The 21 Best Website Engagement Tools to Win Customer Attention [Updated]

In recent years, a multitude of new engagement channels have emerged and the use of digital communication has sky-rocketed.

Consequently, the list of ‘must-have’ website engagement tools is seemingly never-ending.

How can you know which tools are right for your business? 

The answer lies in discovering which ones are most effective at helping you capture and retain customer attention.

Fortunately, we've done the hard work for you and have compiled the top tools for customer engagement success. We'll cover:

• Website engagement
• Analytical engagement
• Customer service engagement
• Video engagement
• Social media engagement
• Offsite engagement tools

Website engagement tools

The following tools will help you capture customer attention on your website.

Most importantly, they’ll help keep your audience engaged. Which will you choose to increase customer engagement?

1. Landing page builders

Landing page builders help you create a page that’s designed to attract attention and incite customer action. 

Whether it’s prompting customers to make a purchase or sign up for an email newsletter, these website engagement tools are more powerful than you think.

Unbounce is a popular example with a number of high profile users, but there are many different options depending on your goals.

For instance, if you’re hosting a competition or a giveaway, KickoffLabs is a fantastic example. 

Hubspot's website builder comes with a huge marketplace too, meaning you'll be able to get started with a great design template fast.

2. Content creation & discovery

With so many website engagement tools available for creating great content, this subject could fill an article of it’s own.

For this discussion, we’ll look at two types of tools: content discovery and content creation. 

Content discovery tools enable you to analyse current trends to make sure your marketing output is up to date. 

An example of this kind of tool is Content Studio, which allows you to discover, plan, and publish content for an affordable monthly price.

A content creation tool, on the other hand, is a tool that enables you to create a whole host of articles, graphics, and assets that you can use to win customer attention. 

Our current favourite is Venngage, a free tool that enables anyone to make attractive infographics that’ll turn customers' heads.  

3. Push notifications

Push notifications are a type of opt-in pop-up message that will appear within a customer’s browser.

As with all kinds of pop-ups, push notifications have been known to split opinion. 

Nevertheless, push notifications’ power as a website engagement tool has been proven time and again.

For instance, for customers who opt in, push notifications have an opening rate of 90%.

To make sure you’re ting the best from your push notifications, opt for a service like One Signal.

Not only can you design a personalized campaign, but you can also analyse your results. From there you can adjust accordingly and achieve maximum impact. 

4. Exit intent overlays 

Like push notifications, exit intent overlays are another kind of pop-up notification.

These appear when a customer moves their cursor away from a website and towards the address bar - expressing their ‘intent’ to leave. 

To tempt customers into staying onsite, an eye-catching overlay will appear on screen, usually trying to win the customer back with a discount or a sale.

Overlays are also used on ecommerce sites to reduce shopping cart abandonment.

Whatever your industry, exit intent overlays have been proven highly effective.

When it comes to finding the right overlay for you, make sure you go with a tool that provides methods of testing and analysing its effectiveness. 

A great example of this kind of tool would be OptinMonster, which comes with a huge array of analytical insights. 

5. Smart bars

Much like exit intent overlays, smart bars are a website engagement tool that’s focussed on conversion optimisation. 

The idea is simple enough: when browsing a website, the customer is presented with a banner or bar at the top of the screen, usually advertising a special discount or an exciting update. 

This bar will move and adapt to the customers’ scroll depth, ensuring that the bar’s message is always in view.

For a great example, check out Sitekit. It allows you to create fantastic smart bars and pop-ups for free, with advanced features available at an affordable price.

6. Online surveys

One of the simplest yet most effective website engagement tools you can offer is the online survey. 

Interactive website elements like this are a great way to win customer attention.

By inviting your customers to share their thoughts and insights, you can foster a greater sense of connection with your audience, while also seeking valuable feedback. 

SmartSurvey is a great example of this kind of tool. With a free basic package and several premium options available, creating interactive content is a breeze.

7. Offering a free tool

While offering free tools can be a great way to spread awareness about your site, this website engagement tactic does take time and resources. 

However, there’s a good reason companies like Hunter have produced a free tool: they help draw potential customers in.

