As a website owner, you work hard to drive traffic to your site. So, once you start getting tons of website visitors, it’s super exciting. But, that excitement can quickly lead to frustration and disappointment if your website content isn’t engaging your audience. If your content isn’t engaging then users aren’t going to stick around for long or check out your products/services.
So, why aren’t users excited about what you have to offer? With all the interesting content online these days, users aren’t as engaged by plain text blog posts and static content. If you want to boost your engagement rates you need to spice up your content. And that’s where interactive content comes in.
Here’s how to boost site engagement with interactive content.
Use Quizzes and Surveys
Some of the easiest and most effective types of interactive content to offer on your website are quizzes and surveys. Quizzes are fun and people love them.
Just take a look at the success of the website Buzzfeed. They offer tons of silly quizzes like the one below that can keep users on their site for hours.
Although silly quizzes like this seem to get a lot of attention online, that doesn’t mean your business should offer them on your site. Instead, offer quizzes that are relevant to your business and to your audience. For instance, if you have an accounting business, you can test your audiences’ knowledge of the best practices for preparing for tax season.
Surveys are effective too because people love to share their thoughts and opinions. Plus, surveys won’t only help boost engagement on your site, but they can help you collect customer feedback too.
Your website visitors and customers will feel valued when you ask them to share their feedback, which can help you build a stronger relationship with them. Then, with the customer feedback you collect, you can put it into action and improve your business even more. Consider asking your website visitors what type of content they’d like to see on your website so you can give them exactly what they want.
Add Games to Your Site
Quizzes are fun but games are even more fun. Think about how many people play games on their mobile phones. According to TechJury, games account for 43% of all smartphone users. Adding a game to your website could skyrocket your engagement rates.
While it doesn’t make sense to offer a Candy Crush-esque game on your website, there are a number of other, more relevant types of games you could offer to your website visitors.
For instance, you can add a discount wheel popup to your site that lets users spin the wheel to win savings or free shipping.
A game like this on your website will boost site engagement, help you get more email subscribers, and turn window shoppers into customers.
You can also gamify other elements of your website to make them more engaging. For example, you can use a tool like Disqus to make the comment section of your blog more fun. Disqus lets users add images and videos to comments, earn upvotes, and much more.
Run a Giveaway
It would be difficult to find someone in the world that doesn’t love getting the chance to win a cool prize. So, running a giveaway is a great way to boost engagement on your website. Aside from boosting engagement, running a giveaway can also help you grow your email list, increase your social media following, drive more traffic to your site, and more.
You don’t need to offer some extravagant prize to create a successful giveaway either. You can offer a simple prize that’s relevant and valuable to your audience.
For example, Chicago Athletic Clubs created a January Jumpstart giveaway with the prize of a 6-month membership, 8 training sessions, and branded swag.
While it’s not a trip for two to Hawaii or a $5000 shopping spree, a relevant giveaway prize like this will still help you get a ton of entries. Plus, it will also help you attract more of your ideal customers.
Create an Online Calculator
Interactive content isn’t all about fun and games; interactive content can actually be helpful to your website visitors too. Consider creating an online calculator on your website to assist your audience and boost site engagement at the same time.
For instance, a financial adviser could provide their website visitors with a calculator that helps them figure out how much money they need to save each month for retirement.
Or, a veterinarian or an online store that sells pet care products can provide a calculator that helps users figure out how old their dog is in human years.
Depending on the type of business you have, a calculator can also help you turn website visitors into customers. With a calculator, you could show people how much money they could save by using your product/service.
Add Interactive Video
Adding video to your website is another great way to boost site engagement and even increase conversions. In fact, according to Unbounce, including a video on your landing page can boost your conversion rate by up to 80%. But, have you ever heard of interactive video?
Interactive video is a type of video that supports and encourages user interaction. They play just like regular videos but they include clickable areas that perform an action when users click on them.
For example, artist Jeff Buckley has an interactive music video that allows users to click on any panel to change the story. It’s like a Choose Your Own Adventure video.
Consider adding interactive videos to your website to wow your audience and keep them engaged for longer.
Conclusion
If you want to boost site engagement, spice up your website with some interactive content. Remember, don’t just add interactive content without putting any thought behind it. Your interactive content should convey your brand message and act as a tool to turn website visitors into customers. When your interactive content helps you connect with your audience, it will bring you more benefits than just increased engagement.
