Business owners are always looking to attract more visitors to their websites You’ve heard about PPC campaigns, SEO and social media marketing tactics to improve web traffic- but researchers at the University of Missouri believe there is a simpler solution.  They propose that the most effective way to get users to visit and remain on a website is to give them proper motivation. The brain is engaged through motivation, and invoking emotions with stories or images may be an alternative route to boosting online traffic to your site.

The study also showed that simpler website designs attracted an audience for longer periods of time.  The brain can only process so much information at one time.  It can defeat the brain’s ability to store information and remain engaged if the user has to work hard to find what they are looking for, or if they are overloaded with irrelevant material. Paul Bolls, associate professor of strategic communication at Mizzou says it best- “Keeping it simple is key”.

Of course, there are those individuals who thrive on searching for stories on the web and continually engage websites by postings and the usage of social media.  Perhaps these individuals desire a more complex website theme.  In order to effectively communicate to a broader audience, you must optimize your website for both of these personality types.  Your website should be simple and easy to navigate, but also contain relevant and useful information which will intrigue and engage the user.  Playing to both of these personalities is a desirable goal, but above all else the website needs to be easy to use and entertaining.  If you would like assistance in developing creative web design strategies, contact iPoint’s web services department and get your audience properly engaged.