Keeping users on the site and making them complete the targeted action can be difficult. Various methods and tools can help with this, one of the most popular is the widget. We tell you how to use them correctly.
Widgets: what are they and what are they for?
Widgets are small helper applications whose purpose is to perform a specific task. The functionality of widgets is quite extensive: they notify about something, inform, complement the desktop, etc. To understand the essence of the widget, remember the signals that notify you of a new message. This is the most popular widget.
It is better to consider the use of widgets on illustrative examples that are not related to sites in any way. Imagine: you want to buy a winter jacket. There are two places where you can do this.
Example 1: Clothing market.
You come to the market and go to the row with winter jackets. Almost immediately, a nimble salesman runs up to you and asks what you want to buy. You ignore his persistent behavior, but he does not leave you alone. As soon as you reach the jacket section, the salesperson understands your intentions and starts to fuss even more. He almost drags you by the hand to his department, and persuades you to buy a jacket from him. You refuse as much as you can, but the seller does not let up: he says that you cannot find the best jackets and the whole city buys outerwear from him, he scares you with a price increase from tomorrow. After a while, another similar seller comes up to you and praises his jackets, they say, he has better quality and is cheaper. As a result, you are no longer thinking about buying, but about how to get out of here as soon as possible.
Example 2: Shop in a mall
The scenario is the same: you want to buy a winter jacket, but now you have come not to the market, but to the shopping center. There are almost no buyers, you calmly examine things. Here you liked a few jackets, and you are thinking about which one to take. At this moment, a nice consultant girl comes up to you, greets you, and unobtrusively asks if you need help. If you refuse, the girl will move away and will not interfere with you. But if you still need help, the consultant will tell you about the advantages of each model you like, the materials from which they are sewn, and offer a discount.
Now the main question: where will you end up shopping?
Of course, some people like to buy clothes in the market, but bargaining with sellers, arguing with them, and fending off intrusive offers is not the most pleasant experience. To make purchases calmly, and deliberately, when no one interferes – this option is preferred by most buyers.
Let’s get back to the widgets for the site. For an online store, the same rules apply to offline shopping. If you overdo it with widgets, the site will turn into a kind of market with annoying sellers. Only their roles will be played by endless pop-ups and other bells and whistles. Do you want it?
So, what happens if you install too many widgets on the site:
- Users will get annoyed. When new windows constantly appear on the screen that interferes with viewing content, the visitor will definitely be unhappy. The attention of potential customers will be scattered. Maybe the user wants to buy some product on the site, and pop-up chats, acacias, and pictures only interfere with this.
- The visitor may decide that you want to sell him a product at all costs. Constant calls to buy make a person feel that they want to “warm up” him. So widgets can just scare away the client.
In order for widgets to really work to increase conversion and not annoy users, you need to carefully consider their work. It is also important to choose the most suitable widget type.
Types of widgets for the site
Chatbot
A chatbot is a great tool that helps increase the visitor’s time on the site. This widget is usually embedded in the bottom corner of the screen. Chatbot helps:
- collect applications instead of feedback forms;
- communicate with users online;
- encourage visitors to take some targeted action – call the number indicated in the “Contacts”, leave an email address, etc.
Callback (Callback)
The callback widget helps users quickly contact the company’s sales department. This tool looks like a button with a picture of a smartphone screen or a simple handset. Typically, a widget is placed on the edge of the screen.
Pop-up
A pop-up is a pop-up window with information about promotions or a call to action. The widget appears the first time you visit the site or after some time.
Pop-up helps to get users interested in promotion and get their contact details in exchange for promotional codes, discounts, etc. If the client takes advantage of your offer and places an order, then there is a high probability that he will return again. Such widgets are often used by betting companies, for example, Bet20.
Widgets for social networks and messengers
If the company has pages and communities on several social networks, place a block with their widgets on the site. It is not only beautiful but also functional. The buttons allow you to subscribe to the company’s account, as well as share information from the site: articles, promotions, and images can be sent by e-mail and published as a post on your page on social networks. In addition, widgets have a positive effect on SEO, because search engines take into account content reposts and click to the site from social networks.
