Don’t you hate it when visitors come to your website for only a second or two and then quickly click off to another site?
Here are ten ways to capture the interest of your visitors and keep them focused on your “site”:
1. Use interesting headlines.
That’s what the newspapers do. And it works! The headline catches your interest. You then have a desire to read more.
Provide headlines on your opening page that are eye catching and that capture the interest of your website visitor. Then you can link to another page on your site for more details.
2. What’s New
Provide a page with new information at least once every week or two. Provide a link on your home page to this section so that your visitor can quickly go to this page and learn more. This could include interesting articles, tips, advice, or even recent product reviews. A top ten (or even top five) list is also a popular feature.
3. Offer a freebie
One way that many site owners use to attract visitors and keep them there is to offer a freebie of some sort, whether it’s a report, an interesting article, or even a free e-book.
4. Offer free tips
Offer free tips and advice sprinkled around your home page. If a tip catches a visitor’s interest, provide a link on your site where they can go to learn more.
5. Build trust
Knowing who you are dealing with helps build trust. That’s why some website owners include a picture of themselves on their home page. Some also include an “about” link that tells more about the company, the webmaster’s background, or more information about the product and it’s development.
This type of content helps your visitor get to know you better and builds trust and confidence.
6. Offer a Top 10 list
David Letterman has one. So does the New York Times–as does Billboard Magazine. It’s a top 10 list.
For some reason people love them. Whether it’s rating stupid animal tricks, books, or the latest CDs, readers enjoy reading about what’s popular.
You can offer your own opinion, or the opinion of a group of people. Whether it’s rating other products, websites, or software, there seems to be something magical about a top 10 list. People will read them!
7. Don’t have an ezine? Get one!
Email marketing. If you don’t have a newsletter or ezine yet, it’s time to get started.
As you build your list and send out your ezine, people get to know you and trust you. Soon they bookmark your site and return often (particularly when your ezine entices them to come back). And from a sales and marketing standpoint, you have a built in “warm market” that you can send new marketing information to–helping build sales.
8. Feedback From Others
Ask friends to visit your site and tell what catches their interest.
This feedback can also come in the form of a forum–a popular feature where visitors can offer their comments and suggestions. (This can also be done in your ezine.)
Better yet, complimentary comments from others posted strategically on your website can help build trust in you and in your site (testimonials).
9. Track Your Visitors
Use a tracking service (such as http://www.websitetraf ficreport.com,
http:/www.thecounter.com
http://www.extreme-dm.com or
http://www.websitetracker.com).
Then view the statistics each day and see where visitors are going on your site. This will give you an idea of what’s catching their interest and what’s not.
10. Conduct a survey
Ask visitors what they like and don’t like. People love to share their opinions. They will tell you! Many are willing to fill out a brief survey.
Then take the survey results and provide more of what they do like and less of what they don’t like.
Ron Knowlton is a former journalist and the founding editor at “Articles To Boost Your Success Online!” Subscribe to the Soaring Profits Success Ezine! Like a free monthly internet marketing course by email! Eight great lessons each month! Subscribe: http://www.Soaringprofits.com/spsubscribe. htm
