our website is a vehicle for trust between you and a potential customer. Prospective customers will often not have heard of your business previously. They may find you through online searches or perhaps a word-of-mouth recommendation. One of the first things that they'll do is take a look at your website: they want to know who you are and how your business can help them with their problems. The first impression that someone receives after they reach your website can make a big difference. In many cases, it's simply the difference between someone choosing to contact you or visiting your competitor's website instead. If your website is outdated or lacking in terms of content, you're making it harder for someone totrust you. For example, you could have a copyright date in the footer from 2-3 years ago or more. Do you think that truly shows a prospective customer that your business cares about its appearance? When it comes to navigating a website, trust goes beyond a shiny badge or an encouraging seal of approval. Your customers' entire journey through your website should be full of trust signals from start to finish. Let's go through some of the most important trust signals a website needs to have:
Clean and modern design
A website doesn't need to be awork of art, but it does need to look like the business cares about their appearance. If an overall design appeals to the target audience, they'll likely stay on the website for longer. A modern and clean design can go a long way in making a good impression. It shows that the business is up-to-date and takes pride in their appearance. Plus, it's just more pleasant to look at! A cluttered and outdated website can turn potential customers away, so it'simportant to make sure your website is designed with your target audience in mind. Take some time to consider your website's design, and you'll be sure to see an uptick in traffic and engagement.
Mobile website
As more and more people use their smartphones and tablet computers to browse the internet, it's more important than ever to make sure that your website is designed to work correctly on these devices. Otherwise, you risk losing out on a large percentage of potential visitors. A responsive website is one that automatically scales and adjusts to fit the small screen of a mobile device.This ensures that visitors have a good experience when viewing your site on a smartphone or tablet. If your website is not currently responsive, you should consider having it redesigned. Otherwise, you risk losing out on a significant number of potential visitors.
Visible contact number
If you're running a business, it's important to have a visible contact number. This helps to build trust with potential customers and lets them know that you're a genuine business. Ideally, your telephone number should be prominently displayed on your website, so that people can easily get in touch with you. If you don't want to receive telephone calls, then you should make sure that your alternative contact details are just as visible and easy to use. By making sure your audience can always get in touch, you’ll be on your way to building trust and ensuring a successful business relationship.
Address listed on website
This is important for a variety of reasons, including establishing a legal presence and providing a place for customers to visit. Of course, not all businesses need a physical address. Ifyou're providing a service that can be performed remotely, there's no need to worry about finding office space. In this case, you might consider alternatives to a traditional address, such as listing a map of your service area on yourwebsite. This can be a great way to show potential customers that you're available to help them, no matter where they are.
Reviews and/or testimonials
If you're selling products or services online, reviews and testimonials are key to building trust with potential customers. No one wants to be the first person to buy something, so seeing that others have had a positive experience with your business is crucial. And while a five-star rating is always nice to see, potential customers will also appreciate reading detailed reviews that give them a better idea of what to expect. For more expensive or complex products and services, case studies are even better; by providing in-depth information about how your business was able to solve a problem for a customer, you can show that you're the expert in your field.
Updated content
Updating your website might not be at the top of your to-do list. But it should be. There's nothing worse than coming across a blog post from 2015 and realizing that the person who wrote it hasn't been back since. To a potential customer, that says you don't care about your audience. And if you don't care about your audience, why should they careabout you? The content on your website is important. It should be answering questions that potential customers have. It should be kept up-to-date and relevant – it doesn't hurt to trim things that aren't needed and to add in new content that is important.
Copyright date in footer
How many times have you been browsing a website and seen that the copyright date hasn't been updated in years? Maybe it's not a big deal, but it can give the impression that the business is inactive or defunct. An easy way to avoid this issue is to show a date range instead of a single year. That way, even if you forget to update it for a few years, people will still see that the site is active and relevant. So next time you're updating your website, take a moment to change that copyright date into a date range. A simple fix, but one that can help people to trust that the business is active and genuine.
People visit websitesfor a myriad of reasons. Maybe they’re looking for information on a product or service, or maybe they want to learn more about the company before doing business with them. In either case, it’s important that you make sure your visitors feel comfortable and trust you implicitly. After all, if people don’ttrust you, they won’t do business with you- no matter how good your products or services may be.
