As online marketing becomes more and more competitive, it is essential to find ways to stand out from the competition. And one of the best ways to do this is to increase user engagement on your site.
What is user engagement?
User engagement is an umbrella term that refers to the way users interact with your site.
This could be anything from scrolling down the page, clicking links, and sharing content on social media.
Tracking user engagement can be done in Google Analytics by looking at things like:
- Bounce rate
- Pages per session
- Average session duration
- New and returning visitors
- % of new sessions
If you see users come to your site and leave right away (high bounce rate) or don’t spend a lot of time on your site (low average session length), then you know you have work to do to increase user engagement. of the website.
Why is user engagement important for SEO?
User engagement is critical for SEO because it is a signal to Google that people like your site and find it useful.
If people spend time on your site, click around and come back for more, Google will notice and rank you higher in search results.
On the other hand, if users land on your site and then leave quickly, Google will assume that your site is not relevant to what they are looking for and you will go down the rankings.
Types of Engagement for SEO
There are different types of engagement, but for SEO purposes we will focus on two main categories:
Interaction with the content of the site
This is the most important type of engagement for SEO purposes. The goal here is to encourage users to stay on your site and engage with your content in some way. This could be anything from reading an article or blog post to watching a video or taking a quiz.
The key is to keep users engaged long enough so that they not only don’t click the SERP again immediately, but also take some kind of action you want them to take, like signing up for their email list or making a purchase.
Knowing the typical duration of user engagement with various types of content formats is an important consideration when deciding the type of content you want to present on your site.
For example, the average reader takes about 2 minutes to read 500 words. Obviously, this will vary based on the nature of the content and its reader.
And when it comes to video content, studies show users spend 88% more time browsing websites that contain videos!
Sharing of site content
Another way that users can interact with your site is to share your content with others. This could be in the form of a social media share, emailing a friend, or even just copying and pasting a link to your site.
While this doesn’t necessarily mean the user is actively interacting with your site at the moment, it does help increase brand awareness and attract more people to your site, which can lead to more engagement and conversions.
How to increase user engagement rates on your website
Now that we know what user engagement is and why it matters, let’s take a look at some specific user engagement strategies you can implement on your site.
1. Enhance your content
This should be a no-brainer, but it’s worth mentioning as it’s the most important factor when it comes to engagement. If your content is good, people will want to read, watch, and share it. But if it’s misspelled, boring, or lacking in information, users will click quickly and never come back.
There are a few things you can do to improve your content and make it more engaging:
- Make sure it is well written and free from grammatical and spelling errors.
- Use short paragraphs and lots of white space to make them easier to read.
- Engage the reader using strong storytelling methods.
- Include images, infographics, and videos to break up the text and add visual interest.
- Make sure your content is relevant and informative by searching for keywords and answering the most common questions asked by researchers.
2. Use calls to action
Calls to action (CTAs) are a great way to guide users to take the next step on your site, whether it’s joining your email list, taking a quiz, or making a purchase.
Your CTAs should be clear and concise and should stand out from the rest of your content so that users can’t help but notice.
Use strong verbal phrases like “find out your results” or “sign up now” to make them even more effective.
3. Simplify sharing
If you want users to share your content, it needs to be easy for them to do. Include share buttons on every page of your site and make sure they’re displayed prominently so users don’t have to search for them.
You should also include links to your social media profiles so that users can follow you and see when you post new content.
If a post exceeds 1,500 words, it gets 68.1% more tweets and 22.6% more Facebook likes.
4. Use engaging media
As mentioned above, adding images, videos, and other forms of engaging media is a great way to break up the text and keep users interested in what you have to say. In fact, articles with visuals get 94% more views than those without.
Whenever possible, include at least one form of visual media in your content to increase user engagement and keep users coming back for more.
5. Encourage user participation
Another great way to increase user engagement is to encourage users to participate in your content in some way.
This could be anything from leaving comments on a blog post to taking a quiz or voting in a poll. This makes users feel like they’re part of the conversation, but it also gives you valuable feedback that you can use to improve your site and content.
6. Offer discounts and freebies
Everyone loves a good deal, so offering discounts and freebies is a great way to get people interested in your site. Just make sure the offer is relevant to your business and is something users will want.
7. Start a contest
Contests are another great way to increase engagement and get people to talk about your brand. Just make sure you make the rules clear and easy to understand and choose a prize that will appeal to your target audience.
8. Provide customer support
If you want to keep users engaged with your site, it’s important to provide them with customer support if they have any questions or problems. This could include anything from live chat to a FAQ page or a customer service email address.
9. Use push notifications
Push notifications are a great way to engage users with your site, even when they’re not actively using it. Whenever you post new content or run a special offer, you can notify all your users so they are sure they see it.
10. Track and update your content regularly
Finally, one of the best ways to engage users with your site is to monitor engagement and update your content regularly.
If you have a blog, be sure to post new articles regularly, but be open to adjusting after measuring user engagement.
And if you have a product or service, be sure to keep your information up to date so users always know what’s going on.
The bottom line
By following these tactics and tips, you can increase user engagement on your site and improve your SEO at the same time.
Just remember to focus on creating quality content that is relevant and useful to your users.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with different techniques and monitor user engagement to see what works best for your business.
LocalBizGuru can help you with your SEO and online marketing needs. Contact us today to find out more.
