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4 Ways to Increase the Amount of Time Users Spend on your Site

Written by Samantha Posner, Social Media Intern

While driving traffic to your website plays a crucial role in growing your business, it is just as important for companies to utilize strategies that will keep users interested. Monitoring “stickiness” is necessary in digital advertising because it helps website owners understand their amount of engaged visits, indicates the sites overall ranking, and emphasizes how effective or ineffective their marketing materials are.  

Unfortunately, many companies- especially those with outdated or unrecognizable online presences- lack knowledge on how to actually increase the amount of time users spend on their site. Although it may be challenging, it is vital that businesses continually implement tactics to keep clients engaged and drive revenue. To help you get started with this aspect of growing your business, we have compiled a list of four different tips on how to improve your website’s bounce rate.

Utilize SEO/SEM

Before even accessing your website, people need to know you exist. However, according to a recent study, around 75% of people don’t scroll past the first page on Google. This means that lesser-known websites are often overshadowed. Fortunately, you can use Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing tactics to allow people to easily locate your website. Whether it’s by using Google analytics, incorporating specific Ad Words to attract potential customers, or by hiring a marketing firm, SEO/SEM is a crucial part of search engine rankings! By utilizing these services, you can attract a variety of users, gain more potential revenue, and lead to a more successful business.  

Update Your Web Design

Navigating a text-heavy and visually unappealing website can be frustrating, confusing, and even deter people from reading all the available content and clicking on links. Regardless of whether the information is credible, if your website is poorly designed, people will visit another online source. In fact, according to a study done by Adobe, 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive. Therefore, it’s crucial that you are frequently updating your website design by including unique eye-catching designs and graphics, researching new tactics based on your target demographic, and including concise, essential information.

Increase Page Load Speed 

It’s important to recognize that the amount of time a webpage takes to load is crucial is terms of whether an individual wants to utilize that site in the future. Think about it: when you first access a website, do you want to wait more than 5 seconds for it to load? Chances are, if you are a frequent user of the web, you don’t think twice about simply exiting out and browsing on a different site. Not only is slow load speed extremely frustrating for users, but it can also indicate a poorly-run, or even fraudulent website.  According to a recent study, 1 second delay in load time leads to 11% fewer page views, 16% decrease in customer satisfaction and 7% loss in conversions! Therefore, implementing different strategies that will aid in decreasing load time will help establish credibility in the business world and keep individuals occupied.  

Include Thorough Content 

This is probably the most significant tip of them all. Regardless of visual layout or optimization, the actual content present on your website must be thorough. In order for people to believe that what you are claiming is true, website owners need to provide information that is concise, educational, and interesting. Remember, your website is the face of your company. This means that people will first source here and form opinions based on the quality of your information provided. By implementing different tactics such as writing a web copy, researching your audience, adding internal links, incorporating videos, and including only essential information, you can establish credibility and keep people interested.

Increasing the amount of time users spend on your website is crucial in terms of improving search engine rankings and expanding your company. Our team at MSM is prepared to utilize the aforementioned strategies, among a long list of others, to ensure your business remains up-to-date with today’s digitally advanced society. Request a quote or call our main office in Tarrytown at (914) 909-5900. We look forward to working with you and your growing business!

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