Website engagement is a term referring to how website users interact with a website, the actions they take on that website and wether or not that user then becomes a conversion. In order to design a successful website, which prioritises user engagement you need to ensure the following factors are being considered.
1. Reduce your page load speed.
You have one chance to make a first impression, ensure you make a good one with a top speed website. A slow loading web page is a known conversion killer, so much so that a Soasta study found that pages loading one second slower can experience up to a 56% increase in their bounce rate. Once users leave your site it is also highly unlikely they will ever return. To ensure you are receiving optimal website engagement from your users conduct a page speed test to be sure your page load speed isn’t letting you down. Simple improvements such as limiting the number of images used across your posts can have a big impact on your page load speed.
2. Ensure your site is easy to navigate.
Another way to increase your website engagement is to make sure your site is easy to navigate. Poor navigation often results in poor website engagement, if a user cannot navigate your website, they will simply leave. The key here is to keep things simple, and ensure your navigational structure makes it easy for your user to find what they are looking for. For this reason, a search box is a great tool to include on your site.
3. Make your site responsive.
The majority of users will use their mobile phones to access your website, making a responsive web design critical in order for your site to engage both desktop and mobile users. If your site isn’t responsive, it will become increasingly frustrating for your mobile user to navigate, and they will simply leave your site as a result.
4. Collect email addresses
User engagement doesn’t end after the first site visit, you want to maintain this engagement and collecting email addresses is a great way to drive those visitors back. You can then use these email addresses to send out any updates, offers, new blog posts etc to bring users back to your site. An ideal way to capture those email addresses is through subscription boxes.
5. Know your audience
In order to engage your audience, you need to know your audience. You need to know what they want when they come to your site, and their design preferences. User feedback is imperative to understand areas needing improvement across your site. Adding surveys to your site is a great way to receive this feedback. Observing your audience using your site would also be a valuable exercise to pick out areas requiring improvement.
So there you have it, our top 5 considerations to increase website user engagement. If you require any further support or advice on this topic feel free to contact us here at Darren Langley Web Design, we have a team of designers who can advise you on the appropriate steps to take to ensure your site is working as well as it can for your business.
