With over one billion websites in the World Wide Web, it is more complicated to determine what the truth is, versus what are hoaxes. The number of fraudulent websites is on the rise as well, while scams become more convoluted and creative. Due to this, research such as for the academe and industry trends, have become complicated as well.
Today, you have to double check each reference to ensure that you are citing the right figures, and that your source is not biased towards a topic, as well as to ensure that there is no conflict of interest. How so? Think of it this way: a study that leans towards the success of a particular medicine and is published on the website of the pharmaceutical company would have some people doubt the results. However, if the same results were published by a reputable medical journal, then the findings would be accepted as credible and authentic.
You can apply the same principle with your website. There are a number of ways through which you can gain the trust of your audience, as well as become their go-to-source on topics that are relevant to your business. To do this, you must become an authority on certain topics and to turn your website into a resource page for it.
Does it sound complicated? Don’t be intimidated. Here are some tips on how you can increase your trust rating among your website visitors.
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Design Matters
In a study published by the New York Technology Council, it has been emphasized that businesses only have six seconds to make a lasting impression on a web page visitor. That said, this means you only have six seconds to impress them with your relevance and authority. However, how can you convince them that you are the right company for the job, if you only have six seconds to convince them to stay on your website.
The answer lies on a sophisticated and professionally done website. If your website is reeking of templates and flashy display that is oftentimes seen on scrupulous websites, then your web visitors would be quick to click the “X” icon.
This doesn’t mean that your web design is the only thing that is up for scrutiny. Web visitors would also check out your content and see if you have anything relevant to offer them. Therefore, if you have obvious grammar or spelling mistakes, then they would be quick to leave your site as well.
The take away on this item would be this: make sure that your website appears professional, and you have no glaring grammatical or misspellings. This way, a single browse at your website would give your visitors the impression that you are trustworthy.
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Convince Them
After focusing on your web design and content, you need to further convince your web visitors to stay on your pages. You can do this by putting badges and testimonials on your website, or at least prominent logos of your previous clients. This way, you would be igniting a “me too” facet in every person who wants to be a part of something successful.
Likewise, if you are offering products or services on your website, then you can put logos of your merchants and/or payment methods, such as PayPal. This would be able to reassure your viewers at a glance that you wouldn’t just run off with their money as they would be able to see a logo they easily recognize.
Finally, try to incorporate an RSS feed on your website. This way, your visitors would be able to see that your company is also active on social media, and they would be able to see the number of fans you have on your page. Assuming that you have at least 20,000 fans on your Facebook page, then your visitors would be reassured that you’re the real deal: after all, 20,000 fans couldn’t be wrong.
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Be Showy
This doesn’t mean flashy designs filled with marquees; rather, you need to show off your accomplishments. Aside from the testimonials and logos of your former clients, do you have any awards and certifications you can display prominently on your website? Having certifications would go a long way in convincing potential clients that you have what it takes to provide their needs.
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Be Relatable
After showing off your professionalism and abilities with your sophisticated design, and convincing them to stay by showing off your testimonials, accomplishments, previous clients, and social media presence, then it would be time to be their friend. Visitors react positively to websites that seem to “speak” to them, in the sense that the web page seems to have the information they sorely need.
You can do this by providing timely and authoritative content about common inquiries in your industry, as well as giving them credible content on other interesting topics. You should also put the faces of your key personnel on the website, as it would be easier for web visitors to trust a website if they can put a face to the nameless entity they are about to contact for services.
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Be Approachable
Once you’re sure that your potential clients would have an idea of what you do, who your previous clients are, and why you are the right company for the job, you would have to be easily approachable. Provide your contact information, as well as your physical address, and your emails. If you have other platforms through which your clients can contact you, then indicate them as well.
Providing many ways of communications would ensure your clients that your business is being run professionally, as you would have the staff to monitor all these forms of communication. This includes your social media pages – make sure that your community managers are competent enough to respond to all the concerns of your fans.
The Bottom Line
Once you follow these tips, you would hopefully be on your way to increasing your trust rating. Remember, people would only buy from businesses or entities that they are sure would be able to provide the service and would not scam them. It is therefore imperative for you to send the right impression from the get-go.