What makes Sites 'Sticky' ?

Retail stores continually work to "keep shoppers there," because longer shopping times increase sales. Webmasters also try to keep customers in their stores. Ten minute visits get bragging rights, but this article will show you how to do far better than that.

You've heard the jokes about the 2-minute lover who frustrates his woman. Those of us not subject to making or enduring such frustration can pat ourselves on the back, so to speak. We can do this because both we and our partner benefit from the fruits of good planning, thoughtfulness, subtlety, ambiance-building, and good communication.

People's fundamental needs do not change just because they visit a Website. Too many of us assume Website visitors suddenly stop valuing good planning, thoughtfulness, subtlety, ambiance-building, and good communication. Why do Webmasters replace these virtues with "slap it up" planning, disregard for the needs/feelings/wants of visitors, "in your face" graphics/text/scripts/marquees and other juvenile chest-pounding, vertigo-inducing/eye-straining/uncomfortable/un-navigable pages, and writing that would shame a fifth-grader?

Not all of us have the disease; the evidence is in our stats. Take Mindconnection, for example. For 6 days in 1999, the average visit length exceeded three hours. Yahoo!, despite all its wizardry and massive financing, still has not come close to this. While Mindconnection does not get Yahoo!'s massive traffic, it still gets 1600 to 2200 visitors a day, which isn't bad.

Many sites have libraries of articles, so that is not the magic bullet. Using Mindconnection as our basis, let's answer the question of why these sites have some long visit times.

Reason #1
Home page with substance. Our home page gives people something for visiting it. For example, it has a stock watch feature which brings people to that page to check their stocks. (This feature won't fit every site theme, so don't add a stock feature as your panacea.) Like most home pages, it links to the most important parts of the site. But unlike most home pages, these links make sense to the visitor.

In some cases, entire companies have made this their default home page (one engineering firm has 85 computers with Mindconnection as their default page). Since the home page gives the visitor quick access to excellent tools for the rest of the Internet, it's good page to launch your Internet experience from. No, it doesn't try to be a Yahoo!-style portal, but it does tie some cool things together. It won't appeal to everyone, but those to whom it does appeal love it.

Reason #2
Content that is useful, and in many cases, unique. Our huge library of free articles, edited by a national magazine editor, draws knowledge-seekers to Mindconnection. We produce most of these ourselves, but have also have swapped with people like Marty Foley (Web "how to") and companies like Dranetz (power measurement). Our many niche interests give us many loyal audiences.

Reason #3
Organization that works. Mindconnection visitors can find things easily. As they satisfy their quest, a related item catches their attention. They keep "turning the page" rather than "closing the book." The navigation encourages you to explore, without forcing you to do so. Other Webmasters contact us daily to link to Mindconnection, feature our articles on their sites, and use us as a resource for their visitors. We get targeted audiences across a spectrum of topics. This would not happen without good organization.

Reason #4
Free offerings that are worthwhile. Our well-organized free stuff is appealing. We work hard to keep the offerings valuable. As a result, this area gives us long visits, so we put links to our shopping area when doing so makes sense for the visitor.

Reason #5
Content that changes often. We add new articles, pages, and features constantly. We develop most of these ourselves, so they are Mindconnection "exclusives." Additionally, we subscribe to several services that provide us with fresh content daily on selected pages.

Reason #6
Design that answers, "What is appealing?" A good lover satisfies his partner's desires. To know those desires, consider your own desires. For example, we all like being complimented. A good lover gives compliments. A good Webmaster does the same thing, but more subtly. Don't insult your visitor's intelligence with useless pages. A bad lover prattles on about himself, but a good one focuses on making his/her partner feel special. A bad lover gives cheap or impersonal gifts; a bad Webmaster crowds a site with cheap and impersonal junk that has nothing to do with pleasing the visitor but everything to do with being obnoxious. The bottom line: if you are a selfish person, it will show up in your Website. Either change your attitude, or give up Webmastering, because selfishness is decidedly unattractive.

Applying this article to your site.
Pick a page, and give it your undivided attention. If this page doesn't excite you, it isn't going to excite your visitors. Either change it or delete it.

Look at how your pages link together. Begin with those to which your home page links. If one of those pages doesn't make you want to keep exploring the site, move it out of the high traffic area or high-traffic link pattern and replace it with one that does. As you do this, your visits will increase in both length and quantity. Delete all hype-ridden advertorials. If a page does not reward a visitor, it's like giving dead flowers to your lover. It is better to throw those flowers away. Always ask, "What can anyone get out of this page?"

Write right.
The rare Webmaster uses Standard Written English. Most of us carelessly do to English what WYSIWYG does to HTML--or worse. How you write is more important than what you write. I'm not talking about such seemingly impossible feats as spelling "its" correctly, not mixing singulars and plurals, or not using "data" as a singular. I am talking about clarity and efficiency. My pet peeves include saying "In order to" when "to" says the same thing. Phrases like "very unique" make me look for Dr. Kevorkian's phone number. Something is either one-of-a-kind ("uni" means one--you figure it out) or it isn't. Beware the misplaced modifier. Saying, "We only provide the software you need" means you do nothing but provide software. Not only is that a bald-faced lie (surely you do other things, don't you?), but it voids your intended message. Watch where you put your "onlys."

The common attitude that grammar is the stuff of academics and "people know what I mean" defies logic. Lousy lovers use the same lame logic when they fail to show and say "I love you" often. "She knows I love her." Right--that explains why she doesn't feel wanted around you anymore.

If you want people to know what you mean, then say what you mean. Making someone decode passive voice or extract your 20-word message from an 80-word text works against you. Spending a few Saturdays in an adult education course on writing skills will do more for your Website--and your life in general--than all the banner exchanges and "search engine secrets" courses combined. This is even more true when it comes to foreign sites. Nobody will order if they fear that if there would be a complaint, the the site owner might not understand it.

Your site is mostly writing. Make it attractive to your visitors, and make them feel loved, or at least respected. They will stay with you for hours, and come back for more.

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