Did you know that 55% of visitors spend fewer than 15 seconds on a website before moving on? So what are you doing to keep your visitors?

A stellar design is no longer enough. You need an interactive website.

With life offering so much noise and so many distractions, it takes very little for a visitor to be drawn away from your website. And if they don't stick around, you can say adios to conversions.

An Interactive Website Motivates Visitors to Stay

Conversion optimization comes down to getting users to complete the desired action. In other words, you want to turn passive visitors into active participants.

But who couldn't use a little motivation from time to time?

Incorporating interactive elements gives visitors that extra push. And the easier and more enjoyable you make it, the more conversions you'll get.

Here are some ways we've found effective: 

1. User Reviews

Online users love to share their opinions. If you don't believe us, just take a look at the comments section under ANY YouTube video.

You can use this to your advantage.

For example, you can prompt your site visitors to write a review of your products. Not only will they spend more time on your site, but you're opening up the potential for further conversations with them. 

Reviews are also good for your e-commerce site because they give other customers the chance to hear about your products from real users.

If you're resisting user reviews because you think negative reviews will take you down, think again. Negative feedback allows you to interact with customers and shows other visitors you have authentic and uncensored reviews. 

2. Social Media Actions

Are you integrating social media into your content? 

For example, have you thought about creating tweetable snippets in your blog posts or on your site?

Another thing you can do is add social media friendly elements like a Twitter feed or Instagram right into your website design. This allows you to be socially present both on your website AND your social networks.

These are simple yet powerful methods for increasing user activity. 

3. Quizzes

Have you ever landed on an interesting website and then found yourself taking a quiz?

If not, you're in the minority, because most of us have.

Whether you've taken a quiz to figure out what's the ideal coffee blend to purchase, or you've given into the relatively useless desire to know what your spirit animal is, you've spent extra time on the site while taking the quiz. And this is exactly what you want from your visitors. 

4. Chatting

If you're selling a product or have a service to offer, having live chat is nearly indispensable.

Consider all the time you've spent "talking" at automated robots on the phone or sent out emails in hopes of actually getting a reply.

Having live chat gives your visitors answers they need in real time. It's your website's equivalent to having a real person answering the phone and is the ultimate in being truly interactive.  

Connect with Your Visitors

Keeping visitors on your site is key to making conversions. And an interactive website is one of the best ways to do that. 

So don't be afraid to have some fun and make some connections.

For more advice and tips on how to make your website work for you, keep checking back with our web design blog.