Trust is a key usability issue when it comes to running a successful online business. Most people automatically view web businesses with a bias against them compared to their brick and mortar counterparts. Your ability to convince your visitors that yours is a trustworthy business is one of the key components to getting visitors to convert into customers.
Creating a website that conveys trust can be tricky. There are rarely any answers that are always "right" for every visitor. There are, however, several factors that have universal appeal to the weary shopper.
*** Company info ***
Provide your visitors information about your company and its primary owners and operators. Treat your shoppers with a company history and links to frequently asked questions, policies and physical location. The more information you provide the better satisfied any concerned shopper will tend to be.
*** Prompt responses ***
Shoppers want to know that they can rely on a company to meet their needs and concerns quickly once contacted. Be sure to respond promptly and professionally to all customer inquiries. Don't let email or phone messages go unanswered for more than a couple of hours, especially if requests are urgent.
*** Feedback options ***
Create ways for visitors to provide user feedback regarding your products or services and encourage them to do so. Be sure to follow up with feedback and use it to better your services.
*** Transaction security ***
Emphasize that online transactions will be handled securely and that privacy is a top priority. Using secure logos and links to privacy policies page is a must.
*** Offer discounts ***
Sometimes discounts can be a negative, making you appear desperate. However when implemented properly and professionally, percent-off discounts and coupons can be effective and giving visitors an added desire to move forward.
*** Delivery options ***
Be sure to provide low cost and/or varied delivery options. Having more options available allow visitors to select the delivery method they prefer and trust the most, which will then lend additional trust to you.
*** Brand and product quality ***
If you sell brand-name products, be sure to emphasis this as your customers will be more likely to purchase a product brand they recognize. If you don't have brand name products, create a brand and emphasize that. An unknown brand name product is still better than a no-name brand product.
*** Off-line retailer comparison ***
Provide your visitors compelling reasons why they should purchase products from you rather than an offline competitor. Highlight free shipping, lower prices, easy access customer support, etc.
*** Return policy ***
Adding a no-hassle return policy can clinch a sale. Be sure to have return policy information easily available and spell out exactly what is required to return a product and/or get a refund.
*** Minimal / clearly distinguishable ads ***
Don't clutter up your space with ads. Keep your visitors focused on purchasing your products. If you have ads in informational areas of the site keep them to a minimum and make sure they don't overpower your own information.
In an anonymous world where customers cannot examine a product or meet with company reps face to face, trust is much harder to come by. Online businesses have many more hurdles than offline businesses when it comes to establishing trust with their customer base. This means that as an online business, you have to do more than just create a compelling reason to convince people "why you" rather than a competitor. Establishing trust is the key. Your shoppers need to believe without a doubt that, as a business, you're not just in it for yourself, but that you care and will take care of the customer. Without having established any sort of trust there really is no sale.
10 Ways to Help Your Visitors Trust You - To learn more about this author, visit Stoney G deGeyter's Website.
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Stoney G deGeyter
(Visit Stoney's Website)
Stoney deGeyter leads a spectacular team
of seasoned marketing experts at Pole
Position Marketing, a Search Engine Marketing Company.
Stoney started PPM in 1998 by finding the
brightest minds in the industry and
nurturing within them an intense desire to
become leaders in their respective fields.
With this team of professionals, he has
built a wildly successful website
marketing company that succeeds through
both personal and professional integrity.
You can read Stoney’s blog posts at the E-Marketing Performance blog and
more of his work on several well-known SEO
and marketing news sources including
Search Engine Guide and Web Pro News.
Stoney has authored two website marketing
books: E-Marketing Performance: Effective
strategies for building, optimizing, and
marketing your website online and Keyword
Research and Selection: The definitive
guide to gathering, sorting and organizing
your keywords into a high-performance SEO
campaign.
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