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8
Easy Ways to Boost Credibility and Online Sales
Copyright ©
2005-2008 Leva Duell
Credibility
is a big concern on the Internet.
If you're selling products or services
online, it's essential that potential
buyers trust you. Follow these strategies
to build trust with your web site.
- Obtain
your own domain name. Your domain name is
your unique address on the Internet such
as http://www.yourname.com. To find a list
of domain name registration services and
check the availability of your preferred
domain name, go to http://www.internic.com.
- Pay
for hosting. Why should you pay for hosting
when there is free hosting available? To
have a short domain name and convey a professional
image, you must pay for hosting and obtain
your own domain name. Free hosting has many
limitations and often provides only limited
space for personal use. Your URL (web address)
will be long and look like http://www.freeserver.com/yourname/your
filename.htm. Most free hosting companies
place advertising on your web pages that
distracts from your message and slows down
your pages. And it's difficult to get listed
in major search engines when using a free
hosting service. Hosting fees average $15-$30/month.
Pay this low fee to increase credibility
and gain your prospects' trust.
- Provide
useful content. Content is the most important
component of your web site. It gives visitors
and prospective buyers a reason to come
to your site, return, and refer others.
It builds credibility and makes you an authority
on a particular topic. Examples of content
include articles, reports, newsletters,
software downloads, discussion boards, book
excerpts, and resources. Tailor the information
to your ideal audience.
- Update
frequently. Studies show that people will
spend more time at a site that changes regularly.
Add new information often to motivate potential
buyers to return to your site and build
trust. It may take from four to seven visits
before they buy. Remove outdated information.
For more information about content, read
How to Attract Visitors to Your Web Site
at http://www.FiveStarWebDesign.com/content.htm
and How to Keep Visitors Coming Back. at
http://www.FiveStarWebDesign.com/return.htm.
- Make
it easy to contact you. Provide contact
information or a link to your contact page
on every page. Include the name of a contact
person, business name, email address, 800
number, fax, and street address. Mention
a local phone number (international prospects
can't use 800 numbers).
- Make
purchasing easy. Convenience and instant
access are the most attractive features
of doing business on the Internet. Make
your order form easy to find. Provide plenty
of links to your products/services page
and order form and lead your prospects to
your order form. Accept credit card payments.
Give your customers several ordering options,
including a secure online order form, and
ordering by phone, fax, email, and regular
mail. Some people won't trust posting their
credit card online but will provide their
credit card information over the phone or
fax. Overcome buyer resistance with a money-back
guarantee.
- Boost
credibility with testimonials. Testimonials
from experts and satisfied customers demonstrate
the benefits of your products and are a
powerful way to boost your prospects' confidence.
Testimonials are much more effective than
you touting your products. They convey benefits
and confirm your claims. For maximum effect,
provide the full name, title, company name,
city, and state of the people providing
testimonials.
- Use
correct spelling and grammar. Typos will
weaken your credibility and sabotage sales.
Spellcheck all documents and any changes
you make. Remember that words like your,
you're, their, there, its, and it's are
not caught by spellcheckers. Read your web
site carefully. Have others read it too
and consider hiring a professional proofreader
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