I have complied a short list that you should print and keep by your desk. This is a reference on little tidbits to put on your website to keep visitors coming back. It’s always good to get new visitors or customers on your site, but the ones that will benefit you are the ones who are a fan of your site. Because fans of your website are like little walking billboards for your site. If you have something interesting on your site, that fan will tell their friends about it and that’s the best means of advertising. So here is a list of things you can add to your website:

Free Stuff / Free Samples
It’s true! Everyone loves to get something for free and we don’t mean a newsletter.  If your selling a product, give a taste of it away. Like a trial version of your software or videos.

Coupons and Discounts
Constantly send out coupons and discounts, customers will use them and send them to their friends

Contest
If you hold a weekly or monthly contest it keeps people coming back to check if they won.

Create a Page of useful links
I’m sure you have wanted to show a friend something you found online and you don’t remember the exact address, but you do remember how you found it. That will encourage people to use your site as a gateway.

Keeping People Informed
If you constantly update your website with new information about certain events or news, people will start coming back to check up on the latest updates

Get Bookmarked
This is so simple that it’s stupid not to do. At the top of any website you make, make sure to put two links at the very top: “Bookmark Us” or “Add To Favorites” and “Tell A Friend.” These are simple scripts you can get by typing those terms into Google.

Start a Blog, Bulletin or Message Board
Again, If you keep your customers informed and up to date, they will keep checking back with you.

Cartoons, Jokes, Games and Trivia
If you run the kind of website that would be appropriate for humor and games then by all means. People love to laugh and it will keep them coming back. In fact I check a certain website everyday for new humor links. They update it everyday.

-Matthew Gio