tips from the trenches - making your site stick

1. Membership with Benefits. Site registration or membership can only be achieved if a number of factors are present. We'll talk more about this in April's TIPS.
2. Portal-type features. These might be linked to the topical focus of your web site…providing customized weather report links and mapping services on a travel business site, for example, creates "value added" aspects to travelers. This gives them a "one stop shopping" feel that might cause them to bookmark your site over another travel site.
3. Venues for Communities of Users. If there's a Book Club for interested readers to read and discuss certain books on a book site, those visitors will return often because they know they can meet like-minded folks and discuss their favorite books. If a health site provides a care support discussion list for families caring for Alzheimers' victims, you can be sure people will return. Think of what people in your stakeholder groups need in relation to your products/services.
4. Information storage/record keeping. If you're engaged in e-commerce, you will please visitors by providing a simple and secure way to keep records of their personal data, preferences, and order history. Helping people keep lists for the future is also another great 'sticky' feature. (A visitor may not want to buy something immediately, but might want it added to a "wish list" for gift purposes or for future purchase.) It's also highly frustrating to visitors to have to re-enter basic personal data on each visit. With permission from the visitors, don't be afraid to use cookies or cookie-type technology to securely store such information so the server "recognizes" the visitor on her next visit. It saves the customer time and energy, and makes them feel welcome, just as if you greeted someone when visiting your establishment by first name.
5. "Revolving Door" Features. This covers a whole range in the general category of "things that change". New information, updates, new product or service availability, contests or promotions, an events calendar, a photo gallery…all these are things you can implement to keep your stakeholders interested in visiting. If nothing ever changes on your site, what encourages people to return? Many sites utilize a "New at Company X" feature on their home page that takes visitors to the latest abbreviated news items from the news release database.
6. Opportunity to Contribute to Site Content. This somewhat overlaps with #3, because of course when people are involved in online communities they contribute to discussion, but there is a related area that might allow for visitors to actually contribute content-"letters to the editor," adding photos to the gallery; posting product or service reviews; showing innovative uses for the product or service, suggesting new product/service ideas…all of these can give visitors reason to re-visit.