6 Ways to Enhance Your Website?s Credibility and Inspire Trust

In today's connected world, anyone can get a website up and running in just a few minutes. However, creating an online presence that makes your company look trustworthy and credible takes some more work. Here are a few things that you can do to reassure potential customers that your business is legitimate and can be trusted, no matter which industry you operate in.

 

1. Create an "About Us" Page

When you build your website, be sure to take the time to include a section that gives a brief overview of your business, such as how you got started, your company's history, what your goals are, etc. You should also include information and photos of your company's founders and key personnel.

If your business type is one that doesn't usually receive customers on its premises, like a service provider or manufacturing company, add a few photos of your facilities on your "About Us" page. All of this will tell your visitors that they're dealing with a legitimate company, instead of a faceless website with unknown people behind it.

 

2. Make It Easy for Customers to Contact You

Having a website where the only way of getting in touch with the owners is via a generic web form doesn't generate much trust. Your visitors want to know that they'll be able to reach you quickly should they have a problem or a question about your products or services. For this reason, you should make your contact information, such as your phone number and support email address, prominent on your website.

It's also a good idea to use a live chat system. There are now several live chat widgets you can add to your website that let you immediately interact with your visitors. Studies have shown that websites, especially e-commerce sites that include a live chat feature are more trusted by their customers and have higher conversion rates.

 

3. Be Creative in Your Use of Images

There are stock photos and default themes that every Internet user has seen. A site with too many generic elements looks boring and gives an "artificial" vibe, which isn't something you want when building visitor trust.

While there's nothing wrong with using a few stock photos or generic design elements here and there, you should work on adding some creativity to your website visuals. Whenever possible, add photos that were actually taken by you. Another good idea is to use custom graphic elements, like logos and infographics throughout your website.

If you aren't too skilled in graphic design, there are plenty of freelancers that can create simple website graphics for you at affordable prices. You can find them on sites like Fiverr or webmaster discussion forums.

 

4. Obtain an SSL Certificate

To show your visitors that you're serious about security, you should obtain an SSL certificate for your website. An SSL certificate allows you to create a secure connection between your server and the visitor's device, thus preventing information exchanged from being intercepted along the way.

Having an SSL certificate is essential if you're running an e-commerce site, but it's also highly recommended if you collect any form of customer information on your site or you run an online service that allows users to create an account and log in. SSL certificate providers also give you a badge image that you can add to your website to show that it's protected, which makes your site appear more trustworthy.

You can obtain an SSL certificate from your hosting provider or from a third-party service. As SSL certificates have become a lot more affordable lately, there's simply no reason not to get one.

 

5. Include Customer Reviews

If you sell products or services through your website, it's a good idea to enable customer reviews. This will allow your visitors to leave a rating (one to five stars) and a comment about specific products and services you carry.

It's also a good idea to showcase reviews that your company has received on various websites, such as Facebook, Yelp and Google. Doing so will give your visitors the assurance that they're visiting the website of a business that cares about quality.

 

6. Add a Blog to Your Main Website

Blogging gives you a great platform to connect with your visitors. It gives you a place where you can share helpful content resources that your visitors will actually enjoy reading. In order for your blog to be effective, it shouldn't simply be a sales pitch for your company and its products.

Rather, the content should be relevant to your audience's interests, while having some type of relation with your niche. For example, if you run a website that sells used computers and electronics, you can make blog posts that give advice on how to make the most out of tech gadgets, how to install various operating systems, provide reviews of many kinds of software, etc.

Online marketing experts recommend that you publish three to four new blog posts a week and that your posts should be at least 1,000 words long. To draw more attention to your blog, you should distribute your posts on your social media accounts too.

 

Wrapping Up

If you want your business to succeed and stay competitive in today's world, building trust with your website visitors is essential. By getting an SSL certificate, adding a blog to your site or using custom images, you help your website appear more trustworthy and thus make it more likely that someone will do business with you after seeing it.