8 Tips for Making Websites Stickier

7. Infuse ongoing testing and continuous improvement. Customer behaviors continually change; so does your competitive landscape. Make sure all types of users feel confident using your site and web services. Ensure your organization has rigorous processes in place to foster and apply continuous learning.

8. Promote social media connection points. Create a continuous loop for visitors to come to your site via Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms. Regularly refresh content and promotions. If your site appears stale, users won’t be motivated to return frequently. Make your homepage current and edgy, but be careful about striking the right balance between updating content often and giving visitors a chance to absorb current materials.

It's very difficult to convert visitors who give up, let alone convince them to return. While websites may be more efficient than traditional channels of inquiry for consumers, that's no longer the comparison — sites are compared to other sites. Those that are more fluid, more intuitive and that deliver results quickly will draw larger audiences. At a time when product differentiation is slight, a website and its utility becomes a huge advantage to your business.

Erin Polka is the director of marketing at iPerceptions. Reach Erin at epolka@iperceptions.com. Tom Hoffman is executive business editor, Peppers & Rogers Group and 1to1 Media. Reach Tom at tom.hoffman@1to1.com.