Trust & Credibility: Vital Components to the Success of a Website

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When was the last time you ever did business with someone youdidn't trust? When did you last do business with someone thatyou suspected of being dishonest? Never.This is because trust and credibility are crucial in any businesstransaction. In fact, engendering these qualities in yourvisitor is perhaps the most important aspect of running acommercial website.
Without building trust or credibility, you'll never be able to sell your product or service(s). This isbecause your potential customer has no idea who they're dealingwith, what your reputation is, and if they're going to get whatthey expect.
If they can't trust you, why would they pick youinstead of someone who they can trust?So, to help you create a trusting environment on your website, I've compiled a list of ten things you can do:1 - Don't Make Outrageous Claims.This one is common sense, but you would be surprised at how manypeople break this rule. Have you ever visited a site that's*obviously* been built for a little "mom & pop" shop that claimsthey're "The #1 Blah Blah Blah in America," the "The Best on thePlanet," or something similar? And what impression does thatleave with you? Probably that these people don't know whatthey're doing or are not to be trusted.
So please people, bereasonable with what you say, because people won't believe youotherwise.2 - Check for and correct any grammar or spelling errors.I've said this so many times before, but it's SO important thatthe content of your site is essentially flawless. Nothing says,"We're not to be trusted!" better than some spelling and grammarerrors.
To correct this problem, it's best to get several peopleto read through your site and point out any errors they see.Also, ALWAYS run any content you've made through a spell checkerimmediately before posting it.3 - Give a risk-free guarantee on your product or services (andmake it "no questions asked").Think about the beauty of this tactic. It does two things foryou right away.
First of all, it removes any risk for thecustomer, so they are usually far more likely to buy. Secondly,it builds trust because the customer assumes that if you'reoffering a "no questions asked" guarantee, you're willing totrust them.
And if you're willing to trust them, they're usuallywilling to trust you!4 - Publish a free newsletter.It's been proven that it usually takes more than one exposure toa product or service before someone will buy it. By running afree newsletter, you can gain those needed exposures.
In theprocess of exposing those potential clients to your product orservice repeatedly, you can also build trust with your newsletterif your content is good. If you've got something valuable andhelpful to say, people will see you as an expert in your fieldand therefore trust you.
And then you get their business.5 - Use testimonials!I can't stress how important putting testimonials on your websiteis. If people can see proof that you've made previous customershappy, they almost always trust you.
However, in order for thisto be effective, you've got to do several things: first, NEVERmake up testimonials. Second, make sure the testimonials arespecific about how you helped the customer or client instead ofsomething general like, "You guys are great!" Something likethat is not specific enough, and you might as well leave it out.Third, make sure the people providing the testimonials are easyto contact either via an e-mail address or with a websiteaddress.6 - Provide visitors with plenty of contact information.Many online businesses are fly-by-night companies who are heretoday and gone tomorrow.
People are especially scared of gettingcheated by one of these companies or people. So, in order toassuage their fears, make your contact information readilyavailable for viewing at all times.
You should ALWAYS includeyour phone number, address, and e-mail addresses in an easilyaccessible section of your website.7 - Let people get to know who you are.A perfect way to go about doing this is to have an "About Us"page that gives a bit of background on all the members of yourcompany or business. This is effective because the Internet is avery impersonal medium.
Adding information about who you areoften warms people up to your offer because they feel likethey're dealing with a real person instead of a computer screen.When people feel like they "know you," they trust you as well.8 - Take the "honest" approach from time to time.It's somewhat difficult to convey to you exactly what you shoulddo to accomplish this. But the concept is pretty simple.you don't always have to try to "sell" your visitor on your product orservice.
Try being honest and up-front with your visitors andpotential customers. For a good example what I'm talking about,just visit my site.
(http://sybren.net) You'll see that inplaces, I'm very blunt about what we're trying to accomplish andhow we can help you. By trying to avoid "hyping" the visitor, Ioften gain their trust.9 - Write articles for other websites and newsletters related toyour field of expertise.When someone reads your informative and enlightening article on atopic they need help with, they immediately regard you as anexpert, and they feel as though they can trust you.
When you'veengendered their trust, and they are already interested in thetype of product or service you offer, it's VERY easy to make asale. All you have to do is get them to your website!10 - Make your site look like it was made by a pro!If you visited a run-down, nasty store with dusty shelves andcluttered items, you'd never buy one thing from them, even iftheir prices were incredible and their product quite good.
Ifyour website is "virtually" run-down, the same thing's going tohappen - no one will buy from you. You've got to look good tosell well, because people *do* judge a book by its cover, andthey'll your website by its "cover." So get your site designedby a pro or invest some time learning how to make it look good byyourself.
If you don't, you'll never reap the full potential ofthe Internet.Hopefully, these suggestions will help you on your way tobecoming an online success (or more of one if you already are).Good luck! Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com .