Everyone who owns a website often wrestles with the idea of keeping their visitors to their site as long as possible, i.e. make them “engaged” longer.
When people stay longer on your site …
1. Your site/ page will have low bounce rate that suggest search engines like Google that it MUST be valuable, and you’re your site better for search terms.
2. Plus, when your visitors spend more time on your site, they will likely buy something for you.
But, how do you make your content more engaging and lure them to click through the links and ads on your page?
10 Ways to Stay Engaged with Your Web Visitors:
1. Give Away “Useful Content”
Generosity can bring several benefits to your website.
Blog articles, Infographics, free eBooks, video tutorials on topics that are relevant and of interest to your visitors will make your readers feel that there is something in it for them too.
Sharing your insights, knowledge, and ideas on important aspects of your business will help build a “formidable” authority, and thereby, increasing people’s interest on what you have to say.
2. Embed Videos and Slideshows – Recently, we found that using slideshows, unlike creating an article/ page to give helpful information, often gets our message across more effectively.
In other words, slideshows help convey message better by adding visual element to your content. Your website visitors get an opportunity to learn more about the topic in a different way (through visuals), rather than reading through “block of text” they see on the screen.
In addition to slideshows, you can also use video in order to enhance user engagement.
Not only you can use videos and slideshows to “showcase your product or service,”but you can use it for several other purposes, like
1. Introducing your company,
2. Getting testimonials from customers,
3. Teach people “how to” do stuffs, or
4. Even create a video blogs, etc
Just remember to keep the length of each video and slideshow short as you don’t want to lose the attention of your visitors.
Doing it right (both videos and slideshows) can keep people hooked up in your site way longer than usual.
3. Breakup Long Posts on Multiple Pages
Do you have a really long article? Well, do us a favor – break it down (500 to 600 words each) and then place it in two pages.
Not only your visitors will look at more pages on your site, but it will increase the ratings (page rank) of your site/ page too.The more people spend time on your site, the more chances they get to become engaged with your brand.
4. Re-Format Your Content
Make it easier for your readers to read your content and digest them.
1. While crafting/ creating content, think about using headers, sub-headers, bullets, and numbered lists.
2. If your site has tons of posts, create a “most popular” or “most recent” list and place it on the sidebar.
Newspapers use this tactic all the time!
Just visit NYTimes.com and check out how they’ve used “Most E-Mailed” tab listing stories other people have shared.
5. Place Dynamic Content on Your Site
As discussed earlier, I encourage you to use different sidebars on each page of your site. Make it load relevant content based on the content of that particular page.
For example, if your site is a forum, pop up live replies and updates from other members on relevant topics. This gives your site an “overall busy and lively look.”
1. Show up updated polls, rotating lists, videos and photos of other recent posts in order to BOOST your visitor’s stay on your site.
2. Place a quick and easy comment system like Disqus to foster two-way communication!
6. Carry outPolls andSurveys
Add polls and surveys on your site. Period!
They offer an “easy and quick way” for your visitors to voice their opinions and get involvedwith your site.
Ensure you publish polls and surveys that are HIGHLY relevant to your target audience (market) in order to keep them “interested” and find out MORE about the results.
7. Start Quizzes and Games
Imagine!
How many people leave your site without posting a comment just because inserting name, email, and comment is a “BIG hassle?”
Instead, why don’t you gauge user interaction by providing them a very interesting yet easy way of entertainment?Hold competitions, or even games, and award the high scorer to keep them trying to earn the prize again.
8. Update your site/blog frequently
You can update your site/blog often with “useful,” “fresh,” and “engaging,” content so that whenever new visitors come back to your site, they will always have something new to read through it.
This method is effective as it attracts returning visitors, but most “lazy webmasters” don’t usually carry out this step, and as a result, lose a lot of customers to their site.
Just consider, would you go and browse a site that looks the same and its content never change over 10 years? Of course, NOT!
So do me a favor – “keep your site/blog frequently updated” with content that talk about new insights and perspectives of your market.
9. Connect with Your Readers
If you want to enhance your website engagement, make sure you’re generating content that are highly relevant, useful, and interesting to your target audience, and not just to your editor.
The content may take the form of articles, blogs, whitepapers, product descriptions, or simply product reviews.
Before sitting down and writing a content, step back and think about all the conversations you had with your customers:
1. What are they interesting to learn about?
2. What problems are they facing?
Once you have figured out some good topics to write, make it extremely user-friendly (easy and fun) for them to consume your content.
1. Use bullets, videos, slideshows, games, and other tactics we discussed earlier to tell your story in an engaging way to your customers.
2. Make it short, simple, yet be YOU.
Not only this will make the content highly original and personal, but it will also make it easier for you to sit down and write.
10.Use Plenty of Whitespace
It can be very overwhelming to click on a link and come across a page with wall of text all over.
Online content isn’t like essay writings or writing a novel.
People want the best information that is“user-friendly,”“easy to consume,” and “inviting.” If not, they’ll often hit the “back” button and find other sites that are “more welcoming.”
Use plenty of whitespace!
It may appear counter-intuitive to use whitespace but it helps to “remove the clutter” off your content and make it more inviting for those reading it.
Likewise, use your creativity to enhance your content and build more engagement. Underline your key points, bold to place emphasis on important points and make things stand out.
10 Ways to Stay “Engaged” with Your Web Visitors - To Sum It ALL
There you have it! We just discussed 10 ways to stay engaged with your web visitors. What about you? Which different strategies you employ to build visitor’s engagement on your site? Please comment below!
