37 Elements of Effective User Engagement #26 – Continually Updating

Welcome to Part 26 of my series and we are almost toward the end. We have covered enormous ground and by now, you should be able to increase user engagement by implementing some of the strategies mentioned in this series. However, there are a few things you have to keep in mind when implementing what I’ve discussed through several weeks. First, it’s important you test and tweak until you find what works best for you because depending on your niche, some will work better than others. Secondly, you want to take your time when implementing because user engagement is something you don’t want to lose by hurrying implementation and doing a poor job. Just like a high quality website can produce positive results, a low quality site can have the reverse affect. All of this can be avoided by simply taking your time and having patience before moving on to the next strategy.

update

Let’s look at element number 26 and how this can help increase user engagement. We will be exploring the following:

  • Changing theme
  • Changing layout
  • Colors
  • Forms

Let’s jump right in!

Theme

You’ve noticed how some major websites are changing their themes every few years. Recently, many of them made a change because of the mobile update that was introduced by Google in April 2015. By changing the theme, you are keeping people attracted to the style of your website. If you are a blogger and are using WordPress, then you know how the recent updates are changing the interface. Themes are more engaging, dynamic, responsive, and creative. You’ve also noticed drag & drop elements within themes, making it easier to custom them. By making use of the changes, you are creating a more engaging theme that is easier to interact with, increasing your conversions.

The Layout

What do I mean by layout?

Here are a few things to think about:

First, consider changing the sidebars, making them smaller and/or bigger. This will allow you to advertise banners or make side widgets more visible. By doing this, you have increased the likelihood of them clicking on your sidebar links and this might increase conversions. Secondly, you’ll have the option to add social buttons to different places, increasing the chance of people sharing your content. For example, if you had buttons toward the top, then you might want to add them to the bottom, making them visible after the person reads your post. This can increase total social shares and ultimately, your traffic. Third, what about the navigation bar?

From my experience, it’s always a good idea to keep the navigation bar at the top but there is NO harm in testing different areas. Depending on your niche, some might work better than others, and if you find they don’t, you can always change it back.

Colors

I love the use of colors because I believe the right colors attract people to your website and to click on a link. Colors also help keep people on your site, increasing average time on page, which is great for rankings. It’s a good idea to change colors once in a while to see what changes with your CTR. Some colors might improve and other might not, but you at least know the end result. Testing colors is a great way to increase conversions, which is what you’ll learn in the next section when discussing landing pages or forms.

Changing Forms

I’ve always encouraged bloggers to split test forms and keep changing them along the way. For the same reasons promotional coupons no longer have an effect after a while, landing pages are the same way. You have to find creative ways to get your point across. You can be selling or offering the same product, but it’s a good idea to present it in a different way. This means doing the following, which can increase conversions:

  • Headlines
  • Information requested
  • Placement
  • Types
  • Colors
  • Images

Your ESP provider will provide you with tools to keep track of conversion so make sure you pay close attention to what forms are converting and make tweaks along the way. Once you find the right combination, you can continue to optimize from there.

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