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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Ideas for Creating a Sticky Website

Some ideas for creating a sticky website can be useful to turn visitors into customers. In order to get people to stay on your website longer, I've compiled this list of tips to make your website hold the interest of your visitors.

Add a Message Board
A message board for customers to share ideas, questions and experiences on your products and services.

Audio and Video
Audio and video make your website interesting and interactive. Use a common plug-in, standard on most computers, so your visitor doesn't have to download an additional one to view your audio and video.

Change your site frequently
Update your website with new and unique content to hold the interest of your audience. Making bi-weekly or weekly updates gives your visitors a reason to return for new information.

Checking Online Inventory
In order for customers to check if products are in stock, adding a database could be a good idea.

Don't Clutter
It's important to give your website an uncluttered and unique design. Keep your website looking clean and organized so your visitors feel that your business follows the same standards.

Don't Spam
Sending unrequested mass emails to those that do not know the sender is spamming. Only send solicited emails that were requested from filling out a form on your website.

Interactive Websites
Add interesting pages to keep the visitor engaged to your website and keep them coming back. Color choosing pages for products and other interactive pages make the visit more interesting.

Keep it Simple
Don't use useless graphics that will just lengthen loading time for your visitor. Animated graphics and personal pictures don't usually present a professional first impression. Also, keep content suitably categorized into smaller paragraphs rather than huge chunks of written material.

META Tags
META tags are a list of keywords visitors might type in a search engine to look for information. Using proper META Tags is important for your website to be found by people on the internet.

Online forms
For ordering products and services, give visitors the option to fill out a form and order online. Payment options such as credit card or paypal could also be an option by setting up a secured website.

Provide a Newsletter
Allow your visitors to sign up for a newsletter to inform them about upcoming event, special sales and changes to your website.

Small Image Sizes
Smaller graphics will load faster and keep your website visitors from leaving. Potential customers won't always have the patience to wait for images to load.

Target Your Audience
Realize who your customers are and who you are trying to reach. Are they kids, teenagers, young adults, new parents, baby boomers or seniors?

User Feedback
Listening to the likes and dislikes of your visitors can be useful to learn good ways to improve your website. Adding an option for your visitors to leave comments and remarks could prove to be helpful.

Write Interesting Headlines
Make sure your headlines are interesting enough to attract the attention of your visitors. View other websites and view headlines that interest you to get some ideas.

Related Posts:
Stickiness for Effective Websites
The 7 Best Website Optimization Techniques
10 Ways to Come Up With Blog Post Ideas

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