Charles, our guest today, provides us with some credibility advice.
Credibility is very important for the success of any business site. Having a website that is credible leaves a good impression on visitors and increases their chances of doing business with you. Here are some tips which will help you improve the credibility of your site.
1. Have your own domain name
If the name of your business is Torrid Ventures, get the domain name www.torridventures.com which is branded and memorable. Don’t make the mistake of going for free domains from providers such as Blogger and WordPress. A domain name such as http://freedomain.torridventures.com or http://freedomain.com/torridventures looks very unprofessional. In addition, it would be advisable to use your own email addresses such as elizabeth@torridventures.com.
2. Have a professional design
In most cases, first time visitors will judge it first based on its appearance. This is why the quality of your web design is very important. Make sure your navigation is as simple and intuitive as possible. This will make it easy for visitors to move around and find what they are looking for. In addition, all the elements in your site should be arranged in a consistent and appealing way. Use paragraphs, sub-headings, bullet points and clear images to break up your content. Finally, choose a font and background colors which will enhance the readability of your text.
3. Provide updated content
When people visit your site, they are usually looking for information. If there is nothing new, they might get put off and stop visiting altogether. It is therefore very important to constantly update the content on your site. You can provide frequent information on industry news and events, as well as insightful tips that would be helpful to visitors. In addition, you could encourage visitors to share their opinions on different topics.
4. Humanize your business
Your visitors need to know that there real people behind your business. One of the best ways of humanizing your business is by posting photos and short bios of the management, as well as employees. In addition, you need to take time to interact with your audience through social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter or Google+. Remember to provide an email address, telephone numbers and a physical address where applicable. Being easily accessible will help you build trust with your visitors.
5. Advertise wisely
Generally, it would be advisable not to include any adverts on your site. However, if you have to, go about it cautiously. Don’t make the mistake of using advertisements to deceive visitors. This can end up being very detrimental to your credibility. Strive to remain honest and straightforward. Avoid using pop-ups or any other similar animated elements. Such adverts can be very irritating and is likely to distract your visitors. As much as possible, keep your content free from any promotional tone. This will show your audience that you are sincerely concerned about their needs, and not just making profits.
6. Give assurance of security
Security is a very important factor, especially for sites which require users to submit sensitive personal information. Visitors need to be assured that a site has taken the necessary security precautions to prevent data theft and fraud. It is therefore important to have a privacy policy which pledges to protect any information submitted by visitors. In addition, displaying security certification logos such as BBB and SSL can greatly enhance the credibility of your site.
// ]]>
Charles Mburugu has a great passion for sharing blogging and web development tips. At the moment, he is writing for Moto CMS HTML templates.