3 Easy Ways to Boost Your Online Credibility

If you have a small local business, or one that is more global, it is typically a good idea to have a shop online that offers your services and products available for sale.  So many people today actually prefer to shop online, even if they have a local store just down the road.  Wondering how to make sure those who visit your website trust you?  Use these three tactics and watch your prospective customers turn into regular customers.

Demonstrate security

Despite the ever-growing prevalence of shopping on the Internet, there’s still a risk for scams.  It is

important that your online site demonstrates how secure you keep information and how trustworthy you are to entice shoppers to choose your store over online competitors.

To show your customers that your business is one that is trustworthy, you can show the measures you can to protect their personal information.  When you have a secure page, your customers will see a lock icon in the browser.  Customers will also see that your web page URL has a ‘S’ at the end.  There are a number of ways to secure your website.

List all prices clearly

Another step to increase trust among your customers is to clearly share your prices, the costs associated with shipping.  Customers are much more likely to make a purchase if the shipping prices are shared clearly on your website.  Other information that builds credibility includes the details of your shipping and policies related to refunds and exchanges.  People aren’t going to move forward with their purchases if you leave them with too many unknown details about your prices.

Feedback from your customers

Don’t you want to hear what people say about a business and it’s products and services before you make a purchase?  Prospective customers want to hear from people who have had experience with your business.  They want to know what people thought of their products and services, and hear if people were pleased with their purchase.  Share your feedback, reviews and testimonials clearly on your website to allow your current and prospective customers to see and read.  This will encourage purchases from those who stop by to visit your website and help them feel like they can trust you.  While some negative and malicious reviews are better left unshared, a few that may be less than idea are okay to share.  Just make sure you show how you fixed the issues with your customer to ensure their satisfaction.

Businesses of all sizes can benefit from building their credibility and reputation online.  Make sure to always have a website that shows your honesty and willingness to ensure your customers are satisfied.  These three tips are a great check list to use as you make sure your website is one that will make prospective customers trust and believe in your business.

Photo via: 365outsource.com

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4 Ways to Improve Your Website This Week

Business owners are notoriously busy.  You need to run your business, manage your Web presence, serve your customers, pay invoices and keep up with social media efforts.  Oh, and it’s nice to have a little bit of a personal life, too.  With your plate so full of tasks, wouldn’t it be great to get one thing under control? Here are five things you can do so your website is in great shape next week:

Improve your About Page.

Most small business owners wind up ignoring the about page on their website.  If one was created, that seems like a small feat.  Besides, no one really looks at the page anyway, right?  Wrong. 

One of the worst things a business owner can do is ignore the About page.  Customers frequent this page to learn about the business, build a relationship, understand what your business is all about, and decide if your company is worth doing business with.  Use your About Page to share your story, credentials, pictures, your values and other humanizing information.  Don’t view your page as a laborious task, think of it as a place to formally introduce yourself to your audience.

Show off your social media skills.

Put your social media profiles on a pedestal!  Use your website to highlight your social skills.  Are you on Facebook?  Twitter?  Awesome.  Include icons on your home page and other prominent pages of your website (think your About page or Contact Us page) so your visitors will follow you on these social networks.  Cross-linking increases the strength of your profiles and gives customers an additional place to engage with you. 

Update your blog.

Photo via djdesignerlab.com

It isn’t really that hard to bring some life back to your website.  Use some of your time this week to make some changes to your blog.  Write a post that directs your audience to look at the pages within your website that you’ve revamped.  Answer some questions about consumer issues and give your take on where the industry is going.  Talk to your audience again.  Updating your blog gives your audience something to read and engage with, while also boosting your rank on the search engines.

Focus on Navigation.

One of the most overlooked parts of your website is navigation.  It’s essential to creating a website that encourages a successful business.  Your website should be user-friendly, simple to navigate and intuitive.  Focus on what your customers need to know so they can find their way to your products quickly.  Don’t try to get over-clever when you name tabs on your site.  Think simple and do some keyword research to ensure the phrases you’re using in your site navigation are still relevant.

Your website is a crucial component to a successful business.  A few small changes can lead to a big boost in customer satisfaction, leading to happier, loyal customers that come back to your for business time and again.

Photo Source: djdesignerlab.com

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