Have you ever wondered why some websites just seem to attract more traffic, user engagement, and conversions than others? Simply put, it's all about how they use design elements and human psychology to maximize user experience. In this article, we've collected a few of the most effective ways that you can improve user engagement on your site.
What is User Engagement?
'User engagement' is one of the most important metrics that informs the success of a business. It is what helps you drive traffic, gain brand awareness and make sales. But to achieve all this, your website must be equipped with the right tools.
User engagement is the level of involvement or interest a user has with your website or other digital content. It can be measured by the frequency and duration of use, as well as social media attention.
The best way to increase user engagement on your website is to offer high-quality content that's relevant to their needs. In addition, you should make it easy for them to find what they're looking for.
Here are 6 ways to increase user engagement on your website:
1. Create Sticky Content
If users are not engaged, they are likely to leave your site and never come back.
One way to keep users engaged is to create 'sticky content'. This is content that is interesting, memorable, and useful enough that users will want to spend time reading, watching, or interacting with it.
This can be achieved by:
- writing well-researched articles
- publishing helpful how-to guides
- launching a video tutorial series
- providing interesting data and statistics
Without attractive, compelling, and useful content, your site visitors will not dwell on your website for long and may never return. This is way a well-planned content strategy is key for improving brand awareness and increasing user engagement.
2. Redesign the Homepage Layout
To keep your visitors engaged, it is a good idea to create a new layout for the homepage. You can switch up the layout with different colors, images or text. You might want to try a carousel or sidebar that can be quickly scrolled through by visitors. You can also use other interactive elements like videos and animations. The goal of new layouts is to highlight that there is always something new to explore on the website.
Pay attention to long-time users. They might need a reminder that new content has been posted on your website and that it might be worth revisiting. Frequent, useful content is the key to attracting return visitors and boosting user engagement.
3. Improve Online Visual Merchandising
In traditional marketing, visual merchandising uses floor plans, color, lighting, displays, and other techniques to attract customer attention in order to get them to enter a store to make more purchases.
Online visual merchandising is about using all the tools at your disposal to get your customers engaged. You want them to have an easy and enjoyable experience browsing through your website and completed the desired actions.
You need to have an online merchandising strategy for managing visual aspects throughout the website such as landing pages, category pages, and product pages.
This is a more advanced tactic, but one that an expert web designer will understand. It requires you to use white space and a grid to set up your content in an aesthetically pleasing way. This includes things like placing photos and videos in the right place on your site so they don't seem like they're just floating on the page. You also want to make sure that your images are appealing, so people will actually want to click them and see what's behind them.
4. Focus on Mobile Optimization
Many people prefer to access websites from their phones. If your website isn't mobile-friendly, many potential customers will be turned off. Make sure that the site is easy to read on any device, and cut down on the number of complex features so it's not overwhelming to mobile users.
This is especially important now as more and more people are using mobile devices to surf the internet. If your website isn't optimized for mobile devices, make sure it can be accessed easily on smaller screens. You can also use a responsive design that will automatically adjust to different screen sizes.
A fast, light, well-organized mobile experience will dramatically improve user engagement.
5. Create Downloadable Content
If you want to increase user engagement on your website, one great way to do so is by creating downloadable content. This could be in the form of an e-book, white paper, or even just a PDF document with valuable information.
By offering something that users can download and take with them, you're increasing the chances that they'll come back to your site and engage with your content again in the future.
Another advanced tactic to attract return visitors and improve user engagement is to establish a membership on your website that requires users to register to gain access to a premium content area where exclusive content such as in-depth articles or video tutorials are frequently posted.
6. Track User Engagement with A/B Testing
A/B testing is a type of website optimization where you test two versions of your site to see which one improves user engagement. You can test out different designs, headlines, message lengths, and even wording to see what sets you apart from your competition. You can also use color psychology and fonts to keep viewers' attention.
When developing your website, A/B testing will help you determine the best way to market your product and how you can better serve your customers.
At the end of the day, it's all about maximizing user engagement on your site to boost sales, so a top priority is to always be testing and adopting designs, layouts, and experiences that convert.
Increase User Engagement to Boost Sales
To increase user engagement, you need to make sure that your site has many engaging features. You should also make sure that your website is easy to use and offers some sort of reward for returning. Start by making your homepage more dynamic and engaging. Add in a blog, podcast or YouTube channel and make it easy for users to share their story on social media.
Binary Glyph Media designs attractive, mobile-first websites with content that encourages user engagement to convert site visitors to customers. A positive user experience is our top priority when building websites and creating content.
Contact us to get started on a content strategy for your small business website.