Take Hunter’s free email address search engine for example. It's called Email Verifier, and it's definitely worth checking out.

Basically, this tool allows you to verify the validity of any professional email address in seconds. It ultimately increases deliverability and reduces email bounce rate.

But this tool also helps Hunter draw in new customers too. How?

Firstly, potential customers get a chance to test their services without a hard sell. 

Then, once customers have tested the product, they are far more likely to purchase one of their premium packages. 

Similarly, an all-in-one sales automation platform, Snov.io offers a free sales CRM as a bonus to any plan you choose. With it, you can use the email finder tool or verify the email addresses of potential customers before sending.

While the above example might seem out of reach for smaller businesses, even simple website tools can help engage your customers. 

You just have to get creative.

For example, accountants can offer tools like budget calculators. Clothing retailers can offer interactive quizzes to help customers find new styles.

So, take a little time to think it over. What free tool might you be able to offer? 

Analytical engagement tools

To make sure your website is as engaging as possible, you need to examine where your strategies are going right and wrong.

The best way to do this is by analyzing your website’s data. The below tools can help you get started. 

8. Analytics

Website analytics software is one of the most useful website engagement tools to have in your arsenal. 

By enabling you to measure a variety of metrics such as bounce rate and session duration, you can analyse your traffic to see how well you maintain customer attention. 

Google Analytics is undoubtedly the most widely used free analytics package. However, more sophisticated tools are available depending on your needs. 

For example, if your business specialises in SaaS, tools like Mixpanel are a great option. It allows you to examine real time insights from customers using your product.

Another fantastic choice is Datapine - their interactive business intelligence dashboards can enable you to make data-driven decisions at any place and any time.

9. A/B testing

When it comes to measuring the effectiveness of customer attention rates, A/B testing software is a must have website engagement tool. 

By comparing two versions of a webpage, you can determine which is the most successful at inciting engagement. 

Google Optimize is another fantastic example of Google’s free tools and services. 

However, to run smarter tests on your website, Convertize is a great alternative. Alongside it’s A/B testing capabilities, it offers some excellent user experience tools too. 

10. User recording

User recording software captures the actions that customers take on your website.

By recording customer clicks and cursor movements, you can then review the footage to analyse and improve your user experience. 

It can help make your site all the more engaging in the long run.

For instance, it can easily help you identify pain points in the digital customer journey, as well as the most popular parts of your site. 

The best example of this kind of website engagement tool is Hotjar. Alongside user recording, it also offers feedback tools and heatmaps for a very affordable price. 

Customer service engagement tools

Customer service is a hugely important factor when you’re aiming to provide a fantastic customer experience.

Make sure you’re making the most of the innovative tools now on offer. 

11. Chatbots

Chatbots have come a long way since their early days.

Now available as AI virtual agents, these website engagement tools are a low cost way to offer lightning-fast answers to common queries.

Fast problem resolution at an affordable price is obviously a great reason to start using chatbots.

However, chatbots are also a fantastic tool for winning customer attention and keeping customers engaged. 

There are many brands who now use chatbots to not only inform customers, but to entertain them too -some chatbots have even garnered national press attention.

Take a look at these ecommerce chatbot examples to see how you can provide a customer service tool that’s as entertaining as it is helpful.  

Besides eCommerce, chatbots are extremely popular in the HR niche.

For example, Lensa uses chatbots on most of their job posting pages to increase interactions and improve hiring decisions. 

12. Live Chat

At a customer satisfaction rate of 73%, research shows that live chat is the most popular customer service channel.

The reasons why are simple. 

Live chat enables businesses to provide sterling customer service in real time, helping to ease customer tension with efficient problem solving.

It’s a great website engagement tool for increasing customer engagement, too.

For example, implementing Talkative's live chat solution has caused a 500% increase in customer interactions for Healthspan.

13. Cobrowsing

Offered in conjunction with live chat, cobrowsing is a fantastic way to offer your customers enhanced customer support. 

By sharing screens with customers, advisors can guide visitors through websites while answering any questions in real time.

It means that online customers get the same level of support they could expect in person. 

14. Video ChatVideo chat is a website engagement tool that has seen a huge surge in popularity.

Since last year, the use of video chat for customer service has skyrocketed by 70%.

