Beyond Web usability: Web credibility
Although design is important, as we've pointed out elsewhere, content is king. But that's not the end of the story – how do you present your content in such a way that it helps the viewer feel 'comfortable' with your site, that they feel your organisation is one they can do business with? In short how can you appear CREDIBLE?
In this free article, Trenton Moss gives us a few pointers on how you can make your websites have that little bit more about them.
2. Your website needs to provide 'sensitive' information
A website is akin to a one-way conversation between you and your site visitors where you have 100% control over the dialogue. If site users perceive you to be lacking in credibility then you'll be unable to defend yourself. As such, you must ensure that 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?
There are about 35 million websites on the Internet - by 2014 there'll be an estimated 150 million, not including personal websites. With so many people online and so many websites competing with yours, if you can't persuade Internet users to be loyal to your website then someone else will.
3. All statements should be backed up by third-party evidence
"We helped our clients achieve an average of 70% growth last year." Really? Well prove it! Every single point you make on your website must, without fail, be backed up with hard evidence - preferably from a third-party website. How else can a reader know for sure that you're telling the truth?
Client testimonials, for example, are great - they're even better if the testimonial links to the client's website. You can improve them even more if the name of the person making the testimonial is linked to their bio on their website. You could notch up even more credibility points if the testimonial itself is on the client's website and you link to it!
If you've won any awards or belong to any industry bodies, then proudly display these emblems too. Even better, have them link to the external website. Better still, would be a direct link to the section of the website showing your membership details or a list of the award winners.
4. There has to be proof that the organisation is growing and has clients
An organisation that can prove it has clients and is experiencing growth instantly achieves credibility. By showing you've offered your services plenty of times before, and expect to do so in the future, your organisation comes across as being firmly established within your industry. You can prove this by providing:
- A client list
- Testimonials
- Case studies of your work
- A latest news section
- A jobs page
- Free newsletter
5. Your website needs to have an air of professionalism and confidence
Your website is your organisation's online representation - it's essential that it matches up in quality to the rest of your marketing materials. Even if you don't think your website's important to the success of your organization, (potential) clients will make judgments about your organisation based on your website.
So, what is the number one most important aspect of Web credibility?
The about us section? No.
Quality of outbound links? No-siree.
Studies have consistently proven that the most important criteria of Web credibility is... the way the website looks. That's it.
It's been suggested that this is due to the short amount of time we spend on websites so we tend to rely on initial judgements. Make sure that you create a great first impression by having a crisp, professional layout with sharp graphics. Other good things to do are:
- Provide some free information to prove your expertise
- Ensure there are no dead links
- Send out an automated confirmation e-mail when someone contacts you
There are many more! Just visit any website you perceive to be professional and confident and see what they do.
What next?
Have a look at your website and check to see if it does all this stuff. A handy program to check that there are no broken links is Xenu's link sleuth. You can also check out Stanford University's 10 guidelines for credibility and the best online resource to keep up to date with web credibility, the Consumer WebWatch.
This article was written by Trenton Moss. He's crazy about web accessibility and usability - so crazy that he went and started his own web accessibility and usability consultancy, Webcredible, to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.