Ways to Keep Your Online Visitors Coming Back

Every day there are multitudes of new websites added to the internet and each one of them wants a place in the spotlight. Some websites have the right idea of what will make them popular and some have lost the plot. There is a method to be found in all the madness, and although there are no exact rules to follow in creating good websites, there are a few guidelines to keep your online visitors coming back to your site.

In a recent poll conducted by YouGov, web users spoke about their online experiences; what type of websites they found interesting and useful and what type of websites they would never click back to. The results were as follows:

Most users pointed out that functionality played a much bigger role than design in their favourite websites. Ease of navigation was rated highly - no surprise there. A fancy Flash website may seem appealing at first, but if it doesn't take users where they want to be and if the user doesn't find what they are searching for, then what's the point? Navigation and content first, fancy graphics second!

59% of the users rated security as an important factor when browsing the internet. This is especially important when banking details or credit card numbers are being used for online transactions. There is still a widespread mistrust for online banking or buying, so in order to get your client to trust your site you should take the necessary measures to protect your clients.
Smart searching was also ranked as a priority. A search engine or a shopping directory with an accurate search function was highly rated on the user poll. Just as in face-to-face communication, users don't like to be taken in circles when they are looking for something. Web users rated speed at 62% relevancy in terms of their online experience. Slow home page loading has proven to be the number one reason users left a website immediately. Relevance of information is another major factor in determining what makes a good website. Users are looking for good quality, relevant information and if they are not going to find it on your website, they are going to move on.

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