As visitors engage with your site by clicking links, the time they spend can increase by 300 percent or more. Here are 10 ways to multiply onsite clicks.
Publish Insights 20 March 2021
10 Ways To Increase Website Interaction
Increasing website traffic is good. Increasing page views per visitor is better. Here’s why. An average site visit can last under 20 seconds. That is not much time to read an article or buy a product.
As visitors engage with your site by clicking links, the time they spend can increase by 300% or more. Here are 10 ways to multiply onsite clicks, thereby improving visitor engagement:
- Search bar
- Forward/back arrows
- Sticky navigation bar
- Breadcrumb navigation
- Keyword tags
- Related articles
- Multi-page articles
- Customer-specific content
- FAQ page
- Cross promotion
1. Search Bar
It is surprising to see websites that still lack an on-site search feature. [1] You can prioritize search results for a specific website on Google by typing a domain followed by a colon and the search term (ClinicalPosters.com: dermatology). But it is not an exact science.
Each time a user leaves your site to search with Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo, you run the risk of distractions. Include a search field or magnifying glass button at the top of the page that requires no scrolling. [2]
2. Forward/Back Arrows
Commonly on blogs, the ability to see the title of the next or prior article is an effective motivator. Enhance this further with a preview image. Include the option to navigate through products.
Grouping products into logical categories allows visitors to view paginated collections without typing anything into your search bar. [3]
3. Sticky Navigation Bar
Companies can spend considerable money getting the best logo and menu navigation. Unfortunately, it is often gone with the flick of a finger as shop visitors scroll down.
A persistent navigation bar remains in place while scrolling. It should also adapt to smaller mobile devices. This allows an individual to perform a site search, read your about page, visit your home page, or navigate elsewhere on your site. [4]
4. Breadcrumb Navigation
People assume their home page is the primary point of entry. But external search engines lead visitors to specific pages. Breadcrumbs orientate people to the relative position of the page within your website.
Is this the only page you have on this topic or is it within a collection of similar articles? Is the visitor on a blog or product page? By clicking individual sections of the breadcrumbs, it is possible to navigate through levels. [5]
5. Keyword Tags
Every article should have a field for keyword tags. Clicking on any one of them brings you to articles with a matching tag. Someone reading an article about search engine optimization is likely researching as much information that is available in the subject. Seeing a tag with the SEO label can pique curiosity.
Though products should also have keyword tags, exercise caution before making them visible on product pages. During the conversion to sell, a product page is an ideal position—near the bottom of the funnel. You want buyers who have arrived this close to select options for the product they are viewing.
You may include options to bundle products without leaving the page. If the product is not right for the buyer, product suggestions or browsing history can be helpful. The point is to provide sufficient information to complete the sale or find additional products before checkout. [6]
6. Related Articles
While tags are useful at the bottom of articles, you can embed related articles right within the information a person is reading. This eliminates the need to repeat something already discussed in a prior article.
When the subject comes up again, add a prominent related-article link near that paragraph. Also include hypertext words that link to information elsewhere on your site. [7]
7. Multi-Page Articles
A common technique of third-party sponsored links is to use stories that span multiple pages. Some wellness sites do the same. For example, the first page may include an overview. The second page discusses symptoms. A third page describes treatment options.
When coding a website by hand, you accomplish this by creating a subdirectory (folder) that contains an index page for the overview along with multiple pages. You then need to add navigation between the pages as well as a way to get out of the subdirectory. When your blogging platform (like Shopify) does not support this feature, you can write a series of sequential articles.
8. Customer-Specific Content
Visitors engage with quality content. If they do not ascertain any benefit within 20 seconds, they are gone. You can serve information for each visitor by restricting yourself to a narrow niche market so everything is relevant.
Further customization for a wide range of visitors requires voluminous well-tagged content. You will then need a backend capable of using visitor tags to filter relevant pages when a user logs in.
There are several ways to encourage user login. The most aggressive approach is familiar to social media participants: require an account to access the site. You risk turning away a significant number of visitors with this option. The benefit is that you collect information to deliver the best browsing experience.
Many e-commerce sites require user login to complete a purchase. You can also use popup windows or login buttons with article snippets. Allow people access to your site without logging in and this is the option most will choose. [8]
9. FAQ Page
Distill frequently asked questions onto one page. You can derive these from contact form comments, phone inquiries, and keyword searches for your site. Include the FAQ on your contact page as well as the navigation bar. The FAQ can include useful links to throughout your website and a button to continue shopping if you have an e-commerce site.
10. Cross Promotion
Most bloggers strive for enough actively engaging followers that third-party advertisers litter their articles with ads. All these blinking colors can become a distraction to loyal visitors. Third-party ads help monetize the site. But keep them tasteful and don’t go overboard.
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Promote your own products that relate to what is currently under consideration. If you share a recipe for pot pies, include an advertisement for your cookbook that includes a chapter on this comfort food. If you sell haircare products and are writing an article about how to tame split ends, include an ad for the product you distribute for that purpose.
By now you recognize several ways to increase page views on your website. Would you like to see examples of the methods mentioned?
Shopify provides a platform for each of these SEO features. Some are built into themes that you can try before you buy. Other features may require the services of a Shopify Partner to implement. Continue browsing the ClinicalPosters website to see dynamic features in action.
