The first thing you’re probably wondering is; what is web credibility? Well, web credibility is about making your website come across as trustworthy and knowledgeable.
A credible website can reap huge benefits on to you and your business. Here’s a few statistics to prove it: 52.8% of web users believe online information to be credible (source: UCLA.) Four in five users say that being able to trust the information on a site is very important to them in deciding to visit a website (source: Princeton Survey Research Associates.)
Second thing you’re probably now thinking; wow so web credibility's pretty important then. That’s right, so now how do you implement it on to your website?
Here are our five guidelines for making a credible website:
1. Prove there's a real organisation behind your website
Anyone can put up a website promising to deliver the 'best service at the lowest prices' and web users know this. Therefore you must prove that there’s a real organisation behind all the talk. There are several ways you can do this: make it easy and clear how to contact you, link to external websites that reference you, include staff biographies, show photos of the office, staff, products, etc - which makes your ‘contact us’ and ‘about us’ pages very important.
Never underestimate the importance of your ‘about us’ section, it’s your chance to show who you are and talk a bit about your organisation. Whilst this section won’t be the first thing people read when they come to your website, it could be the last thing they read before deciding to business with you… or not.
2. Provide 'sensitive' information
As much as you try, your website copy is pretty much a one-way conversation which means if your user doubts your credibility then you'll be unable to defend yourself. Therefore you must try and make sure you answer any questions your site visitors may have, for example: What is the purpose of your organisation? How much does your product cost? What happens if I'm not happy with your service? What will you do with my email address once I give it to you? Remember, if you can't persuade Internet users to be loyal to your website then someone else will.
3. Back up your statements with third-party evidence
If your website includes statements such as, "we helped our clients achieve an average of 90% growth last year," then make sure you can prove it. In fact make sure every single point you make on your website can, without fail, be backed up with hard evidence. How else can a reader know if you're telling the truth?
That’s why client testimonials are so good and they're even better if the testimonial links to the client's website. Also, if you've won any awards or belong to any industry bodies, then proudly display these emblems too and link to the external website.
4. Prove that you have clients
You probably think this sounds a bit bizarre but really, make sure somewhere on your website you do mention names of clients. When you prove you have clients, you’ll instantly achieve credibility. It shows that you’ve offered your services plenty of times before and your organisation will come across as being firmly established within your industry. You can do thus by including case studies, testimonials or a latest news section.
5. Make sure your website is professional and confident
Your website is your organisation's online representation therefore it's essential that it matches the quality of the rest of your marketing materials. Potential clients will be making judgments about your organisation based on your website.
Studies consistently prove that the most important criteria of web credibility is the way the website looks so make sure that you create a great first impression by having a crisp, professional layout with sharp graphics.
