by Thu Nguyen

Created on: August 13, 2010   Last Updated: August 15, 2010

As a site owner, you are building a brand online and with that a specific kind of audience. So how you present yourself as well as the overall feel of the material given is in some way integral to the decisions in which your readers will decide if they want to pass along the content of your site or not. Thus, behind every site are the readers who build it. This brings to light one of the most sought after problem - getting traffic online.

While there is no right or wrong way to go about it, we won’t go into the technical process however this article will highlight several universal factors which contribute to encouraging your users to share your content online.

* Design *

Will you share something if the site is cluttered with advertisements, hard to read texts or even overly sized images? While the information might be well-written, first impression counts. No one wants to share something which will bring forth usability problems for their friends, family or co-workers.

Hiring a web designer to streamline your site for browsing across all platforms can help eliminate this barrier. It will be a good idea to make the information you provide accessible through easy navigational menus with an About or Contact page which encourages users who are also interested in further reading to click through. Not only will this allow the user to build a personal relationship with you, it will promote the sharing of your thoughts to their peers.

* Relevant Information *

Some topics on your site may be written more than once but in many different variations. When you have relevant information, it shows that you are experienced in the topic matter and therefore can further provide answers in many perspectives. Users who see this are willing to share this content as it’s an interlinking exchange of possibilities. Furthermore, they see it as a list of choices to consider.

When value is provided this way within multiples, you get back more. Again, this goes along with the site design you may have as where you implement the options can be crucial to converting your users into regular readers online. Whether it’s on the sidebars, below the article or on top of the site, you want to make sure the relevant information listed is clear enough to pass your content along.

* Benefits *

The online community loves it when there’s a topic in need of feedback. Best of all when it’s a challenge which asks the users to provide their two cents on something which can also be shared. These content normally must give the user some kind of benefit whether it’s growth within a community, a possible incentive for trying or just plain fun conversations.

You’ll be surprise by how big a tiny idea can turn into a viral marketing project just from asking users to provide their input. Give them the criteria for what you want started and watch as they they pass along the challenge to someone else who in turn does the same. It’s the classic word of mouth magic working it’s way through your site.

No matter how much content you provide when you don’t consider sharing through the lens of your readers, most likely you won’t find users coming. It’s essential that you give but more importantly give with consideration to your user’s needs which encourages them to share your content time and time again.

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