The Internet is a rapidly changing entity. A few years ago all that was required for a profitable business was a static brochure website. Then people realized the necessity for information online and content became the focus.

Content is still the foundation of any good website. However, the form of content has changed. Print content is still the most widely accessed information online, but video and audio have also left their mark. And now user or visitor content is becoming the norm. Why? Because it’s interactive and quite honestly if you don’t have a few interactive elements on your website, you may be missing out on traffic and profits.

What Is Interactivity and Why is It Important?

Interactivity is the ability for your website visitors to interact on your website. It can be anything from posting a comment about an article or blog to actually providing content for your website. More and more, people are looking to connect online. And you only need to look as far as your favorite social networking site to see this.

Customers don’t want to buy from a random business. They want to buy from someone they know, like and feel they’ve made a connection with. They want to buy from and visit websites where they feel like they’re part of a community.

Providing your visitors with the opportunity to become part of your community motivates them to:

• Return to your website.
• Stay on your website longer.
• Dig deeper into your website to learn more.
• Share your website with others.
• Recommend and link to your website.
• Bookmark your website.
• Buy from your website.

When you embrace your visitors and prospects as people who have something to contribute and you focus on providing value through information and interaction, you have a successful website. Your business will grow. The great news is there are a huge number of opportunities for you to motivate interaction.

Here are just a few ways you can add interactivity to your website:

• Social networking “comment” “Tweet This” or “recommend” plug-ins
• Rating articles/blog posts.
• Playing a game.
• Entering a sweepstakes or contest.
• Taking a poll or quiz.
• Commenting on an article or post.
• Forum

It’s important to know that interactive features also tend to boost your search engine ranking. Incoming links are one major way your SEO will improve. Additionally, any user generated content will help improve your rank.

Adding interactive features to your website doesn’t have to be complicated. It can, in fact, be as simple as adding a plug-in or widget. Before you start adding a ton of interactive features, however, spend some time planning. Know what your audience wants and make sure you’re providing value. Consider adding a feature at a time and testing and tracking the results. Making your site more interactive will help ensure your business continues to grow and prosper.

Looking for super easy solution to build your web pages? Take the comprehensive website builder at http://www.InternetBasedFamily.com for a 10-day test trial. You can choose from over 1200 templates and your account includes all kinds of interactive features including: message board, shopping cart, mailing list, coupons and more.

Last 5 posts by Alice Seba

• Writing from the Heart – How to Really Connect With Your Audience - September 2nd, 2010
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• What’s Your USP? – How to Be Unique and Memorable - September 2nd, 2010
• Why Content Is King to the Search Engines (And Your Visitors) - September 2nd, 2010

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