Five Steps To A Sticky Site

Ask an average user to define the term "sticky" and you're likely to get descriptive words like flypaper, honey, and glue. But ask a website owner to define the term and you're likely to get a single response: money. The longer visitors stay at your site, the better your chance of turning them into customers. Here are five ways to increase your site's "stickiness" and profits.

1. Build For Speed

How likely are you to look at every page in a 50-page website if each page takes a minute or longer to load? No very likely at all - particularly if you're using a metered Internet connection like so many European users.

Design is an important component of perceived site credibility. A page needs too look good, but be careful. Don't overload your pages with unnecessary multimedia and image files. They slow page download time - often without adding any real benefit.

Some easy ways to decrease page load time include:

Optimize image files with GIFBot, NetMechanic's free image optimization tool. Remove your deprecated HTML formatting tags and use Cascading Style Sheets to define color and font choices. Optimize layout tables. and preload images using either Reuse JavaScript or CSS properties. Use HTML Toolbox to identify slow-loading pages and correct coding errors.

2. Create Good Content - And Lots Of It

Suppose you're using your site to sell pet supplies for small exotic pets (animals other than dogs and cats). You have a lot of options to add helpful, informative content:

Articles about the care and feeding of specific pets. Updates on the legal status of some pets. For instance, it's illegal in many parts of the United States to keep a skunk as a pet. Links to owner organizations, breeders, and related resources.

This type of content brings people to your site even if they aren't specifically looking to buy your products. You're establishing your site as the "authority" on the subject and increasing the chances that other sites will link to you. That increases your site's link popularity score and brings in new, interested visitors.

Avoid having a site that does nothing but sell, sell, sell. Give a visitor something she wants and she might just return the favor and become a customer!

3. Create A Community

It's easy to feel isolated online - particularly if you're the only person in your community with a pair of pet skunks. Use your site to create an online community and help visitors connect with others who share their interests.

Set up a message board to let visitors interact with each other. Encourage visitors to send in pictures of themselves with their cuddly animals and post them at the site. They're likely to email the URL to their friends and you'll get new visitors. Invite visitors to submit content for the site in the form of personal stories, health tips, etc. They'll have a stake in your site's success and you'll be getting free content. Use online polls and surveys to collect information. Visitors enjoy seeing how they compare with others who have similar interests.

These techniques make your visitors feel at home and involved in the site. They'll check back often to see what's new.

4. Process Orders Online

Most visitors prefer to buy from online merchants who accept orders and process payments online. That removes the annoying step of having to print and mail a hard copy order form. Every extra step in the ordering process makes it less likely that a visitor will complete the transaction.

Remember to test the system thoroughly before you launch! Always include the shopping cart system in your usability tests so you can find and fix problems before you start losing orders. Visitors won't become regular customers if they can't actually purchase your products quickly and painlessly!

5. Don't Be Tricky!

Since your goal is to become the definitive Internet resource for your topic, it's critical to treat your visitors with respect. Invite them to your site and encourage them to stay and review your content. But don't trap them when they arrive or try to trick them into returning.

You're probably familiar with some of the tricks:

Disabling the browser's Back button so visitors can't return to the referring page. Using pop-under windows that display your ads even if the visitor closes the main browser window. Resetting the visitor's browser home page so that your site appears when they open a new browser window.

Any technique that annoys or enrages you is likely to have the same effect on your visitors! Treat them with the respect they deserve and they'll not only return often but also refer their friends!

by Larisa Thomason,
Senior Web Analyst,
NetMechanic, Inc.