Building a website that exudes trust is not always an easy task. There are a lot of untrustworthy websites on the internet and consumers are growing more and more cautious every day! That’s why in today’s online market you have to make sure that your website screams “YOU CAN TRUST ME!” so that your potential customers don’t mistake you for one of the not so trustworthy sites. The following 5 quick and easy things you can add to your website that can make the task seem a little more manageable.

1. Contact Information up the Wazoo!

Ok, all kidding aside, it’s true! Pay close attention to your own online habits. When you are shopping online and are looking at a website that you have never purchased from before, you immediately look for easy ways to get a hold of the company. You may not realize it, but you do it! So make sure you add as much of the following: Phone, Fax, Email (Multiple and by department if possible), IM, Contact Form and Live Chat.

2. Website Policies & Terms

Everyone feels a bit more comfortable knowing what to expect in advance to making a purchase, so make sure you detail the entire experience for your potential customers. Include: Shipping Info, Returns & Exchanges, Warranties/Guarantees, General Terms and Privacy (cookies and personal information sharing)

3. Good, Credible & Reliable Copywriting

Make sure your Website copy is “Human Readable” meaning it can be read by the average human and be understood. The last thing you need is for your online visitors to feel stupid for not understanding or getting lost in your information because of repeating keywords in awkward places. Make sure you don’t make it sound too farfetched and don’t overuse adverbs and adjectives. If your content is well-written and industry appropriate, you will go far building and maintaining trust.

4. User Testimonials & Reviews

Some of the most important content you can add to your site that can instantly lend credibility to your brand are testimonials & reviews. People looking to do business with you want to know if they are going to pleased with the experience. Make sure to put at least 5 – 10 testimonials, both positive and negative. Yes, I said “AND NEGATIVE”. Why would you do that? Well think about it… You are telling everyone that you have been in business so many years, and your service is superior and this and that, yet not a single person has ever been dissatisfied with your business? Really? Everyone’s expectations of a business transaction is different, hence you are sure to have some that didn’t like some aspect of it. I’m not saying you want to put the worst ones on there, but consider putting on 1 or 2 that mention a couple of things that particular customer did not like. This will add realism to your reviews and doing so will demonstrate confidence in your business and service.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

FAQs are a great way to not only lower cost associated with customer support by reducing incoming calls or emails for simple questions, but also in building trust and rapport. Adding these will give an area where customers can view answers to common questions that someone doing business with you may have. This will go far and be very appreciated by your potential and current customers.

Tags: credibility, online confidence, online trust, relaibility, web trust, Website

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 8:40 am and is filed under Marketing 101, Website Development. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.