The credible website checklist is a great resource for any business. Not all of your website’s visitors are going to convert to paying customers. Therefore, you want to make sure that your site is optimized for conversions! This checklist will go into detail on how to improve your website, call-to-action, and other elements on your website.
Table Of Content
What is Website Credibility:
It’s important to remember that credibility is a state of mind. It isn’t something you can buy, steal, or build overnight. Building credibility takes time – and a plan. So, what is website credibility? Simply put, credibility is your ability to establish trust in your audience.
One of the most important factors affecting website credibility is the design of your webpages. The design of your page is not only about making it look appealing, but also about making it appear trustworthy and knowledgeable.
When you go looking for information or want to buy something, you search for something specific and find yourself on a website. How do you judge the credibility of the website? The design, colour, the text, the layout, the images, are all factors that influence credibility. Ultimately, you do not know the website owner, but you can use signs of credibility to decide if you want to proceed.
How To Check Credibility Of A Website:
When you begin to work on your own website you might want to know what to do first. You just started anyway, so you probably don’t know yet how to make a website credible. So, just follow our checklist.
#1 Website usability:
Your web design matters. – No matter what business you have, your website must be well designed and visually attractive. The design of your website can greatly impact the number of visitors you get, sales conversions, and even your customer’s willingness to purchase from you.
#2 Relevant message:
Getting your messaging right is one of the most important things to get right in web design. If you get it wrong then visitors will bounce and go somewhere else. But does message really matter? And how should you go about it? We’ll look at those questions here in this post.
It matters because word of mouth and online reviews can be very influential for many businesses, especially smaller ones. If someone has a poor experience on your website they are unlikely to recommend your product or service to anyone else.
#3 Grammar:
People are judged based on their grammar, punctuation and spelling — and the same goes for websites. Language use is part of what defines our social status: People who know proper grammar have a greater chance of being successful. As it turns out, website visitors judge websites very much like humans judge each other.
#4 Show your employees bio and photos:
If you want to grow your business, then start by boosting your credibility. Having a page with the bios of your employees and some photos can help increase your credibility and trust among your target audience.
No matter the size of your company, including your team is a great way to compel your visitors. It not only shows that you love your employees, but most importantly it creates the perception of trustworthiness and legitimacy.
#5 Detailed product or service information:
With many products and services on the web, it is important to provide detailed information so that people can make a better-informed decision before they buy. If your item does not have enough information, people might think you are hiding something from them and might go with someone else. It’s important to provide as much as possible and is often a good idea to include pictures too.
#6 Show your product or service pricing clearly:
Showing your product or service pricing upfront is an effective way of showing to your customers that you know what you’re doing, which in turn increases their confidence in purchasing from you. People are often hesitant when it comes to making a purchase online.
People want to be 100% convinced that you’re the right person they should be trusting before they part with their hard-earned money. Let your potential customer see your great prices. Show them that you are trustworthy and the right person to do business with. This will increase their feeling of trust and encourage them to buy from you!
#7 Use testimonials and reviews:
If you want to get more customers purchasing your products and services, testimonials, reviews, and recommendations can be a great way to increase credibility for potential customers. In fact, according to the survey done by B2B marketing article writer Kenneth Barter, 49% of consumers read online reviews every time they need to make a buying decision.
#8 Case studies of your work:
Case studies are an excellent way of showcasing your work. They’re also a great way of gaining new clients. Rather than writing or saying what you can do for a client, let your client write it all out for you.
Case studies answer questions such as How did working with you improve these companies search ranking?, Do you have case studies from previous clients? How was the collaboration going with the website owners? and so on. This is also known as a testimonial and can be an effective way of building trust with potential clients.
#9 Maintain a blog for business:
Maintaining a blog for business is one of the most crucial parts of any online marketing effort, from product launches to services. A blog is where you can separate yourself from your competitors and network with past and potential clients and customers.
Blogging allows you to put your knowledge out for the world. When you know something, it’s like that information is living inside your head. Blogging provides a way to turn that information into an asset for you and your business.
#10 Social media outlet for the website:
It’s true to say that social media has developed into a powerful tool for businesses. It used to be the case that only big businesses like McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks were involved but in recent years every business has caught on and are all embracing the potential of blogging, tweeting, chatting and Facebook.
But there is a massive difference between using social media for promotional purposes and actually engaging with users. There is no point telling everyone you have just opened your latest store or school.
#11 Your brand on search engines:
Your brand on search engines! You’re taking a gamble if you aren’t utilizing this strategy. In fact, it’s something every business owner should be doing whether they realize it or not.
So what am I talking about? What is a search engine result listing (SERP)? To answer these question let me ask another: What are potential customers doing when they’re looking for your product or service? Considering that the typical customer performs at least two searches before ever contacting you and that 58% of consumers perform an average of 6.4 searches to generate just one contact request, then SERPs has certainly become an important part of the online business landscape.”
#12 No pop-ups and banners:
A website needs to perform if you want to convey your message or sell your product/service. And that’s exactly what your audience is expecting. Of course, your website is a part of your brand identity and is a place where the story-telling begins. But, it must remain functional at the same time.
It can be annoying for some people to hover a mouse over content knowing full well that a pop-up will open and cover 50% of the screen size. Or to have to figure out how to close a window once five windows are opened because an advertisement “forced” you to close one of them.
#13 Ranking in search engines:
One of the most common reasons for a company to start using the internet is branding. By using SEO tactics, a business can effectively promote their products or services which will drive more traffic to their website and this will establish brand awareness.
#14 Establish community:
Establishing a community takes time and a lot of effort. To create that connection with your users you need to start by engaging with them, consistent feedback will help you to notice any trends you may want to work on and gain insight into the lives of your users.