Chances are, you haven’t really given much thought to the idea of making your website “stickier.”
A “sticky” website provides visitors with the valuable content and resources that will keep them engaged and is immensely valuable in generating conversions and improving customer retention.
Just how can you go about making your website “stickier” then? If you start with the following three steps, you’ll start seeing more visitors, conversions, and customers in no time.
Make sure your visitors can find what they're looking for on your website. Functional navigation, calls-to-action, easy-to-find contact information, and other steps can help increase conversions.
Have you ever landed on a website that engendered immediate confusion? Maybe you couldn't figure out how to find the blog, or perhaps you found yourself on a page that didn't have any navigation at all.
How did you respond to that situation? Most likely, after a few seconds of frantic scrolling, you hit the "X" button in the corner of your browser. Who has time to waste on confusing website navigation?
Sticky websites, on the other hand, feature obvious and intuitive navigational elements, according to Jayson DeMers in Forbes magazine. Navigation bars and boxes tell users exactly where they should click to find the content they want.
You want users to sign up for your programs, buy your products, and interact with your business.
That's why your website needs to be sticky.
If your website looks like a toddler could have designed and coded it, your visitors will wonder whether you take your business seriously. Writing for Search Engine Journal, Devin Harper stresses the importance of professional, high-quality, custom website design. You want your visitors to marvel at your design -- not cower from it.
Additionally, a custom website design provides you with a chunk of Internet real estate that doesn't resemble anyone else's. You can use your website's unique structure and style to differentiate you from your competitors and to give your brand awareness quotient a boost.
The stickiness aspect comes from reduced bounce rates. When visitors love your site's design and functionality, they'll stick around to explore more pages and to read your content. This increases their chances of making a purchase, joining your email list, or otherwise continuing to interact with your brand.
In his piece for Forbes, DeMers points out that consistent, fresh content is one of the most effective ways to make a website stickier.
Imagine, for example, that the movie theater in your neighborhood plays the same 10 films over and over again for an entire year. Customers might return to the venue 10 times to ensure they see all the films, but they won't come back when they realize that they'll never have access to fresh content.
Your website works the same way. Fresh videos, articles, and other content will give visitors a reason to return. They'll come back because they know they can count on you to continue to feed them the kinds of information and/or entertainment they love.
As you can see, a sticky website is a powerful marketing tool. You want your visitors to stick to your site like glue, intrigued by the content, products, or services you deliver. For more information about how your website design plays an integral role in your inbound marketing strategy and campaigns, download our Growth-Driven Design Playbook.
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