Many businesses, old and new, have realized the importance of digital marketing, which included creating and maintaining websites. For us folks at Third Team Media, we appreciate a business that has a website already. Our appreciation heightens when we notice that its website is clean, clear, user-friendly, and regularly updated.
In our years of providing advice to businesses and start-ups, we often start with evaluating their website and, in the process, talking with their leaders about their experience from planning to execution. A few websites, though, share a common problem: clutter.
We understand the desire of some top management committees that want to put everything about their business on their website. However, by doing so, they create a jambalaya of information with no clear messages and no clear support of the company’s vision and mission.
Your website is a great contributor to assure clients and potential customers that you are reliable, professional and honest.
The question now is “how”. To help answer this, take note that there is a cardinal rule in effective writing: show, don’t tell. You may shout to the world that you website is credible. But, without enabling visitors to learn your story and experience your promise to them, it is recommendable to plan your website well before execution. If you have one already, the following questions might help you gauge your website’s credibility and improve it further:

Does your website look professional?

Have you experienced visiting a website with wrong spelling and grammatical errors? It is a turn off, isn’t it?
First impressions do count, especially on the web. A professional-looking site conveys that you are professional. Thus, you should avoid spelling and grammatical mistakes because it will mean deduction in credibility points.
Remember that a poorly functioning site—broken lines or features that don’t work— will also cause visitors to simply leave (and move to your competitor’s website).
So we suggest that you double check your website’s appearance and ask insights from others as well.

Do you demonstrate that you are a real organization?

Visiting a website without an “About Us” would feel like visiting a person you barely know. Do you want your customers and visitors to feel that way?
Stay close to and comfortable with your visitors and customers. Let them be acquainted of who you are. You may use your “About Us” to introduce your company by describing your company’s outlook, history, and affiliations.
We recommend that you include your achievements because your company’s record of past performances can help customers and visitors decide to do business with you.
You must also include a highly visible link to lead customers to the “Contact Us” page on every page of your site. Your contact details may include your phone, fax number, email address, and a map of your physical location. This would convey that there is real business with real people behind your website.
It would be best if you include a friendly message on your contact page to encourage a communication between you and your visitors or customers.
Remember to communicate your message simply, concisely, and sincerely with a professional yet friendly tone. Avoid beating around the bush, get to the point quickly as well as avoid marketing speech but rather use a plain language that everyone can understand.
You should also take into consideration that your customers want to know what would happen “if”. So, to address their concerns directly with clear answers that are easy to find, you may put up a “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” page.
In your FAQ page, customers and potential ones can find detailed return and exchange information as well as warranty or satisfaction guarantee policies, among others.
Also assure them by addressing privacy, sharing of personal information and site security issues.

Do you make it easy to verify the information on your website?

When visitors or customers visit your website, they will normally doubt at first if everything you said in it is true. So, don’t give them any reason to doubt by attributing your source of information.
Citing information will increase trust and show evidence that supports your claims. However, double check as well the veracity of the information and make sure your sources are credible, as you can lose credibility points by association.

Do you update your site regularly?

Updating your site regularly with fresh content conveys that there is someone actively taking care of the site and paying attention to the needs of the site’s visitors and customers.
Always put in mind that an out-of-date website can be really harmful to your credibility. Incorrect information and broken functionality conveys a lack of attention to detail and will make a visitor doubt your organization’s quality of service.

Are you endorsed by any third parties?

Other references could be very healthy for your organization as well as your website because you don’t have to talk to people to believe in you. You are convincing them by showing testimonials of satisfied customers. This is compelling evidence that yours is an established business with experience and a history of satisfactory service.
However, in documenting testimonials, make sure that you included the correct full name and identifier like city or business name.
If you have been featured by any website or press, you may display these prominently on your website or share a link of the article so your visitors and customers can read it themselves.
Learn more about boosting your website’s credibility by availing of our free consultation today. / with Mary Mae Edgilez Yburan
(All photos from www.pixabay.com)