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Video Summary
Do you have a credible website? And, does it even matter?
You only get the opportunity to influence your site visitors if they are convinced your business is reliable, honest, and knowledgeable. But if they don’t find your website credible, then expect the opposite. They will exit your site, and you lose the chance to gain a customer or client. And you certainly don’t want that! So, how do you earn the trust of those who find your business online?
Here are 10 tips to build the credibility of your website. This information is based on research from Stanford.
Video Transcript
How do you know if your website is credible? And, does it even matter? Well, if you want to attract new clients, then website credibility is important. It is the difference between having a site that was made with purpose and a site that is only good-looking.
Most people arriving at your website for the first time probably have no idea about your business, so your goal is to introduce your brand and instill a sense of trust. There are 2 important factors to consider in building your site’s credibility: expertise and trustworthiness.
You only get the opportunity to influence your site visitors if they are convinced your business is reliable, honest, and knowledgeable. Once you gain their trust, then they become willing to interact with your site.
But if they don’t find your website credible, then expect the opposite. They will exit your site, and you lose the chance to gain a customer or client. And you certainly don’t want that! So, how do you earn the trust of those who find your business online?
Here are 10 tips to build the credibility of your website. This information is based on research from Stanford.
Tip #1. Maintain a Functional Website and Avoid Errors
Do you hate broken links? You’re not alone! What if a website includes a link that piques your interest, and when you click on it… you get an error message, or a page not found message? How likely will you continue to trust this website?
Broken and dead links negatively impact a website’s credibility. To avoid this problem on your own site, be sure to test the links before you publish them. And test again after you publish so that you’re certain everything works properly.
Then test again from time to time to make sure all links continue working properly. Whenever you find a dead one, either replace it or delete it.
Also watch for typos, poor grammar, misspelled words, and similar problems. If you think your readers don’t notice these things, you are mistaken. Not everyone will notice of course, and of those who do, not everyone will care. But there are some visitors who will make a judgment thinking you don’t pay attention to details, or you don’t care enough to get it right.
Are you willing to trust someone if you think they don’t care or you think they don’t know what they’re doing? So, these mistakes are a problem for your website credibility.
Tip #2. Have a Professional Website Design
A first impression lasts, and an attractive design makes people take notice. Let’s face it, people like pretty things, and a good-looking website is not an exception.
Pay extra attention to your layout, your images, the typography, and the consistency. Make sure your design is appropriate to your site’s purpose and what your business offers.
What can you do to make sure you have an attractive and professional website? Do you need bright colors? Blinking banners? A lot of popups? A video that plays automatically with sound turned on? I don’t think so.
Start by judging your own website in the same way you would judge others, and don’t be afraid to ask the opinion of other people as well!
Tip #3. Provide Proof that Your Content is Accurate
Using credible sources including citations, references, or source material, and adding links to back up your information, increases the credibility of your website.
Linking to external credible sites supports your website’s content and shows search engines that you provide relevant information. And it proves your content is truthful and that you’re not just making things up.
This can be especially important if statistics or studies or surveys are mentioned in your content. Just be sure you’re linking to the correct and well-respected sources. Even if readers of your content don’t click the links, they still feel as though you are confidently referencing the additional information.
At the same time, when other websites link to yours, it boosts your site’s credibility and that can even improve your ranking. It also drives more traffic to your business.
Tip #4. Regularly Update Your Content
Regularly updating your content shows that your site is active and up to date, thus contributing to your credibility and trustworthiness. Having up-to-date content makes your website appear relevant and authoritative. It also gives your visitors a reason to come back.
One way to ensure your content stays current is by setting up a schedule so that you audit the content from time to time. This way you never forget to do it. Also be sure to continue posting to your blog on a regular basis. If you don’t have a blog, start one! Even posting as infrequently as once a month, can make a big difference.
Blogs are a perfect channel to keep providing relevant content to your visitors. Blogs also keep visitors on your site longer giving you more chances to influence them. Once you get a group of faithful readers, you can count on more regular traffic to your site.
Tip #5. Limit Promotional Content
To avoid frustrating your users and losing credibility, avoid pop-up ads as much as possible. In fact, avoid ads altogether, if you can. If you must include promotional content, then make sure visitors can distinguish ads from your own content.
Use clear, direct, and sincere language when writing your promotional materials to make sure your audience understands what you offer. And make sure any ads are backed with stats or sources to prove their authenticity.
Tip #6. Make Sure your Website is Useful and Easy to Use
Your visitors go to your site or they click a link to your content because they are looking for something they expect to find within your site. So, make sure they don’t have a hard time finding whatever it is.
I know you want to make your website show dazzling things and impress your audience. However, if visitors cannot quickly find whatever led them to your site in the first place, then all that sparkle is just a waste.
Tip #7. Show the Real People Behind your Site
Showing that there are honest and trustworthy people behind the scenes improves your brand’s credibility. Your audience wants to know they are transacting business with real people so they can be comfortable engaging with your website.
You can easily accomplish this by including photos on your site’s About Us page. Include bios of you and your staff along with a few pictures of your office or your team.
Tip #8. Highlight your Business Expertise
To put it simply, you have to prove your expertise. People want to be sure they’re being served by a good company. If you have experts on your team, then brag about them a little bit. It’s okay.
In addition, if you use other service providers or consultants or contributors be sure they are credible too. You want to make sure their interactions properly represent your brand.
Do you have any affiliations with respected organizations? Any high-profile clients? Let people know about these. You can show them off. Likewise, any associations you have that are not credible should be avoided.
Client testimonials and online reviews are also a really great way to build your site’s credibility and highlight your expertise. Word of mouth is influential, and referrals are still one of the strongest types of influences.
Tip #9. Show your Business is Legitimate
Knowing that your organization is a legitimate one will help boost your site’s credibility. One of the easiest ways to do this is by including a physical address.
Another way is to create a complete and accurate Google Business Profile. Businesses with more complete profiles have an advantage, so take some time to be as complete as possible.
I have separate videos explaining how to get and optimize your Google Business Profile if you need to do these things. You can find the links here for easy access.
Tip #10. Make it Easy for People to Contact You
Boost your site’s credibility by adding a clear section in your website specifically for your contact information. This may include your phone number, email address, social media accounts, and your mailing address.
Typically, this information is located at the bottom of your site and on a separate contact page. But it’s totally up to you where you want to put it! Putting your phone number in the upper right can demonstrate confidence while making it easy for your prospects to find your number and contact you.
Some websites have a live chat feature. Almost all sites should have a Contact Us page where visitors can submit questions via email or some kind of web form.
Bonus Tip. Don’t forget about Mobile Optimization
These days, people are almost always connected to their devices. Every year we discover more advantages of using our mobile phones to do transactions all over the world.
Smart phones have changed and improved the ways you can reach your customers and provide your products and services. So make it easy for mobile users to contact you by offering simple buttons to call, text, or email.
Put these 11 tips together and credibility really comes down to one main thing… focus on improving your website’s user experience! That’s priority number 1. But keep in mind that having a credible website is not enough. You still have to get people to your site.
So, once you have cleaned up the user experience, are you ready to get more traffic to your website? Do you want more prospects, more clients?
If so, join me on an upcoming training where I will go over 3 secrets to help you get ahead of your competition in the search results without spending money on ads or Search Engine Optimization. Look for the registration link and join me soon.
Your business deserves to be seen online, and I will help you get there. Thanks for watching and have a great day!