When people stay longer on your site …
1. Your site/ page will have low bounce rate that suggest search engines like Google that it MUST be valuable, and you’re your site better for search terms.
2. Plus, when your visitors spend more time on your site, they will likely buy something for you.
But, how do you make your content more engaging and lure them to click through the links and ads on your page?
10 Ways to Stay Engaged with Your Web Visitors:
1. Give Away “Useful Content”
Generosity can bring several benefits to your website.
Blog articles, Infographics, free eBooks, video tutorials on topics that are relevant and of interest to your visitors will make your readers feel that there is something in it for them too.
Sharing your insights, knowledge, and ideas on important aspects of your business will help build a “formidable” authority, and thereby, increasing people’s interest on what you have to say.
2. Embed Videos and Slideshows – Recently, we found that using slideshows, unlike creating an article/ page to give helpful information, often gets our message across more effectively.
In other words, slideshows help convey message better by adding visual element to your content. Your website visitors get an opportunity to learn more about the topic in a different way (through visuals), rather than reading through “block of text” they see on the screen.
In addition to slideshows, you can also use video in order to enhance user engagement.
Not only you can use videos and slideshows to “showcase your product or service,”but you can use it for several other purposes, like
1. Introducing your company,
2. Getting testimonials from customers,
3. Teach people “how to” do stuffs, or
4. Even create a video blogs, etc
Just remember to keep the length of each video and slideshow short as you don’t want to lose the attention of your visitors.
Doing it right (both videos and slideshows) can keep people hooked up in your site way longer than usual.
3. Breakup Long Posts on Multiple Pages
Do you have a really long article? Well, do us a favor – break it down (500 to 600 words each) and then place it in two pages.
Not only your visitors will look at more pages on your site, but it will increase the ratings (page rank) of your site/ page too.The more people spend time on your site, the more chances they get to become engaged with your brand.
4. Re-Format Your Content
Make it easier for your readers to read your content and digest them.
1. While crafting/ creating content, think about using headers, sub-headers, bullets, and numbered lists.
2. If your site has tons of posts, create a “most popular” or “most recent” list and place it on the sidebar.
Newspapers use this tactic all the time!
Just visit NYTimes.com and check out how they’ve used “Most E-Mailed” tab listing stories other people have shared.
5. Place Dynamic Content on Your Site
As discussed earlier, I encourage you to use different sidebars on each page of your site. Make it load relevant content based on the content of that particular page.
For example, if your site is a forum, pop up live replies and updates from other members on relevant topics. This gives your site an “overall busy and lively look.”
1. Show up updated polls, rotating lists, videos and photos of other recent posts in order to BOOST your visitor’s stay on your site.
2. Place a quick and easy comment system like Disqus to foster two-way communication!
6. Carry outPolls andSurveys
Add polls and surveys on your site. Period!
They offer an “easy and quick way” for your visitors to voice their opinions and get involvedwith your site.
Ensure you publish polls and surveys that are HIGHLY relevant to your target audience (market) in order to keep them “interested” and find out MORE about the results.
7. Start Quizzes and Games
Imagine!
How many people leave your site without posting a comment just because inserting name, email, and comment is a “BIG hassle?”
Instead, why don’t you gauge user interaction by providing them a very interesting yet easy way of entertainment?Hold competitions, or even games, and award the high scorer to keep them trying to earn the prize again.
8. Update your site/blog frequently
You can update your site/blog often with “useful,” “fresh,” and “engaging,” content so that whenever new visitors come back to your site, they will always have something new to read through it.
This method is effective as it attracts returning visitors, but most “lazy webmasters” don’t usually carry out this step, and as a result, lose a lot of customers to their site.
Just consider, would you go and browse a site that looks the same and its content never change over 10 years? Of course, NOT!
So do me a favor – “keep your site/blog frequently updated” with content that talk about new insights and perspectives of your market.
9. Connect with Your Readers
If you want to enhance your website engagement, make sure you’re generating content that are highly relevant, useful, and interesting to your target audience, and not just to your editor.
The content may take the form of articles, blogs, whitepapers, product descriptions, or simply product reviews.
Before sitting down and writing a content, step back and think about all the conversations you had with your customers:
1. What are they interesting to learn about?
2. What problems are they facing?
Once you have figured out some good topics to write, make it extremely user-friendly (easy and fun) for them to consume your content.
1. Use bullets, videos, slideshows, games, and other tactics we discussed earlier to tell your story in an engaging way to your customers.
2. Make it short, simple, yet be YOU.
Not only this will make the content highly original and personal, but it will also make it easier for you to sit down and write.
10.Use Plenty of Whitespace
It can be very overwhelming to click on a link and come across a page with wall of text all over.
Online content isn’t like essay writings or writing a novel.
People want the best information that is“user-friendly,”“easy to consume,” and “inviting.” If not, they’ll often hit the “back” button and find other sites that are “more welcoming.”
Use plenty of whitespace!
It may appear counter-intuitive to use whitespace but it helps to “remove the clutter” off your content and make it more inviting for those reading it.
Likewise, use your creativity to enhance your content and build more engagement. Underline your key points, bold to place emphasis on important points and make things stand out.
10 Ways to Stay “Engaged” with Your Web Visitors - To Sum It ALL
There you have it! We just discussed 10 ways to stay engaged with your web visitors. What about you? Which different strategies you employ to build visitor’s engagement on your site? Please comment below!
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