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Keeping Visitors On Your Website

If the only thing your website provides is marketing fodder for your brand, it has a great chance of alienating your visitors. While it's true that a website is used to promote a company's product or service, using it to say that your brand is the best every time will get old really quick, no matter how many ways you spin it.

The Internet provides an amazing opportunity for you to develop a relationship with your customers and you won't be able to do that if your website drives away visitors. Keep in mind that people go online primarily for information. Given the sheer volume of resources available at their disposal, your customers won't hang around if your website has nothing to offer except sales messages.

Here are some things to consider when creating content on the Web to help you engage the interest of your customers and keep them from leaving your website:

1. Keep Your Navigation Simple

   Make sure that your website is easy to navigate. This means you shouldn't bury your content deep in your site's architecture. A quick link to a directory of articles in the navigation menu or the home page for instance, can help keep your customers from getting lost.




2. Provide Content That's Helpful

   No one likes reading marketing literature, especially not on the Web. People look for useful information online. Even if you know your customers are interested in your products, you should spare them the sales talk. Instead, you should look for answers to the questions that led them to your site in the first place. Case studies, advice on how to use your products or practical tips are just some helpful information you can include in your content.




3. Aim to Entertain and Educate

   Take time to polish your content so that it's entertaining to read. People are easily turned off by boring content. Keep it witty but not obnoxious. Write a story about your company that focus on your brand's history, what you've accomplished, and what you aim to do in the future. This will give them an idea how your brand was established and learn from your success and failures. Talk about the people you work with behind the scenes. People in general are drawn to personalities since they're very relatable.




4. Keep 'Em Coming

   Always remember that when it comes to online supremacy, you'll be competing against thousands of content-filled websites looking to get a piece of your customers' attention. To stand out, you need to keep providing a regular flow of content that's fresh to keep visitors from leaving your website. One way to do this is by creating a blog or a directory of articles to feed your visitors' appetite for more information. You can also develop a library of resources that your visitors can download or use to help them with their concerns. Not only will this establish your expertise, it will also help you earn your customers' trust.




5. Test for Usability

   You need to constantly strive to improve your website's look and functionality. Ask friends and family how they feel about your browsing through your site. What questions do they have that you haven't already answered? Having a website is a never-ending process of tweaks and updates so never rest on your laurels.

   
   

   While selling your brand is the primary objective, it shouldn't be the only one. You also need to focus on your customers' needs for a user-friendly website that's filled with useful content to keep them from moving on to different competitors.