This article focuses on the importance of interaction with your audience in business and offers tips on increasing website engagement. Despite the ever-changing online environment, some things remain the same. That being said, at the heart of everything is human engagement.
Sayings like “customer is king” hold true to this day. And what better way to please “the kings” than to understand customer behaviour and tailor your website according to it. However, an attractive user-friendly interface will not guarantee website engagement. More specifically, having an appealing website doesn’t mean that users will perform desired actions such as clicks, shares, downloads, or purchases.
As complicated as it sounds, when simplified, website engagement can be reduced to one
single principle: putting yourself into your customers’ shoes.
Still, tools such as website engagement metrics or conversion rate metrics don’t do any harm
as they make understanding your customer easier.
Conversion rate metrics you should be tracking
● Value per visit: Essentially, this metric establishes how much each visit is worth. Directly connected to interactions per visit, it is calculated by dividing the number of visits by the total value created.
● Interactions per visit: It doesn’t all end with conversions. A visitor may not engage in conversions, but he might still be engaging with your content. By analysing their behaviour, you can understand them better and make the necessary changes to turn interactions into conversions.
● Returning visitors: Did you know that a repeat customer has a 60-70% chance of converting? So, even if you didn’t convert them the first time around, the conversion process is easier with returning visitors as it means that you impressed them enough on their first visit to make them want to return.
● Bounce rate: One of the most important website metrics, bounce rate determines the percentage of people who left your website after looking at one page. A high bounce rate can indicate that the website is not well-designed for conversions.
● Average session duration: Establishing the time users spend on your website will help you determine how engaging your content is. In fact, most users spend less than 15 seconds on a website page. You don’t have that much time, so you need to make the most of it and catch their attention.
● Cost per conversion: This metric shows the cost of obtaining a customer who will make a conversion. If your high conversion rates are a result of high cost per conversion rates, your net income may be unfavourable.
● Top pages: Find out what users respond best to by identifying your most popular pages.
● Exit pages: What are the last pages that users view before exiting your website? Identifying exit pages provides great insight into your users’ behaviour, as well as into the effectiveness of the website’s design.
Increasing website engagement
- Include client testimonial
Adding client testimonials to your website can offer users the social proof they needed before performing a desired action. In fact, according to 95% of consumers, reviews influence purchasing decisions.
So, including reviews from your clients on your website will confirm your credibility and build trust in your brand. Although asking clients for their thoughts on your business might mean going that extra
mile, it’s definitely worth it, as users who interact with reviews are 58% more likely to
convert. - Optimise your website’s loading time
It turns out that time is, indeed, money. The chances of users engaging with your website after being frustrated by its loading time are pretty low.
In fact, a 1-second delay in page load time can lead to a drop in conversion rates by 7%. In order to improve page load time, you can:
● Optimise images
● Remove data that you no longer need from the media library and database
● Use a content delivery network (CDN) to reduce the distance that information has to travel
● Modify your web hosting or server type
Optimise your website’s loading time
It turns out that time is, indeed, money. The chances of users engaging with your website after being frustrated by its loading time are pretty low.
In fact, a 1-second delay in page load time can lead to a drop in conversion rates by 7%. In order to improve page load time, you can:
● Optimise images
● Remove data that you no longer need from the media library and database
● Use a content delivery network (CDN) to reduce the distance that information has to travel
● Modify your web hosting or server type
Include internal linking
Adding internal links to other pages will optimise the user’s navigation journey. Not only will the bounce rate decrease, but more page views will also be generated as you are guiding users through your website.
However, keep these tips in mind for a successful internal linking strategy:
● Have descriptive anchor texts
● Be specific and relevant to the context
● Go deep, take users to pages that are not accessible from the main navigation menu
Tailor experiences for your audience
Find out what resonates with your audience the most by running tests on your website, and then delivering personalized digital experiences. Through A/B testing, you can find out how users interact with your website by identifying the conversion hotspots on your website as well as the roadblocks. Another great way to learn more about your audience are past live chat queries, as they can help you identify problems and inform future decisions.
In line with this, visitor segmentation has become a necessity if you are trying to connect to
a broader audience. Segmenting your visitors based on demographical, geographical, and behavioural data will increase website engagement. After all, you are tailoring the content on your website
according to your visitors’ characteristics.
Optimise navigation
Knowing your audience is also a necessity when designing your website. How will they interact with it? Is the navigation process intuitive? Is it easy for the clients to find what they are looking for? Is the navigation bar accessible? These are just a few of the questions you should be asking yourself when designing your website navigation.
Additionally, it’s useful to think of the questions that users ask themselves when accessing a
website:
● Where am I?
● Where else can I go?
● Where have I been?
Like a successful linking strategy, a transparent and organised navigation system will generate more page views as you are directing visitors through your website. Check out our tips on website optimisation if you want to offer users a top-notch experience.
Prioritise engagement and watch your business grow!
A well-designed, interactive website doesn’t only lead to higher search engine rankings or increased sales, but it also encourages visitors to stay for longer and boosts retention. These tips will help you achieve increased website engagement and overall improved customer satisfaction.
Not sure where to start? Our CRO services may be just the support you’ve been waiting for.
Increase your website’s engagement and try our services today!
