The competition for the user’s attention between websites is a tough one. The attention span of online users is ever-shrinking, and even the most polished, perfectly optimized websites might sometimes find it challenging to stay in the top ranks of Google search results if their visitors leave the webpage after having barely spent 30 seconds there. This means you need to find a way to keep your visitors engaged on your website for longer.
10 Best Strategies to Keep Users on Your Site
Let us explore ten effective tools and strategies businesses can use to enhance visitor engagement and keep them happily browsing on-site. The recommendations are courtesy of Keenethics, an ethical web and mobile app development company that creates industry-defining solutions for education, healthcare, finance, agriculture, and various other sectors, helping shape a better future for people and businesses worldwide.
Here is a list of the strategies we will look at below:
- Striking website design
- Clear site navigation
- A steady flow of easy-to-digest content
- Website’s time optimization
- Mobile Optimization
- ADA compliance
- Ad reduction
- Proper use of internal and external links
- Clear CTA
- Clever exit intent pop-ups
So, now that you know what to expect further down the line, let us dive straight in!
Good looks matter
A functionally pleasing website design is crucial, with just 10 seconds to persuade your visitors to stay and explore. Check your design for aesthetics and easy access to information. If it passes the eye test, you stand a good chance of increasing user time on the site and boosting overall engagement.
Do not let users lose their bearing on your site
Easy and smooth navigation is the next most important aspect of user engagement. Complex websites can lose visitors very quickly. Simplify design, gather feedback, and prioritize user-friendly navigation for a better experience.
Keep it fresh and give them genuine value
Users come to your website for content, so keep it fresh, informative, and coming regularly. What they read on your site influences visitors’ purchase decisions, so diversify your content strategy by adding visuals, newsletters, infographics, and tutorials. Make it easily digestible with shorter sentences, subheadings, and bullet lists.
Speed up your interactions with users
You are racing against the clock when trying to keep users on the website, so having images and content download slowly is not an option. Optimize your visuals and content for faster loading to keep visitors engaged.
Make it friendly for mobile
Today, everyone and their grandma uses phones to access websites; that is how it works. Making the website mobile-friendly, responsive, and loading quickly on handheld device screens will help keep visitors on the page.
Make it accessible for people with disabilities
Make your website friendly and accessible for people with disabilities, promoting equal access and usability for everyone. Use clear and short headings, provide alternative text for images, and ensure keyboard navigation works. Don’t forget to regularly test it with accessibility tools to identify and fix potential issues.
Go easy on ads
Your site needs monetization, but placing too many ads there wears down users, making them feel exploited and not respected. By reducing ads, especially autoplay ones, you can strengthen the credibility of your resource and help users connect to your brand on a more personal level.
Be careful with links
Strategically placed internal links are important for easy navigation, while external links help access useful information on the outside. Still, you have to be moderate with how many links you put on the website, as having too many can be a downright turn-off.
Get them to act with well-phrased call-to-action buttons
Call-to-action buttons are the first step toward converting a regular visitor into a paying customer. When designing these, focus on problem-solving instead of selling. Place CTAs strategically for visibility.
Take one last shot at persuading them to stay
Using widgets called exit intent pop-ups can help stop visitors from leaving the website. You are a winner if you provide the right incentive to stay, like limited-time deals and exclusive content.
Enhance User Engagement with Keenethics’ Tips and Expertise
Your website’s success hinges on its visual appeal, ease of navigation, informative content, speed, mobile accessibility, and ADA compliance. If you lack the time or expertise to do that yourself, consider employing Keenethics’ UX design specialists to elevate your website’s performance and user experience.