Business relationships are always founded on trust. Simply put, customers won’t buy your product or sign up for your service if they think you’re disreputable, or if they question whether or not you can hold up your end of the bargain. Because of this, one of the primary functions of marketing is establishing that trust—proving to customers that your business is credible.
Your company website can play a huge role in that. Remember that your website is the first impression most customers will have of your business; it sets the tone for how they perceive you. As such, it’s vital that your website convey the professionalism, integrity, and credibility of your company—something that requires you to weigh several key factors.
Social Proof
The concept of social proof is basically this: Consumers don’t like doing new or untested things. Before they purchase your product, they want to see that other people have purchased it, and had a positive experience.
One way you can offer these reassurances is by placing testimonials on your website. This is an effective way to shore up credibility and trust, especially if you have a product that is non-traditional; highly technical; or very expensive.
Reviews can also work here; something as simple as a link to your Google review portfolio allows consumers to get the social proof they need to purchase confidently.
Third-Party Ads
It’s not uncommon for business websites to run third-party ads. This can certainly be an effective way to generate supplemental revenue, but it comes at a cost—namely, your credibility.
Most consumers see third-party ads as illegitimate. They give the impression that your company is shady, or just that it’s desperate for money. That’s to say nothing of the impairment to the user experience. All told, the added revenues you get from ads probably aren’t worth the hit to your reputation.
Site Updates
Have you ever come across a website that clearly hasn’t been updated in years? Perhaps the home page has an “urgent news” announcement that’s dated to 2015. Frankly, this makes it unclear whether the company is even still in business any more.
Regular site updates are key. One of the easiest ways to ensure new content is to have a blog, and to add new posts regularly. Additionally, it’s good to have a rhythm of refreshing your site’s written content every couple of years, and overhauling the design every three or four.
Contact Information
We are always encouraging business owners to include their NAP information on every page of their company website. NAP, of course, stands for your company name, address, and phone number.
There are multiple benefits to this, including local SEO traction. But even more basically, providing easy-to-spot contact information makes it clear that you are available to your customers. If they do buy your product and have a question or a problem, they know exactly how to get in touch with you.
By contrast, when you don’t include accessible contact information, it makes it seem as though you’re hiding from your own customers—and that hardly breeds trust.
Website Performance
Another topic that we frequently broach is website performance. Studies show that, if your site takes more than two or three seconds to load, you’re probably losing traffic.
Not only that, but you’re losing credibility, as well. Remember: Customers expect you to meet their needs quickly and attentively. If they can’t even get your website to load in a timely fashion, that hardly instills confidence that you will provide an efficient service.
Content
There are a few ways in which your written website content can either enhance or undermine your credibility.
We’ll start with the latter category: If you want to lose consumer confidence quickly, fill your site with spelling and grammar mistakes—a surefire way to damage your professional reputation.
To build confidence, though, it’s always helpful to include detailed information about your warranties and guaranties, whenever applicable. And, detailed product information can also go a long way. An added bonus: Include video how-tos or product demos, especially for highly complicated or non-traditional products. Leave no doubt about what the buyer can expect from your product.
Build Trust Through Web Design
To close, it’s worth noting that a sleek, modern, and easy-to-navigate website speaks volumes about your company’s commitment to excellence. It’s not an exaggeration to say that website design can work wonders for your business’ reputation.
If you’re looking to lend a little more credibility to your business, a good website is where you should start. And that’s something we’d love to help you with. The enCOMPASS team has ample experience building sites that convey integrity and professionalism.
Let’s have a chat about your website needs. Reach out to the enCOMPASS team today to start that conversation.
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