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Title: 7 Ways of Building Customers' Trust With Your Web Site

Author: Herman Drost

Article:
When I purchase something from a web site I first check who is
behind this site. If there is no contact information or anything
about the owner of the site or his/her company I move on.

Unfortunately the Internet attracts some people who are
dishonest and prey upon unsuspecting people to make quick money
for themselves.

Therefore your web site must put your visitor immediately at
ease and convey honesty and integrity about it.

Here are 7 essential ways of building customers' trust:

1. Provide contact information – visitors will easily become
frustrated if they have a question to resolve but can't contact
you. At least place an email address or contact form on your web
site. Some people prefer to talk to a real person rather than
use electronic communication so provide a telephone number and
even a real address not a P.O. Box number. Answering one or 2
customer questions may be enough to win his or her trust before
purchasing from your site.

2. Create an "About Us" page – here you can tell a little about
yourself and/or your company. Another nice touch is to include a
photo of yourself. The more you can establish a personal bond
with your potential buyer, the greater your chances of success.

3. Include Testimonials - testimonials is a wonderful way to
showcase your product, establish credibility, and improve sales.
It takes some work to get them but it is well worth it in the
long run.

Here's how to get a testimonial from your customers:

a) If you have a service oriented business, then ask for a
testimonial after you have completed the work for them. This is
because you are still fresh in their minds and they still have a
desire to thank you for the excellent work you completed.

b) If you are selling a product i.e. e-book or software, ask for
a testimonial after they have paid for the product. Send a
reminder to them 1 or 2 weeks later.

You may even provide an extra incentive by giving away a copy of
your product in return for a testimonial.

c) Make sure the testimonial is verifiable - ask them to include
their contact information such as an email address or web site
address. You may even ask for a small photo to go along with
what they have written. Don't just make up a testimonial as this
will look false and unprofessional.

d) Testing- try different ways to introduce your testimonials.
Sprinkle them throughout your web site content as shown on
http://www.isitebuild.com then link to the rest of them on
another page. You may also want to strategically place them in
your sales letters
(http://www.isitebuild.com/web-site-promotion), emails or
promotional materials associated with your business.

4. Be courteous – often customers can't communicate exactly what
they have in mind because they don't have your expertise. Try to
clarify what your product or service will do for them to make
their life easier. If you put their fears at ease you will have
a happy customer.

5. Use secure transactions - someone sending you his or her
credit card number, home address, or other personal information
should be able to do so through a secure link from his or her
browser to your server. Make sure you use Secure Socket Links or
3rd Party Verification in all information transactions that
involve sensitive data.

6. Accept refunds - always accept reasonable return and refund
requests. Deal with them promptly and professionally, no matter
how the customer acts towards you during the process. It may be
a hassle, but this instills a lot of trust. A customer's biggest
fear is that he/she may not receive what he wants or may not be
able to return it.

7. Provide a guarantee – if you provide a guarantee for your
product or service it will place your customer's mind at ease.
The longer the guarantee the better. If you have a service
oriented business, you might include a statement such as:

"We will work with you until you are satisfied"

If selling a product you may say something like:

"If for any reason you are not satisfied with this product, I
will offer you a 90 day money-back guarantee".

Conclusion: Online transactions and communication can be
impersonal because you don't meet your customers face to face.
If you follow the points mentioned above, it will quell their
fears and allow you to make more sales based on the credibility
and trust you have established from your web site.

About the author:
Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and
author of http://www.iSiteBuild.com. Affordable Web Site Design
and Web Hosting. Subscribe to his "Marketing Tips" newsletter
for more original articles. mailto:subscribe@isitebuild.com.
Read more of his in-depth articles at:
http://www.isitebuild.com/articles

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