Published on the 10/03/2011 | Written by Newsdesk
A recent NZ website study has found plenty of room for improvement when it comes to engaging users…
A study of the 50 most popular New Zealand websites released today has found that kiwi businesses could be doing more to engage and interact with their customers online. The Engaged Web in New Zealand Report analysed the websites to see how they took advantage of interactive tools such as blogs, social media and online communities.
While 73% of the websites benchmarked featured an online community, the majority of these were using Facebook or Twitter. 46% of these major sites did not have a blog and only 42% allowed visitors to share website content.
In general, the websites made strong use of multimedia (80% of websites), personalisation (86% of websites) and sticky content (98% of websites), but lacked other forms of engagement. Email, phone and web forms were still the most commonly advertised contact channels, despite the rise in popularity of online channels such as Facebook and Twitter. 60% of the sites promoted their Facebook page on their homepage.
Entertainment, Shopping and Classifieds, and News and Media websites were most likely to have engaging features, while Government and Food and Beverage sector websites were found to be less engaging.
Intergen’s Web Strategist, Giles Brown, says while many of New Zealand’s most popular websites strive to continually improve the level of engagement they provide, many other sites are still too static and are missing opportunities to do business online. “These were some of New Zealand’s most popular websites. They attract huge audiences, but in some cases they aren’t allowing users to interact through the tools many people would expect such as blogs, communities or social media.”
“The best websites are those that stay restless and continually improve themselves,” says Brown. “There is no such thing as a finished website, and these interactive tools allow businesses to constantly update their content and engage with their audience. In many ways, launching or relaunching your site is easy, it’s what’s you do in the weeks and months that follow that counts.”
“While there are some excellent websites, many organisations are still stuck in a ‘project delivery’ mindset, where their website is seen as something they ‘do’ rather than something they should ‘nurture and grow’. This is a dangerous position to be in. The online environment is an incredibly fickle and transitory place, so if your website isn’t moving with your audience, they can and will go elsewhere.”
“Online has gained tremendous growth in the past 6-12 months here in New Zealand,” says Christian Sykes, Experian Hitwise New Zealand. “As it continues to outpace the growth of other sales channels, the commercial significance of providing customers with an effective and engaging digital experience can’t be overstated. With businesses of all shapes and sizes now viewing online as a complex but substantial opportunity, the timing of this study couldn’t be better.”
The Engaged Web Report has previously been conducted in the United Kingdom and Australia by Intergen’s partner Web Content Management provider, EPiServer. The NZ study was compiled by Intergen with assistance from EPiServer and Experian Hitwise.
You can download the Engaged Web in New Zealand Report from www.intergen.co.nz/engagedweb
