Building Website Credibility and Trust

Image by Lisa Caroselli from Pixabay

When shopping online, we’ve all visited websites where it takes just a glance to see that the vendor is not for us. And we’re gone. Or, we linger awhile, only to find that the businesses seem unreliable or amateur. In other words, these websites lack credibility. As small business owners, it’s hard enough to get visitors to come to your website, so it’s crucial that they sense your credibility immediately. According to a study by Zippia, 75% of people judge a company’s credibility based on its website.

What creates credibility? Consider two factors: Design and Content. How can they project credibility and increase sales?

Website Design

The first thing visitors notice is design. What goes into a well-designed website?

  • Professionalism:
    • A professional site has easy to read fonts and simple color schemes. Colors evoke emotions and some colors are better for certain industries than others.
    • Navigation that’s easy, clear and contains only what the visitor wants to see. Our blog on Website Navigation explains the importance of a well-designed navigation system.
    • Plenty of white space makes it easier to find the messages you want visitors to see.
    • Banner messages that give the information a visitor wants, such as shipping policies, your phone number or offers like free estimates or current specials let visitors know you are a thriving business.
  • Fast Load times: Make sure images and videos load quickly. Visitors are unlikely to wait and will miss your messaging if load times are slow. Google says that as page load time increases from 1 to 10 seconds, the probability of a mobile site visitor bouncing increases by 123%.
  • Photos and videos: Product photos with concise descriptions attract customers. Short videos showing your work or providing instruction help build relationships with potential customers.
  • Mobile optimized: More Internet shoppers use their phones than laptops these days. Make sure the look and feel of your website on a mobile device is just as professional as it is on a laptop.
  • Call To Action buttons on the homepage: Small businesses often do not include these, and they are missing a powerful tool. CTA buttons on a homepage lead visitors to more content, where you build credibility and prove the value. They should be colorful and entice the visitor with messages such as “Learn More”, “Get a quote”, “Get started”, “See Our Work”, “Testimonials”, “Call Us”, “Our history” and many more. CTA buttons give visitors a better experience and keep them engaged as you build your brand.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Many of the elements listed here will improve your SEO, including fast load times, mobile optimization, and images. Keywords on each page will also help your SEO, as will the quality of your content. Your website designer can work with you to identify and include the best keywords for each page of your site.

Website Content

If design attracts a visitor’s interest, content will make them a customer. Effective content is language concise, interesting and easy to read. Topics that will build credibility while engaging the visitor include:

  • How to contact you by phone or text. Show your business is real by displaying an address and email address, and links to social media channels. Respond quickly to messages to build credibility.
  • Information about yourself and employees, including photos. Emphasize experience, expertise and a commitment to grow. Include information about your specialties. For example, mention your target market demographic, or your experience in a certain geographic area or serving a certain industry.
  • Testimonials and social proof matter. If your customers are local, emphasize that you know and have expertise in local conditions. For online, testimonials and product/service reviews are vital. Including product ratings or other feedback builds social proof, which adds to your credibility.
  • Show affiliations and awards, such as chamber of commerce membership, BBB or charities you are affiliated with. Include hobbies and sports enjoyed by you or your staff.
  • Include information about guarantees for services or how shipping and returns work for products.
  • Commit to including a blog post on your site. Blogs help with SEO, build awareness and establish you as an expert in your field, which builds credibility. Posting regularly lets visitors know your website is active and maintained. It encourages visitors to visit often to view fresh content.
  • Provide means for further communication. Ask for email addresses or text numbers and provide an incentive.

A third factor of website credibility isn’t on the website. It’s Social Media Coordination. Make sure posts on your social media pages link to the relevant page on your website. Messaging should be consistent and updated often.

Wheaton Website Services has the expertise to help you design a website that builds credibility and drives traffic to it. We will guide you to create content that engages visitors to increase sales and profitability. Contact us to learn how we help small businesses design and maintain their websites.

We design and update websites that run flawlessly.