Hi, I'm Tyler Willis and I've been helping businesses optimize their digital marketing and web development efforts for over 10 years. I excel at teaching and helping companies understand complex digital solutions, and applying them to their businesses.
In today's digital age, having an engaging and interactive website is crucial for any business looking to stand out and connect with potential customers. For local businesses, an interactive website as part of a digital marketing strategy can be especially beneficial in creating a memorable user experience, building trust, and ultimately driving conversions.
In this post, we will explore the many different types of interactive website experiences that local businesses can use to engage with their customers and take their online presence to the next level. From virtual tours and customizable product configurators to interactive quizzes and virtual events, we will show you how businesses of all types can use these tools to increase engagement, improve the user experience, and ultimately drive conversions.
Benefits of having interactive experiences for users
Interactive experiences on a website can be beneficial for local businesses in a number of ways. Some potential benefits include:
- Increased engagement: Interactive experiences can make a website more engaging for users by providing them with a more dynamic and interactive experience. This can lead to users spending more time on the website and potentially becoming more interested in the products or services that the business offers.
- Improved user experience: Interactive experiences can also improve the overall user experience of a website by making it more fun and easy to use. This can be especially important for local businesses, as users are more likely to return to and recommend a website that they find easy and enjoyable to use.
- Increased conversions: By providing interactive experiences on a website, local businesses can also increase the chances that users will take an action on the website, such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form.
- Building trust: Interactive experiences like a virtual tours, 360 video or 3D experience can allow potential customers to experience the environment, the product or the service which could build trust as they know what to expect before visiting in person.
However, it's important to keep in mind that the specific benefits will depend on the type of interactive experience that is implemented and how well it is executed. Businesses should think carefully about what types of interactive experiences would be most beneficial for their specific audiences and goals, and be sure to test and iterate to improve the user experience and increase conversions
It's also worth noting that any benefits from interactive experiences on a website will likely be more pronounced for businesses whose customers are already familiar with technology, and who are comfortable engaging with interactive features on websites.
Ideas for interactive experiences to include on your website
There are many different types of interactive experiences that local businesses can use on their websites, some examples are:
- Virtual tours: Businesses such as real estate agents, hotels and vacation rental properties, museums, and tourist attractions can use virtual tours to give users an immersive, 360-degree view of their properties or locations.
- Customizable product configurator: Businesses that sell customizable products, such as furniture or cars, can use an interactive product configurator to allow users to select different options and see a real-time preview of the final product.
- Interactive Quizzes: Businesses can create interactive quizzes to help users find products that best suit their needs, or to gather data on user preferences.
- Virtual event: Many local business are hosting virtual events to connect with customers. They can have a virtual conference, trade shows, or even open houses, that customers can experience and interact with through the website.
- Virtual reality experiences: Businesses such as tourist attractions or real-estate developers can use virtual reality to give users an immersive experience of what it would be like to visit or live in a certain location.
- 360 degree video: Restaurants, hotels, vacation rentals, they could all show a video of the service they offer to give a sense of the place and people in action to the potential customer.
- Interactive storytelling: Local businesses such as museums, historical sites, and some tourist attractions can use interactive storytelling to make their stories more engaging and immersive for users.
- Online booking and scheduling: Local service businesses such as hair salons, spas, and fitness centers can use online booking and scheduling to make it easy for users to schedule appointments and make reservations.
These are just a few examples of the many different types of interactive experiences that local businesses can use on their websites. The key is to think creatively and consider what type of experience would be most engaging and beneficial for your target audience, and be sure to test and iterate to improve the user experience and increase conversions.