Website Trust – 5 Things Every Site Should Have

Posted 1 year, 2 months ago at 10:39 am. 3 comments

Winning people’s trust is critical to selling online.

We’ve picked five key elements every trustworthy website should have;

A professional look – If you’re serious about people buying a product or service from you, then show it. A homemade or poorly designed website will speak volumes about your business and drive potential customers away in their droves.

Freshness – Would you buy something from a site that had a post from last year at the top of its latest news section? Relevant and regular content demonstrates two key things a) you care enough to update your site and b) the company is still in existence and trading.

Telephone number – Just because you’re online doesn’t mean that people don’t want to speak to you. Having a freephone telephone number displayed prominently on your site inspires confidence and trust in people, as they know they can speak to a real person if they have a problem with an order or service.

Clear terms & conditions – This includes the terms and conditions of purchasing a good or service as well as a privacy policy which clearly states how you intend to use people’s information when they entrust you with it. People don’t like nasty surprises, be as clear and open as you can.

An appropriate tone of voice – Talking to your audience in a language they understand and relate to will help gain their trust. If you write your online copy in an ‘over-the-top’ way making outlandish claims or using technical jargon that won’t be understood, your would-be customers will soon leave for another website.

These five areas are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to creating online trust.

The second part of this article will follow next week and deal specifically with e-commerce sites.