Many home businesses and small businesses have websites, either to promote the business or to sell products but overlook the fact that there are millions of people out there who are slow to trust websites and even slower to use their credit cards on one. If you have a work at home business it can be especially important to improve your credibility online. Here are a few tips to help you boost your online credibility.
- Professional Looking Design
The more professional looking the website, the more likely people are to trust it. Don’t use counters, pop-ups, avoid the comic sans font and have a good menu structure. Ensure the site is easy to use and read by avoiding garish backgrounds.
Include an ‘about us’ page along with a privacy statement. Inform your customers how professional you are, include your business aims, how long you have been in the business assure them you will not abuse their email addresses. Include your contact details on a page of its own. Give customers your address and contact information from emails to phone and fax details.
- Show your products or services
Use good quality photos of your products or your service in action, so if you sell handmade signs for example have some nice photos on your site to show them off. If you provide a service then maybe show a before and after type shot. Think how you can convey how good your service is because a picture can be worth a thousand words. Optimise the pics to load quickly on your website by keeping them small enough both in physical size and file size.
- Website Content
Give your site visitors good content. There are a few reasons for this, firstly the more information you provide the more likely they are to trust you and revisit your website, hopefully becoming a repeat visitor and customer. Offer good articles on your product and industry and you become an authority figure to your visitors.
Another benefit is that the more good content you have the more the search engines will like your site, therefore the more visitors and potential customers arriving on your website for free.
If you have had good reviews or testimonials offered by previous customers use them as website content. Many home businesses have happy customers write flattering emails complimenting the business but fail to use this as a selling point.
- Terms of Business
Include a page detailing your guarantee and refunds or returns policy if applicable. This helps to convince the website user of your professionalism. If you sell products on your website it is also important to inform customers of your security measures guarding their credit card and other personal details. This might be a comment on the encryption your system uses or an assurance of how personal information is stored.
- Spelling and Grammar
Ensure you use spellcheck to eliminate glaring errors in your content. The more professional you look the more likely your visitors are to trust you.
Use these tips and you are well on your way to boosting credibility and increasing your sales.
Posted under Marketing
This post was written by admin on October 18, 2007
