5 Easy Ways to Boost Time
Spent on Your Web Site

How can you woo readers with short attention spans to interact with your Web site for more than a few minutes? This is a subject that gives even veteran Web site editors night sweats. Here are five trends to consider for your Web site. They just might boost the amount of time readers spend with your brand.

1. On-line Polls and Surveys
One of the easiest ways to make your Web site a two-way communication tool is to add an on-line poll or survey. Your readers will look forward to responding to the questions as long as this section is updated on a regular schedule. By sticking to a schedule, you will condition your readers to visit your Web site every time the poll is updated.

Utilizing Ektron’s CMS400.NET built-in surveys and polls function will help you gain some valuable market research about your readers. If you do not want to go the Ektron route, an Internet search will find economical (free) resources. Once you have a few weekly poll results under your belt you can post that information to a dedicated page which gives your Web site more content. 

2. Article Comments/Product Ratings
From your local on-line newspaper to the nation’s largest retailers, readers share their experiences and thoughts about local news stories and their latest Web site purchases. Adding comment and rating features to your Web site will involve the reader and may reveal their attitudes and thoughts (market research) about what is posted to your Web site.

Again, Ektron’s CMS400.NET gives you the ability to add this feature to your content. Plus, you have the ability to approve the comments before the material is published. 

3. Forward Articles to a Friend
Loyal readers can be some of your best marketers. Give them the ability to share your content by adding this feature to your Web site. That latest article can be shared by your readers with a minimal amount of effort. 

4. User-submitted Content
Let your audience boost your Web site content by asking them to submit photos, articles, video and more. You can take it one step farther and increase response by offering a prize for the best user-submitted content.

Tapping into Ektron’s CMS400.NET community folders feature will give your readers the tools to submit content with ease. Keep in mind you will need someone to review the content before it is posted. 

5. Social Networking
The days of depending on Facebook as your only source to connect with readers are over now that you have the ability to create your own social networking tool on your Web site. You can control the look and feel of this feature and police it as your business guidelines dictate.

Need more convincing that social networking is beneficial? Check out Ektron’s whitepaper (PDF) “Why Social Networking is Relevant.”

Final Thoughts
Today’s Internet users expect much more from Web sites than what was the standard just a few years ago. The days of one-way communication are over. Is your Web site behind the times? Utilizing one, two or all of the above tools may just be the shot in the arm your readers need to increase the amount of time they interact with your Web site.

If you are ready to step up your Web site’s interactive components, contact us at info@squareroot-inc.com.