Building a Content Rich Website

Interactive Content

Why should you interact with readers?

· You can establish closer, more personal relationships with visitors
· You can find out about their preferences, likes and dislikes
· You can listen to their complaints and suggestions
· You can request their feedback on your performance
· You can collect valuable demographic data on your audience

AND.... you can get fresh content to use on your site!

All of this allows you to make improvements, additions and enhance the value and utility of your site to visitors. By employing interactive tools, you can generate content to use later. There are many different ways to do this. Here are a few ideas:

Polls and Surveys

Survey your readers. Ask a question. Request a vote on an issue or topic.
It could be about

· An article on the site - "Did you find this week's feature helpful?"
· Current events - "Will you vote for the GOP in the next election?"
· A controversial issue - "Do you believe in religion in schools?"
· User preferences - "Would you like to see this site updated daily?"
· Demographic data - "Do you have young children?"

Some guidelines:

· Be brief. Ask no more than 7 or 8 questions

· Offer choices. Frame the questions to have a YES/NO option

· Provide an incentive to reply. A discount, a freebie, a trial membership

· Make the results available to respondents. Your readers will enjoy hearing about what their peers think and feel about these issues.

· Show that you are acting on the feedback received

Feedback

Reader feedback is extremely valuable - if you listen to it with a mind open to change and act on it. Criticism can stimulate you to improve standards. Questions and requests can indicate areas where you must provide content that helps your reader. A good feedback loop between Webmaster and site visitor is very valuable.

Make it obvious that you welcome feedback.

· On every page offer a link to let visitors write back with their comments, opinions and suggestions for improvement.

· Provide an email address to write to or use a feedback form

How do you turn feedback into content?

Use your creativity to come up with new ideas. Here are some suggestions:

· Write a feature article that answers the questions your reader asked

· Print out the questions or comments your reader sent in, and answer them. Take care to request their permission before quoting them. Most often they'll agree - especially when you promise them a moment in the spotlight by mentioning their name or Website URL on your site!

· Act upon the suggestions readers make; then write about these changes