Often used in conjunction with live chat, organisations are now using video chat to engage with their online customers face-to-face. 

While this has the benefit of improving customer relationships, it’s also an engagement platform that can really set you apart from your competitors.

Video engagement tools

Video can be a great tool for taking your digital engagement to the next level.

Which of the following could you use to increase customer engagement?

15. Video marketing

You only need to take a look at your social media feed to see the popularity of video marketing.

It’s an incredibly effective website engagement tool.  

In fact, 84% of customers report being convinced to buy a product after watching a brand’s marketing video.

If you’re considering using video marketing but don’t want to hire a production company, Renderforest is a great option.

By offering toolkits for a variety of video styles, you can create professional videos that’ll easily attract customer attention. 

16. Explainer videos

Like mini video tutorials, explainer videos are often used to market products and services that require a little more explanation.

They are particularly useful for SaaS companies who not only need to attract customers, but educate them on their products, too.

What’s more, explainer videos can be used to further educate customers post-purchase.

Some companies will even package these additional videos as free mini courses.

It’s a great way to provide added value while maintaining customer engagement. 

For creating and editing animated explainer videos, Wideo and Movavi are great options to consider.

With hundreds of templates to choose from, this website engagement tool can help you educate your customers while keeping production costs low.

Social media engagement tools

Social media tools are great for customer engagement, but there are smarter ways to win customer attention outside of the native platforms.

Check out the below tools to get the most out of what social media has to offer. 

17. Social media management

Not every organisation has the resources to hire a permanent social media manager.

That’s where social media management tools come in. 

As a website engagement tool, social media management comes in many shapes and sizes.

For instance, if all you need is a scheduling app, there are plenty of free options available. Take Buffer, for example. 

However, if you want help with creating content as well as scheduling, tools like Loomly are a great alternative.

By keeping you up to date on the latest trends and best practices, Loomly ensures you’ll never run out of inspiration. 

18. Social Listening Tools 

Social listening tools are a particularly useful website engagement tool for companies building a customer-facing brand. 

Whether a customer has taken to social media to compliment your product or complain about it, you want to make sure you’re ready to respond.

Social listening tools help you do just that. 

By enabling you to ‘listen’ out for social media mentions of your brand or product, tools like Crowdfire can help you respond quickly, keeping your customer engagement on point. 

Offsite engagement tools

These tools can help you increase engagement even when your customers aren’t on your website.

Try out the following ideas to maximize your customer engagement. 

19. Email marketing

Email is still one of the most powerful website engagement tools on offer.

In fact, research from McKinsey & Company suggests it’s up to 40 times more effective than engaging customers via social media.

While there are many well-known email marketing tools at your disposal, Omnisend is one of the best free options available. 

With up to 15,000 emails a month and a drag and drop functionality, you could be putting your email list to good use within a day. 

20. Retargeting ads

One website engagement tool that is particularly useful for ecommerce is retargeting ad campaigns. 

Retargeting ads use your customers data to advertise products and services that they’ve previously shown an interest in. 

Retargeter is a great example of this kind of tool. As their research suggests, only 2% of online traffic leads to a conversion on the customers’ first visit. 

By using a retargeting tool, you can ensure you’re reaching the 98% that don’t convert straight away. 

21. SMS marketing

With an opening rate of 98% and a response rate of 45%, SMS marketing is a website engagement tool with a serious impact on customer attention. 

In truth, the hardest part about SMS marketing is getting customers to sign up for notifications in the first place.

However, once customers have opted in, you can use tools like SimpleTexting to deliver a high-speed message to your customers’ most commonly used device.

It’s an easy win for customer engagement. 

The takeaway: Next steps to optimizing engagement

With the tools detailed in this article, you'll be armed with a valuable toolkit to take your website engagement to the next level.

But ultimately, the most important tool in your arsenal is an innovative platform that lays the foundation for successful digital engagement.

And that's where Talkative comes in.

Our platform was specifically designed to power better engagement by connecting you with the right customers, via the right channels, at the right time.

We provide a complete suite of engagement channels that'll empower you to connect instantly, and effortlessly, with all your digital customers. ‍