How to gain trust online

| Web design

How to gain trust online

First impression count with everything, especially your business and in terms of your website you only have a few seconds to make a lasting first impression. In these few seconds you have to gain your visitors trust, or potentially lose them forever.

How to build immediate trust?

Once the visitor lands on your page they will begin to judge you, certain parts of your website will grab their attention and give them a glimpse into what your business does, who your demographic is and who you are.

They will then decide if your business is right for them and in many cases this will happen within a few seconds.

Users judge on a number of things so it is important you pay attention to what your users will see straight away and how it will make you look. You should consider:

  • Use of imagery
  • The colour
  • The layout
  • Positioning of call-to-actions
  • Typography
  • Believability

The first thing a new visitor will want to know is “are you a real company? Are you really who you say you are?”

To put their mind at ease, it is crucial your website includes clear contact details such as an office address (preferably plotted on a Google Map) and contact numbers.

To back up your credibility you should include real testimonials and an About Us page describing a brief history of your company, focusing on your key milestones.

Including images and videos of your office and staff also helps makes your business seem more real which in turn builds trust.

Update your website regularly

Keeping a website well maintained is crucial to building trust. It is clear after just a couple of seconds whether the website is looked after and regularly updated. You need to ensure your website stays up-to-date, not just in terms of design but also content.

New up-to-date content helps users trust you and gives them a reason to revisit and share information with their friends.

Not only is this beneficial for building trust but it also helps with your SEO too.

Avoid errors

Spelling errors, grammatical errors, broken links, dead pages, broken images, etc make your website looked poorly maintained and very unprofessional. Accuracy helps promote trust, so ensure you double check everything.

Stay consistent

Once you have got passed the first impression, users are likely to delve deeper into your website and inconsistencies stand out like a sore thumb. These inconsistencies will put doubt into the users mind and trust will begin to go.

When it comes to branding, design and content all should be clear and consistent throughout the entire website.

For example, if you say you have an office in 3 areas but only list two on the contact us page, people will be confused. Be sure to keep everything clear and transparent; don’t put doubt in your audiences mind.

 

By following these points, you will ensure that your users feeling safe and secure online. 

Luke Stanley