“Content Is King”- Bill Gates words in 1996. Twenty five years later, in this vast frontier called ‘Internet’ is it still relevant? Well, yes. Over the years internet has seen rapid shifts and changes. Now content is king but it needs an army to remain in the game. The scale to determine the success of a website is by analyzing how many visitors it gets and for how long they stay put on the website. If they leave within 10 or 15 seconds it increases the website’s bounce rate which negatively impacts the sites performance and also affects the revenue made. A successful website tends to have lower bounce rate i.e time spent by the user on website is less. In this competitive world, it is necessary to stand out from the rest. So those visitors don’t leave early.
Ten listed ways you can implement to increase time spent on website
#1. Impression Of The Website – How Does It Affect User’s Time Spent On Website
“First impression is the last impression”- It is a very cliché but relevant statement even in today’s time. The first 15 seconds are enough for the visitor to decide whether he would stay or leave the website. If the website looks too much complex or disorganized, it may become difficult for the visitor to understand it which makes them more likely to leave it. So, the website should be simple so that visitor is easily able to figure it out. It should be organized and planned out in such a way so that the visitors don’t get confused.
#2. Navigation Through The Website
The Above factor brings us to the second one which is the website should be easily navigable. The visitor should easily be able to browse it. The main links should be easily locatable, well placed on the website (usually at the top or the bottom) and interconnected.
#3. Add More Media To The Text
Surely content is important. However, plain content sometime makes reading boring. It is important to include images and videos to make it more interesting and engaging. Images and videos needs to be creative & unique making them more appealing & eye catching.
#4. No Plagiarism, Only Authenticity
Copy pasting other website’s content does more harm than good. Audience is smart enough to recognize it. Everybody wants original content which gives them a different perspective and opinion about a certain topic. Authenticity of the content is necessary to maintain. Accuracy and precision of the content must be ensured. And whenever needed it should be updated
#5. Structure Of The Content
A catchy and big sized heading is much important. Also, the content should be broken up in different parts. The headings and sub-headings should be slightly larger and must be in bold to attract the eyes of the visitor. The font type and size of the content should be readable as well. The sentences should be properly spaced and important points or texts should be highlighted
#6. Loading Speed Of The Website Affects User’s Time Spent On Website
Now that you have authentic content & creative media, another aspect which might affect the visitor’s ability to continue reading is the browsing speed. The slow speed of the website might irritate the visitor & eventually results in him leaving the website. Everybody wants everything real quick. Fast loading of the website should be a priority as well.
#7. Accessibility Of Website
In the last decade, the number of smartphone users around the world has surpassed the number of computer users. Computers are not affordable for a large section of population around the world specifically in the middle income and lower income countries. Smartphones getting cheaper day by day has made them more prevalent among the masses. Hence, it is primarily important that the website should be mobile friendly. It should be clearly visible on the mobile phone screen.
#8. Internal Linking & Content Suggestion
In between the articles, wherever necessary, there should be links referring to associated articles or blogs. A small section alongside the article where popular or most viewed article should be listed which might make the visitor getting more engaged on the website. Wherever possible, some ‘read more’ or ‘click here’ links can be inserted. Entry & exit pop ups surely grabs the attention of the visitor and hence increases the amount of time spent on website by the visitors. Further, visitors can be suggested to subscribe to the daily newsletter which would make them visit the website again. An important thing should be kept in mind that these additional links should not be overused as it may make important links to get lost amongst many links.
#9. Live Chat Feature May Increase The User’s Time Spent On Website
The use of the live chat feature is on the high rise for past few years. From government & universities websites to Airline & hotels websites, live chat feature has definitely made a huge difference in the duration of the time spent on website by the visitors. A busy person seeks for quick answers. The live chat features provide them real time information in a quick way.
#10. Comment Section
It’s equally important to receive the feedback of the visitors or any questions and queries if they have in their mind. A comment section would provide a platform to the visitors to give their feedback and ask their questions, if any. This would increase the duration of their stay on the website as well. This feature has been perfectly used by e-commerce websites where there is a review section & ask any question section.
It might help building a section of loyal visitors who are ensured that there is always scope for healthy and constructive criticism. And that you are open for suggestions which might help to improve the shortcomings of the website.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can also be included on the website to provide brief answers to the most popular questions/queries asked by the visitors.
Related Article: How to improve bounce rate for your website?
Conclusion
To make one spend longer duration on the website is by making sure above mentioned points are implemented so the user gets better web services. By following above methods religiously the website can be made more engaging and less boring and dull, as a result of which it garners a lot of eyeballs and it also makes them hang on for longer period which improves the bounce rate of the website, the main motive here.
