It appears that User Experience is going to be a significant factor in Google’s 2021 algorithm update.
Search engines have to rely on data like bounce rate and time spent on the site, in order to guess whether visitors had a positive experience on your site.
One strategy to get ready for this next update: increase your website’s “dwell time.”
In other words, keep visitors on your site as long as possible. We’ve put together 5 ideas to boost your site’s dwell time before 2021 arrives.
5 Ways to Boost Dwell Time on Your Website
1. Incorporate Videos
If done well, video is one of the easiest ways to increase the time that visitors spend on your site.
In the State of Video Marketing survey, 80% of marketers said video had increased dwell time on their website.
The challenge is making sure your video content is high-quality and relevant enough that a visitor will start watching the video.
There are numerous types of video content that you can incorporate into your site, such as:
- Explainer video for a product or service
- Customer testimonial videos
- Video Blogs
2. Add Interactive Elements (Portfolios, Quizzes, etc.)
Interactive components, such as portfolios, quizzes or calculators, are a great way to keep visitors busy and clicking through elements.
The key is to make sure the interactive component matches with visitors’ goals on the site.
For instance, a portfolio can be a great option for a project-based business. With WordPress, you can make any gallery or project portfolio more interesting with micro-animations and filtering.
Quizzes and calculators related to your product or services are known to hold visitors’ attention more than static content. These resources can also provide valuable information during the consideration or research phase of the customer journey.
3. Avoid Dead Ends on Your Site
Once a visitor reaches a page and there’s no clear guidance on where to go next, you are increasing the chances that they’ll exit the site as their next step.
In order to keep a visitor on your website longer, you need to guide them on different paths through pages and resources.
You can avoid these “dead ends” on your website by:
- Including calls to action on key pages
- Linking to other pages on your internal pages
- Offering related blog posts or related products
4. Declutter Your Navigation
If you want to think about the visitor’s experience as a journey, then the navigation menu is their map.
Every visitor is coming to the site with a specific goal and intention, and if they can’t easily find the right direction, they’ll be more likely to bounce – hurting your website’s dwell time.
If you have a lot of elements in your website navigation, consider cleaning things up by moving miscellaneous items to the footer (social media icons, etc.).
For larger menus, consider a custom Mega Menu design. It can elevate the design of your navigation and make any drop down menus less overwhelming for visitors.
5. Upgrade Your Home Page Design
Your home page is typically the entry point for most visitors, and the design and performance of this page plays a huge role in the overall experience.
The home page design creates the initial impression of your site, so any design upgrades to that single page can make the biggest difference in conversion rates and time spent on the site.
We do a lot of home page redesigns and often say that you get the best “bang for your buck” from the upgrade.
