Internet Lag Time: Know What I Mean?

[The Porn Nerd]

After being in the online sales business for almost 5 years now I have noticed some patterns (and these include "mainstream" websites, too). Being a Webmaster it can sometimes feel like you're in a bubble, isolated and disconnected from "the real world". Especially in a business where hours of work in front of a monitor is required.

So sometimes we forget - okay, I forget - about "Internet lag time". What is it? It's the time between when you make a change on your website and the time it takes to notice that change taking effect. In other words, the time it takes for a surfer to see, realize, comprehend, judge then act upon whatever change you just made to your website.

Now, "Internet lag time" most often occurs (and is easiest to notice) with other websites you may interact with. For example, you upload a video to a tube, you submit an article to Reddit, you exchange a link with X website...then you wait. And wonder: "WTF? I uploaded that video/submitted that article/inserted that link two weeks ago! Where's the traffic?"

Well DUH it takes time for that video to post, time for that article to appear, etc. As I said, this phenomenon is most easily noticeable when it comes to other people's websites. After all, you can only control your own sites, right?

But that's where "Internet lag time" gets confusing (and frustrating beyond belief). You make a change to your own website and then....nothing. No increase in conversions, traffic, time on site, nada (and sometimes LESS of these things!). Then, after a few days/weeks, you start to see an increase in comversions, time on site, etc.

So WTF??? Internet Lag Time! Apparently it takes a few days/weeks for people (surfers/potential buyers) to process the changes and act upon them. Wild.

But what about A-B testing? Isn't that "immediate"? You just judge the data....

Yes, this affects A-B testing, too. A-B'ing something gives you immediate buyer data but does not include those affected by Internet Lag Time. In other words, the surfers who need time to decipher a change, or process something differant.

The biggest bugaboo about all this, of course, is what I'm saying is based on returning visitors, bookmarkers, etc. For first-time visitors i have no clue. LOL I notice this "trend" overall, with both Adult and Mainstream sites, but can only identify some of the reasons. All I know is that it fucking exists.

Do you experience anything like this? Could be me, I'm living in a bubble.

[2013]

cliff notes

[The Porn Nerd]

Originally Posted by 2013

cliff notes

It takes time to see the changes.