A website can be a great tool when it comes to building a strong customer base. As such, it is essential to present your site in a way that it appears legitimate and inspires trust. There are quite a few ways you can achieve this, and we have compiled a list of things you should do to avoid appearing like just another untrustworthy online service. These are proved methods and will ensure that prospective customers not only stay on your website but have no qualms about using your business.
Proofread your content
Just think about it. What is the best way to identify a counterfeit item? It will probably have a few spelling errors or grammatical errors in its description. You will immediately steer clear of such a product. Also, if something incorrect is mentioned, then it will fuel this mistrust even further. This is so much truer for websites, and that is why everything you post on your website must be proofread. Just heaving good content isn't enough. It should be reliable and appear reliable too. The first step is to ensure that there are no grammatical errors or spelling mistakes. It will give the assurance to the visitors of your website that it is representing a legitimate business. Then comes the actual content itself. Every fact that is mentioned should be accurate and valid. Any claims made on the website must be claims that can be verified. This is the first step in establishing trust with your customers through the website. Always aim for quality over quantity even if it means you have to spend a bit more time on curating the website.
Put contact details - address, phone, etc.
That is one of the most significant ways you can show that your business is legitimate. Let us suppose that you are approached by a salesperson who only speaks to you in a very vague manner. Would you trust them if all they give is their first name? No, right? That is precisely how websites work too. Everyone knows that anyone from anywhere can launch a website and claim a lot of things, but the only way you can convince visitors that you are who you say you are is by providing contact details such as the address and phone number of your company. That information will assure the people who come across your website that you represent an authentic business and that they can proceed to use it without feeling apprehensive. Providing the necessary contact information also makes your business a lot more accessible. Your customers can contact you and use your business thereby increasing your productivity.
Update ‘About Us’ page with photos and company history
What do you do when you come across a new brand and are unsure whether it can be trusted or not? You will try to find out more about said company. That is exactly what your prospective customers will do too before deciding to spend their money. Providing an easily accessible 'About Us' page with detailed information about your company is vital. Again, anyone can put together an 'About Us' page, but it can only appear authentic if it has all the necessary information your customers might be looking for your business. Your company history is highly needed, and a few photos that are representative of your company at work can work wonders in putting the minds of your customers at ease. It is vital that every single word you mention here is true and the photos are of high quality and real and not some generic image. You can use stock photos throughout the rest of your website, but the 'About Us' section really needs actual photographs of your business. All VEVS websites come with nicely designed About Us / Services page and using the content management system you have full control over the content published.
Display reviews and testimonials - videos are the best
We have all been there. We are shopping online for a particular item when we come across two different brands offering similar products at the same price, and we are just not sure which one to choose. What do we do next? We go to the review section and see what others are saying about each product, and that is how we make our final decision. It is no different when it comes to websites. The chances are high that when an online user searches for a particular service or product online, they are presented with multiple options. New visitors to your website might be just scoping your business out to see if they should use it. Reviews and testimonies can be what finally convinces them to take a welcome step towards your company. This way your business will appear to be an honest endeavor that others have used and recommended in the past. If you can get a few video testimonials then that can do wonders for your website and by extension, your business.
Add Terms of service and Privacy policy
Once you have convinced a visitor about the legitimacy of your company, the next step involves strengthening this trust. That is where a section on ‘Terms and Services’ comes in handy. By being upfront about exactly what they can expect from your business, they will feel a lot more at home to spend their money and become one of your permanent customers. A detailed privacy policy is equally important in today's day and age. Online privacy has become a big deal with popular platforms like Facebook coming under fire for it. By providing a privacy policy where you can assure your clients that any personal data they will provide will be safe and cannot be used for anything else other than the explicit purpose for which they provided it, you can cement the trust between your business and your customers even further. The biggest obstacle that stops people from trusting a website is the uncertainty associated with it and by providing a proper section on ‘Terms of service’ and ‘Privacy policy’ you can allay those fears.
Be transparent about the services you offer
Overselling is one of the cardinal sins of the online platform. It can be tempting to add a few embellishments to the description of what your company offers. This strategy can attract more people, but few will stay. An honest approach might not get the same response initially but is the only way to build a sustainable online presence. You should be able to back up anything and everything that is mentioned on your website. You should also be transparent about any additional costs your customers might incur. Often you will come across businesses that promise great deals only to find out that they weren’t entirely forthcoming. It is only when the actual purchase is about to be made that a lot of additional and hidden costs are revealed which sours the whole experience. Make every aspect of your business and all the associated costs clear from the very outset so that your customers know exactly what they are getting themselves into. The aim is to build a lasting bond, not a temporary one.
Make your website secure by adding HTTPS
HTTPS is a protocol that encrypts all the data that flows through the site and makes sure that is secure and cannot be accessed by hackers. Most web browsers will throw up a warning to the nature of "not secure" whenever a user visits a website without HTTPS. That will immediately set warning bells ringing in their heads. You can get your website the additional security of HTTPS for a very nominal price which is nothing compared to the peace of mind it can provide to the visitors of your company website. It creates an authentic sense of security while also creating a great first impression. This will also avoid any trouble that might arise out of data theft from a website not secured by HTTPS. If your company needs personal info from the customer like contact details, then it is vital to secure your site using HTTPS which can be done in a hassle-free manner through VEVS services.
Avoid annoying pop-ups
Avoid these at all costs. Imagine you are reading a book and something comes flying right across your face that obstructs your view. Not only is it distracting, but it is incredibly annoying. That is precisely how visitors to your company website will feel if they keep encountering pop-ups. Online users have a very short attention span, and an annoying pop-up can be all it takes to send them packing, never to return. Use intelligent design to make any necessary information visible. Every visitor to your website should be able to feel at home, and pop-ups just don't give that impression. With VEVS Website Builder, you can find many excellent features that work a lot better than pop-ups without being intrusive in the slightest.
The online world is a strange place, and your company website has to be maintained fastidiously to form an enduring connection with its visitors. A safe and secure site goes a long way in achieving that. If you feel that everything we have mentioned is a bit too much, then do not worry. We at VEVS can take care of every single point we discussed above and much more. You can sit back and relax and entrust all the hard work to us. Our years of expertise in building business websites will ensure that your company website becomes the most significant tool in your arsenal in helping you get new and lasting customers.
