It is increasingly harder for many website owners to get the visitor to register as a member, sign up for a trial, or join a subscriber list, and even harder yet to get the visitor to make a purchase. Why? Because there are some many websites out there that are lacking when it comes to credibility. Is yours among them? Even if you have all the best intentions, if your website lacks certain elements, then in the eyes of potential clients and customers, you could be just the latest cyber crook out to make a quick buck or even worse yet… steal their identity. More and more people are super-cautious when it comes to online transactions, which makes building your website credibility crucial to your success online. So how do you build that trust with people you can’t see and who can’t see you? Professionalism in your website design and structure is paramount.

Display Contact Information

Think about it. If you’re dealing with someone online, you want to be able to contact them, right? Well the same rings true for your visitors. They want to be able to find your contact information without a struggle, and they want more than just an email address. A free email address from Hotmail.Com is not going to cut it with most folks, either. A business email address is important to conveying your intentions as an actual business. People want to do business with businesses. You should also include your actual name, a working phone number, and a physical address where they can track you down if you abscond with their credit card number! Placing this information on each and every page of your website ensures the visitor that you have nothing to hide. If you were doing business in your hometown, you would want to make your presence known – and you would want to publish this information. Doing business online is no different – and it is even more important than when you have a brick and mortar business establishment. Also include a simple email contact form for questions – and reply promptly.

Privacy Policy

You must have a privacy policy in place for your website, and link to the privacy policy from each page for added credibility. This keeps you in compliance with the FCC and also gives the website visitor a heightened sense of your professionalism.

Tout Your Credentials

Are you a member of the BBB? Let your visitors know this! Do you have membership with your local chamber of commerce or other organizations? Display your credentials proudly and you’ll increase the confidence that the visitor has that they are dealing with a genuine, credible business. This includes displaying the logos of the credit cards that you accept on your website, and any third party SSL-encryption software that processes your credit card or ACH transactions. (Be sure to check any restrictions on the copyright of a logo before displaying, however). Placing a professional photograph of yourself on the about us page is also a great way to put a face with a name – and you’ll see that people feel more at ease when they have a “real person” to relate the website to, not an avatar or a graphic.

Professional Website Design

Above all, make sure that the entire design of your website is professional – even if you have to pay a website designer to design the site or to revamp the site. Examine your website with a scrutinizing eye – and ask yourself if the website seems to portray what you would consider a legitimate business if you were a customer yourself.

Keep in mind that implementing these simple tips will help your business website to get off on a better foot – and although it may not be the easiest route to go, you will definitely see more visitors become customers or clients by exuding a professional appearance. Just as in the “real world”, you want people to feel comfortable with the products and services that you are offering – and that comfort begins with them viewing your site as credible.

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