Trust is vital between any business and their customers. If there’s no trust, then you’re not going to be making all that much money. With online business, you have to go a little further to build that trust. People can’t see you or your products in the flesh. So you need to do as much as you can to make your site trustworthy. Here are some of the things that you want to avoid.
Amateur design
Simply put, if customers don’t believe that you’re a professional, they’re not going to be willing to spend their money on you. Having a well-designed site is crucial. Professionals have a sitemap that makes sense. They don’t use ALL-CAPS for emphasis. Most importantly, they know that good site design is about more than visuals. For instance, if you’re not using a site that is responsive to mobile devices, you could be alienating a big chunk of your audience.
No identity
More than the details of the business and how the site presents it, people need a bit of personality to latch on to. They need to know that someone with a face and a name is behind a business. So an About Us page including that is vital. As it making sure they can actually get in contact with you. You need a contact page with more than a contact form. They need some details so they can ground you in reality. If you’re running a home business, we understand you might not be keen to share those details. So instead use services like www.yourvirtualofficelondon.co.uk/contact to use a proxy address.
No new information
Everyone’s afraid of ghosts. Ghost websites are downright spooky. Your business might be very much alive, but a site that hasn’t been updated in months or years looks very much dead. Make sure you’re following the advice of places like www.bluehoop.co.uk and updating your site as often as you can.
No verification
Even better than speaking up for yourself is having others speak up for you. People are worried about more than just their money when they browse online. They’re worried about their security. So make sure that you invest some time and effort into earning yourself trust badges. Names like McAfee and Symantec are recognisable to a lot of browsers. Fraud’s a serious concern on the net. Show that you’re safe from it.
No customers
It’s not just security providers and trust badges who can show that you’re trustworthy. Why not let them hear what it’s like to be a customer straight from the horse’s mouth? Provided you’re as good as you say you are, testimonials can be that added little touch to show the proof. If you can provide examples and case studies of past work you’ve done, that’s even better. ‘Me too’-ism is a strong force in the commercial world. People like seeing that the path they’re taking has been tread before them.
Keep it professional, keep it current and keep it personal. The more verification visitors can get from browsing your site, the more likely they are to become customers.
Admin
Beatrice McGraw
Aarif Habeeb
Regina Deemer
Kristel Kinne