Get Your Site Visitors Involved

The web 2.0, or the social web, is the latest evolution of the world wide web. In place of static, text driven websites, social interactivity is the way to go. Web surfers demand more from most websites than something to read and the occasional image to view and offering this level of interaction will help you to drive traffic and increase sales, as well as promote customer loyalty. The more a visitor becomes involved in your website, the more they will return, and the more inclined they will be to purchase your products or pay for your services.

The Evolution Of Web Interaction

Social interaction on the web isn't a new idea. Forums and chat rooms have existed for some time and they have been proven to work. While both have become less popular they still provide a means to get visitors involved. Chat room widgets are available that are programmed in Flash so you can add a chat room to any page of your site or blog. Forums are still popular and widely used in every corner of the web, too.

Forums And Chat Rooms

Relationships are struck between forum and chat room users. They become socially involved with one another, even if they never meet or learn one another's real names. Because of these blossoming relationships, visitors will continue to return. A forum offers the added advantage that it provides a more permanent method of storing information so users have numerous reasons to bookmark your pages and return often.

Leaving Comments And Reviews

Comments and content reviews don't need to be reserved for blog websites. If you regularly publish articles or informative pieces, enable your readers to comment on them. Do moderate comments so that you can prevent your pages becoming filled with spam, but don't be too restrictive in the messages that are published. Opinions and debate will lead to more involvement, which will lead to a greater number of people returning to the page.

Having your visitors review your articles also gives you an invaluable insight into the topics that are the most popular. You can then act on this information by providing more of the information that people want. If you don't have the time or the resources to post regular content, you can invite your readers to do it for you.

Article Submissions

Again, article directories are not new but they can be successful. By allowing visitors to post their own articles and allowing other readers to comment on them you can promote interaction without having to do as much of the hard work yourself. The articles will give you greater exposure to the search engine spiders, and provide you with more content to appeal to visitors.

Galleries And Video Submissions

Other methods to get visitors involved include galleries and video submissions. If you sell a fun or unique product, ask your visitors to take pictures or even record video tutorials and send them in. You'd probably be surprised at the number of people that will oblige in doing so. Video has become one of the most popular forms of web content because it provides surfers with a quick hit. Video clips are easy to view and provide entertaining content.

Visitor Involvement

The more involved a visitor becomes with your site, the more they will feel a part of your business. Even if they don;t initially make a purchase from you, they will become more and more inclined to do so. Should they ever require the product or service that you sell then they will almost certainly favour your website over one that they know little or nothing about.