Yes, This Looks Like a Trustworthy Site
How to Make a Good Impression with Your Website
Other than the blog, a website is a necessary online real estate you need to claim and start setting up. Once the site’s up and running, you’ll also need to measure the analytics to see if there’s any part of the website that needs improvement. But how do you make your content inspire trust among your users? What do you need to make them trust your message and look up your details on the Contact Us tab?
Website content doesn’t need to be long and too detailed to make viewers feel that you’re knowledgeable in your field. If you need to disseminate information important to your customers, create a Resources page with organized links instead of dropdown menus or tabs. Excessive use of tabs can make your website look cluttered and confusing. A large number of tabs can also slow down loading time of your web pages and cause your visitor count to go down.
When making content for your business website, 3-5 short paragraphs with five sentences each are enough to engage your visitors. Any longer and they will just scan the whole page or move on to the next one. Use quality pictures to break up the content and let your viewers’ eyes rest and enjoy the high-resolution photos. An introductory video can also be uploaded to your website to connect your visitors, especially those who like visual content better.
There are some pieces of ‘signal content’ customers usually look for in websites they visit. These effectively encourage visitors to come back and browse your site. According to Jeremy Schaedler, a contributor on Marketingprofs.com, visitors are more likely to feel brand trust if they see the following types of content:
1. Show authoritative sites where you’ve been featured or awards and distinctions received.
Is your business included in Angie’s List? Did your store get awarded for fine customer service or professional conduct? Mention these on your website’s About Us section. If you have a roster of awards or have been the recipient of a certain prize for a number of consecutive years, bring them up as well. You can also include distinctions like being an authorized service center, installer or contractor of a particular brand. This will help make your viewers trust that you’re capable enough to do the job.
2. Get accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB).
Let Better Business Bureau assess and accredit your business. You will be graded according to your track record in the market, as well as, whether you honestly represent your products and services, honor guarantees, and more. Once you manage to pass BBB’s qualifications, you are committing to resolve customer complaints and maintain proper business standards.
All these make customers trust BBB accreditation. Succeeding in the testing phase will allow you to post their badge on your site and declare that you’ve been accredited by the organization. Once users see you’ve been officially certified, they’ll be more likely to buy your merchandise.
3. Post staff bios and pictures.
A page about your staff gives a business more trustworthy feel. This conveys assurance that the business is willing to stand by any promises they make. You can show their educational background, work experience, professional associations, and other credentials. Poor-quality photos will turn off visitors and bump you down a few points in the satisfaction ratings. Their pictures should be clear and well-taken, with your staff projecting the image you want your business to be seen. If you have a dental clinic, you need photos that show your employees on a warm and friendly light. Many law offices, on the other hand, make themselves appear serious and tough to make potential clients confident in allowing them to handle their legal matters.
4. Add testimonials.
Gather testimonials from happy customers and post them on your website. If possible, ask satisfied clients to let you shoot video testimonials. This will help increase customer trust and make them feel comfortable enough to rely on you. You can also allow customers to post their own feedback. This, however, makes it necessary to monitor the testimonials closely. You might encounter negative feedback or spam comments. Try linking your testimonials web page to Yelp and other review sites so your customers can easily see what people are saying outside your website’s online territory.
5. Ensure a secure website.
Security of private accounts, especially in an ecommerce website, is a high priority. If customers can’t trust you with their financial account information, they will not bother to come back. Make it a point to periodically check for hacking attacks, malware threats, viruses and other online threats. Making sure of customer protection will make clients trust you more and come back to buy your merchandise.
6. Add social media plugins.
Facebook like icons can be beneficial toyour website. The number of people liking your blog posts and other pieces of content can influence visitors to check your website out in a more thorough manner. Integrate this with your social marketing campaign to make followers visit your website and engage more with your content.
7. Display your phone number clearly.
Make your phone number appear on every page of your website at the top right corner. Placing the phone number on this position will make it more visible to your visitors. This encourages people to call for more inquiries and open up opportunities to generate sales leads.
8. Make a privacy policy.
Customers nowadays are more concerned with security, especially with threats of online hacking. Make your website a safe place for your clients. Protect their information and make them informed with what you do with their details on a short and comprehensive yet easy-to-understand privacy policy. This will inspire trust and attract more customers to your website.
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