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How To Build Your Website Credentials

The Internet today gives you an unprecedented reach. Through your bedroom, sitting in your boxers you can sell all sorts of tangible and intangible goods, and services, to people across the globe.

Unfortunately, the same Internet bestows the same power in the hands of crooks, cheats and insincere people too that not only fleece money out of unsuspecting customers and clients, but also besmirch the atmosphere for genuine entrepreneurs. So naturally your prospective buyers and consumers are wary of paying you; on the Internet it is very difficult to know who is genuine and who is not.

You cannot alley all the fears and apprehensions, but you can add some features to your website that make you easily traceable and that make your customers and clients feel safe about their money when they pay you.

Prominently display your contact information:

Things like your phone number and geographic address give you a sense of real-world existence. Through your phone number people can contact you and can really hear you. If they see your address they know you can be reached in case there is need.

Be efficient at responding to customer queries:

With the easily used email links and a competent contact form, make sure you respond in a timely manner to all enquiries to your site. This is the first impression most clients get and it will be one of the main factors to their decision to use or not to use you. If it takes 5 days for you to respond to a simple question, how long would it take if they had a monetary problem?

Have verifiable testimonials:

Testimonials are great confidence builders. If your previous and current clients say positive things about you, your product or your service, the prospective customers and clients feel re-assured. It’s not always possible to display the phone numbers and email addresses of those testifying for you, but a website URL is a must.

Publish a blog:

A blog helps you build a community and a community always nurtures trust. If you publish your blog and regularly interact with your readers it tells your prospective customers and clients that you are known and respected by many people and you would never tarnish your image by cheating people (although some can still do that).

Write authoritative articles:

Writing authoritative articles and publishing them on your website make you a subject matter expert. It shows you know your stuff and it gives you a chance to highlight the benefits of what you are offering.

Provide a money-back guarantee and a return policy:

This greatly re-assures your visitors. It’s easier to pay you if I know I’m not throwing my money into a dark well from where it can never be retrieved whether I’m happy with the product or not. Very few people ask for a refund but if you assure you visitors it can really boost their trust levels.

Have a clearly-defined privacy policy:

If you are asking for people’s email addresses and other sensitive information state it clearly that you are going to protect that information like your own life. Tell them that you are never going to share their information with third parties and you are never going to send them unsolicited emails. These features can help you boost up your credibility to a great extent.

Utilise your homepage:

Effective use of the homepage of most websites and stores is sadly neglected. Do some research into your competition. What does everyone else in your particular niche or sector show on the homepage? Then ask yourself why? Some sites are built for the client, some for the webmaster, remember what you want on the homepage is not always the same as your visitor requires. Research.

If you require any clarification on any of the matters discussed, please feel free to comment or contact me.

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