How to keep visitors on your website for longer

Studio Lago Design- Abstract Events Desktop website view

How to keep visitors on your website for longer

May 15, 2023

As a website designer, one of the most important goals I need to consider when designing, is how to keep visitors engaged and interested in the content on your site. A website that is able to do this will not only increase the time visitors spend on the site, but it will also lead to higher conversion rates and a better overall user experience.

Here are some effective strategies that I consider to keep visitors on a website longer…

Create Engaging and High-Quality Content

The content on your website is one of the most important factors in keeping visitors engaged. It is so important to ensure that the content is high-quality and relevant to your target audience. Use engaging visuals such as images, videos, infographics, and illustrations to make your content more visually appealing and easy to understand. Your content should also be well-organized and easy to read, with clear headings, subheadings, and bullet points to break up the text and make it more scannable.

Optimize Website Navigation and User Experience

Having a user-friendly website is essential in keeping visitors engaged. A well-designed website should be easy to navigate, with clear and concise menus, and intuitive user interface. It should also load quickly, with optimized images and web pages that are optimized for speed. A slow-loading website is likely to lead making them frustrated, causing them to leave the website quickly.

Use Calls to Action (CTAs)

Including clear and concise calls-to-action throughout your website is essential in keeping visitors engaged. A well-designed CTA can lead visitors to take the next step in the buyer journey, whether it’s to sign up for a newsletter, download a white paper, or make a purchase. Ensure that your CTAs are prominently displayed on your website, with clear and concise messaging, and are easy to use.

Provide Long form Content

Including long form content on your website can keep visitors engaged and interested in your website for longer periods of time. Long form content can be in the form of blog posts, articles, or videos that are related to the content on the page that the visitor is currently viewing. Ensure that your content is easy to find and that it is relevant to your website visitor’s interests.

Homepage hero section banner (Instagram Story) (1500 × 1920 px)

Utilize Social Media

Social media is a great way to drive traffic to your website and keep visitors engaged. By including social media share buttons on your website, visitors can share your content with their social media followers. Social media is also a great way to keep your followers up-to-date with new content and updates on your website.

Offer Incentives

Offering incentives such as free trials, discounts, or exclusive content can encourage visitors to stay on your website longer. Incentives can also encourage visitors to sign up for a newsletter or create an account, giving you the opportunity to continue to engage with them in the future.

Use Analytics to Track User Behaviour

By using analytics tools such as Google Analytics, you can gain insight into how visitors interact with your website. Analytics can provide information on bounce rates, time on site, and click-through rates, allowing you to make changes to improve the user experience and keep visitors engaged.

Keeping visitors engaged on your website requires a combination of high-quality content, user-friendly navigation, and effective calls-to-action. By providing a positive user experience, including interactive elements, and optimizing your website for speed, you can increase your number of sales or enquiries. Make sure your website ticks all these boxes and if it doesn’t get in touch and we can chat through how I can help you make some changes to ensure your website is performing as it should and keeping visitors staying for longer and coming back for more.

get in touch

About the designer...

Hi! I’m Katie. Helping busy business owners create bold online brands and stand-out, non-boring websites is my jam. I’m passionate about giving once-upon-a-time-website DIYers, ambitious entrepreneurs and founders back the time to focus on doing the things they love the most in their businesses, giving them clarity in their online presence and the confidence to grow big!

Through this blog and on social media I share my advice and best practices with business owners on how to build strong brands that will start attracting their dream customers and website that work by focusing on strategy and business goals.

When I’m not working with inspiring business owners or designing wedding cakes, you’ll probably find me dreaming of what my next meal will be, the best fruit garnishes for a gin and tonic or where we’ll travel to on our next adventure.

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