The internet is an amazing tool that allows us to do many things that would never have before been possible. It has changed the way we do business, it has overturned tyrannical regimes, and it has given us all a voice. But to look at most websites, you’d be forgiven for forgetting this. Most websites you see are arguably nothing more than blank white pages with a little text that really don’t do much differently from a magazine. If that describes your website, then you are wasting a plethora of huge opportunities to provide an interactive and multimedia experience. Here are some features to consider adding to your site that will greatly enhance what you can get out of it, and that will help to take it to the next level as a result.
Quizzes, Games and Questionnaires
Sites like iVillage and Luminosity have built entire businesses around offering their visitors interactive features on a subscription. In both cases, the users get to learn something about themselves while having fun at the same time – and these features are absolutely ideal for getting people to stay on the site and waste some real time if you choose to go the advertising route.
And don’t think that you need to be a psychology test to make use of these sorts of interactive elements. A technology site could just as easily have a ‘what kind of tech user are you?’ question, while a bodybuilding site could provide calculators for BMIs and apps for writing programs. All this could help to elevate your site beyond just something to be passively read, and into something that can help become a part of your visitors’ identity and lifestyle.
Videos
A more obvious and basic option is simply to add video to your site. Obvious though this may seem though, there are still far too many sites that don’t include a video element which means that they will be losing out on a huge number of visitors who would like some entertainment while they wash up the dishes. Tie your website and your YouTube account together and the two can spearhead a powerful online promotional campaign and really see your traffic increase.
Forums
With comments sections and social networks, forums are almost beginning to look like a thing of the past. This shouldn’t be the case at all however, as a forum is still a great way to encourage loyalty from your visitors and to build free content and free promotion. It’s just a matter of making it feel relevant with the right design.
Options
When you create an app or a piece of computer software, you will always add options and settings that allow the user to tailor the experience to their preferences. So why not do the same on a website? It doesn’t take a huge amount of code to allow visitors to increase the font size or alter the colour scheme (just a little PHP), but it ensures they’ll enjoy the experience when they come to your site and it’s sure to impress.
Featured images:
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
- License: Creative Commons image source
This article has been contributed by Keith Terrell, the owner of Orp Media, which is an Internet marketing agency. He enjoys listening to music and he also loves to play the guitar.