQ submission indicates a higher level of interest and intent to potentially buy, making it a more direct indicator of sales pipeline growth.
• Quality Leads: RFQs are from users who have taken a step towards considering your product or service for their needs, suggesting they are more qualified leads.
• Conversion Focus: This metric is closer to the bottom of the sales funnel, directly correlating with potential revenue.

Limitations:

• Lower Volume: RFQ submissions will generally be much lower in number compared to clicks, especially for businesses with complex or high-value products.
• Time to Conversion: There can be a significant delay between an RFQ and actual sales, especially in manufacturing where B2B sales cycles are longer.

RFQ Submissions are generally more important for a manufacturing business because they directly relate to potential sales and revenue. However, CTR should not be ignored as it feeds into the broader marketing funnel, helping to increase brand awareness and attract potential leads.

The key is to optimize both to ensure that increased visibility translates into business opportunities.

But, in terms of generalized SEO techniques - being on page one of Google or Bing is critical.

GraceHost - delivers page one.