Web site owners spend a lot of time optimising their content for search engines and promoting their site through Facebook and Twitter. But some are then disappointed when they find they aren”t converting as many visitors to customers as they”d like. In order to become your customers, people have to be 100% happy that you”re the real deal. If you follow a few basic rules, you”ll find your visitors feel they can trust you and your conversion rates will improve. These tips apply equally to ecommerce sites and ”brochure” style sites; in short any site that intends to elicit a response from potential customers.
Who are you?
There are a lot of shady characters out there on the world wide web. Fly by night fraudsters who want to take the money and run. Do your customers know you”re not one of them? A web site that includes no company details or contact methods other than a small web form isn”t doing much to reassure potential buyers. At the very least, you should include the full company name and address, along with phone and fax numbers. Names of key personnel are added confidence builders. If you show people you”ve nothing to hide and you are what you say you are, they”ll feel a lot safer handing over their payment details.
Why should customers use you?
You need to provide potential customers with reasons why they should buy your product or use your service. Your company history, or details of previous experience if the business is new is useful, together with an overview of your capabilities. Of course, unsubstantiated claims are never a good thing, so if you say you can do something, you need evidence to back it up. Try to steer clear of buzzwords and those meaningless comical executive phrases we”ve all heard in meetings!
Testimonials
It looks good when people say nice things about your company, so make sure you publish comments from customers. But anyone can put testimonials on their site, and the vast majority are probably made up. So make yours stand out by gettting permission from some of your clients to use their names, and ask them if they wouldn”t mind providing a reference if asked.
Terms and Conditions
A page listing your Terms and Conditions will let your customers know exactly where they stand and reassure them that you”re a serious, well thought out business that believes in fairness and openness.
Frequently Asked Questions
A page of FAQs is an ideal opportunity to say some good things about your product or service, put any fears to rest and provide your customers with a detailed explanation of what they”ll be getting for their money.
Delivery
If yours is an ecommerce site, it is a good idea to make delivery options and charges very clear, perhaps on a dedicated page, to allay any fears about hidden charges and encourange users to purchase.
Privacy
Details of your privacy policy will ensure your visitors know you aren”t going to sell their details to a dodgy spammer.
Get it right
Typos, spelling mistakes, bad grammar and broken links are never a good way to impress people. Check your copy before you publish it, and if like me you”re rubbish at proof reading, get someone else to do it for you.
Conclusion
It only takes a few simple steps to make your site stand out from the dodgy ones and reassure potential customers, but you”d be amazed how many perfectly genuine site owners don”t take the time to show they”re trustworthy. Just a small amount of effort now will pay dividends in the long run.Feel free to contact me if you”d like to discuss improvements to your online presence.
Tags: Web Design
