Mike Reese, an Associate Architect for Definition 6, recently initiated a conversation with the Client Services group on how to drive users to a website and how to keep them coming back.  He quoted an article he read on www.websitemagazine.com which says "The best ways to capture a users’ attention and keep them coming back are to strategize and plan your content architecture, leverage technology to assist in the effort, and incorporate the user’s voice."  Mike shared with the group a few of the article’s key points:

1. Keep the initial interaction SIMPLE.  Home pages are often complicated with slow-loading flash movies, informational ads or pop-ups.  By limiting these “bottlenecks”, users see content quickly and will stay on your site.

2. Do the research – review your search engine optimization campaigns as well as your web analytics.  If 20% of your traffic comes from email marketing newsletters or promotional campaigns, make sure you are providing content that is relevant to that 20%.  For example, users who are specifically looking for travel and lodging information have a variety of ways to get to your site.  Third party aggregators such as sidestep.com and kayak.com make up a large percentage of traffic.  It is important to understand where your users are coming from and then modify initial page visits from those sites. Get the user into your purchase funnel as quickly and easily as possible.

3.  Keep content fresh, relevant.  By incorporating rich CMS tools, business owners and marketers have the ability to push timely content.  Leverage blogs to drive online discussions and allow users to interact with the website and with business stakeholders.  It is also important to show that you care about your customers’ opinions.  You can accomplish this by offering online surveys or feedback submission forms.  Put the power in the hands of the user.

In summary, users have a variety of resources to find the information they are searching for.  Therefore you need to provide content in a seamless manner in order to promote engagement.  By creating interaction with the user, you build a level of loyalty and provide a place for their concerns and questions to be heard -- which is very different than the type of interaction they will receive from any third party site or aggregator.  Utilize exclusive web content and leverage your email marketing campaigns to grab customers and keep them coming back for more.

We encourage you to read the full article, titled “10 Ways to Increase Website Stickiness”, at: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/articles/Increase_Website_Stickiness_10_ways.aspx