For the average person, landing that coveted first date might be hard enough. But do you know what is even harder than getting someone to go out on a first date? It’s getting that same person to go on a second date. With a first date, you can still hide behind a degree of anonymity, especially if you were matched through a dating app like Tinder, but such illusions are no longer applicable going into your second date. You could simply coast on the charm of your texts and GIFs to get a first date but once face-to-face contact has been initiated, there would be nowhere to hide anymore.
This isn’t just true in the world of dating; it’s also pretty much true in the world of SEO. We’re so focused on getting more traffic to our websites that we rarely ever stop to think of how we could safely retain the ones we currently have. Repeated visits and customers are the basic building blocks in fostering brand loyalty and they can be particularly invaluable as they can act as the unofficial spokespeople for your brand, which is something that SEO services and marketers should definitely look into.
The case of a cult brand
In one glorious (or disastrous depending whose side are you on) moment in 2017, Android users and other Apple haters had their moment in the sun at the expense of Apple customers when Merriam-Webster added the derogatory term ‘sheeple’ to their online dictionary using Apple users as an example. Sheeple, a portmanteau of the word sheep and people is often used to mock “people who are docile, compliant, or easily influenced” by likening them to sheep. In the eyes of the world, Apple’s loyal fanbase are a gullible group of people that would willingly support awful products as long as they’re made by Apple.
That is of course a little unfair because even though Apple is not immune from bad decisions, they’re also behind some of society’s most brilliant products, such as the click-wheel interface from classic iPods and the iPhones, which practically revolutionized how the world see mobile phones. The derogatory terms refers more to how Apple’s core fanbase sees the company, with an almost religious zeal that you rarely see in the relationship between a company and their customers.
From an outsider’s perspective, this zeal might seem like a bad thing but I guarantee you that this cult of Apple is something most businesses would definitely want for themselves. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you are, repeat customers are always a good thing. To have such a devoted fanbase like Apple do might be a long shot but at the very least, you should be able to get people to repeatedly check out your website using these very simple tips.
Keep your website updated with fresh and quality contents
Pretty much every business owner knows this to be the case but they tend to mistake this advice and simply populate their websites with contents that are new in name only. You want your users to be able to discover something new every single time they visit your website; not a collection of similar contents given a fresh coat of paint every time they’re posted. One new high-quality content every week is better than several mediocre contents being churned out on a daily basis.
The freshness of these contents is also an important point as you’d want to write something that’s actually relevant, something that inform the users that yes, this was written recently with the contemporary world in mind. Add a pop-culture reference or two or better yet, actually made a point to reference something that’s been in the news and carries actual relevance to your industry. Being timely with your content could also help massively with your SEO efforts when interest around a topic peaks, you could grab that slice of the pie.
Make your website more welcoming
Far too often I came across a website from a Google search, take one look at the overall web design and decided to immediately click the back button. The internet is a vast ocean of contents and since I’m sure I would be able to find what I’m looking for somewhere with a less unappealing web design, I’m going to be very selective when it comes to websites. That means no intrusive pop-ups, gaudy designs, autoplay videos and sounds and poorly laid out contents. If you truly believe in the quality of your contents, let them speak for themselves.
Make sure your message is coming across loud and clear
Have you ever felt connected to a brand not because of their product, but because of their messaging? For example, we’re only a few days out of June and the spirit of Pride is still pretty much in the air and I know quite a number of people who are loyal to a brand or a public figure solely because of the support they have for the community. By showcasing exactly what it is you stand for in your website, you could help encourage repeat visits and would certainly help raise engagement with your brand as that’s the kind of thing that people like to share on social media platforms.
Help foster a community
There are a number of blogs out there that manage to garner dedicated readers simply by providing those readers with a place for them to interact in the comment section. By providing a place for discussion, you can help your users to find other like-minded users with similar interests. By fostering a community around your business, you also help instill a sense of loyalty within that community to your website and since their place of discussion is your website in the first place, it’s not like they can just simply pack up and leave.