Here’s a scenario: a potential customer looks at your business website. She views your product catalogue and browses the entire site. Guess what – she doesn’t buy anything even if she absolutely needs the product you’re selling. More importantly, she doesn’t buy it even if you have the best prices. Don’t be in denial, it’s probably happened to you, you just don’t know it.
Why would this customer leave your site without making a purchase?
It’s because your site lacks credibility. Your sales copy might even sound like a Nigerian email scam. With credibility comes the trust and confidence your customer needs in order to make a purchase. If you’re website’s credible, potential customers also perceive your business as credible. Here are some tips that can help you achieve this.
Have clear navigation. Don’t give your customers a hard time finding information on your site. If they can’t figure out your site navigation intuitively, they’ll be Googling for another company in no time.
Let your customer know who you are. Create a company page with pictures of your employees or your facilities. Putting pictures in your customer’s mind can make them feel like they know you, and this builds trust. With this, include a short company history. Mission statements should also be included, especially if they’re customer oriented.
Include testimonials. Like yourself, the customer would like to hear from people who have benefited from you or your company. There are many ways to do this. You can include written accounts or you can embed these as video or audio files. Usually, the latter is more believable.
Avoid ads at all cost. Flashing ads can deter your clients and some may skip your page altogether. As for other paid ad campaigns like Google Adsense, it’s like you’re saying “we don’t make enough money on our products, so we’re selling ad space on our site as an effort to make a quick buck”.
Update regularly. From the time you start your site, update it. Posting the latest update will inform your visitors that you are up and running and that the site is being maintained in a regular fashion.
Give your customer access to as much additional information as possible. It is always helpful to the customer when he or she finds a FAQ page that can easily provide information they may need at the onset. For yourself, it will lighten your call load and advertise your level of expertise. For regular sets of information or instructions, convert them into .pdf files that your customers can easily access and download for their own perusal.
Keep communications open. For your potential customers to feel comfortable with you, they need to know that you’re accessible should any problem arise. Leave email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses on your contact page. It also helps to include follow-ups, shipping updates, tracking numbers, and information login in emails.
Check your business site and see if all the tips above apply. If not, it’s time to make the necessary changes. Don’t be surprised if you see an increase in orders after making the right changes – that’s what credibility does for you.
Originally posted on December 30, 2007 @ 5:12 pm