3 Simple Ways to Build Customer Trust at Your Website

3 Simple Ways to Build Customer Trust at Your Website
By Candice Pardue

Establishing customer trust should be your number one concern when designing your site. Why? You’ll be able to persuade your visitors to buy from you if you have their trust. By gaining the confidence of your visitors, you’ll be able to keep them at your site longer and more often, build additional business through referrals and network with potential partners.

Below are three simple ways you can build a trustworthy image in the eyes of your visitors without sacrificing the overall look and feel of your website.

1. Use Testimonials to Build Trust

Testimonials are probably the most powerful selling tools because they’re so similar to “referrals”. When your visitors are considering your product or service, simply reading about someone else’s wonderful experience might be the extra little push they need to make the purchase.

How to Get Testimonials

Simply ask! When someone purchases a product or service and makes the slightest positive comment, email that customer and ask if you can use their comments as a testimonial on your website. Offer to place a link to their website in exchange for allowing you to use their statement. Most people will be flattered and excited about having their website displayed.

How to Write Testimonials for the Web

Write your testimonials just like they’re written in a news story. Use quotes to make them stand out. Here’s an example:

“Thanks for the fast service. I really enjoyed working with you, and received maximum results from your products!” — John Doe, website address here

Where to Place Your Testimonials

Anywhere you can! Don’t be afraid to place a testimonial or two first and foremost in your presentations. See an example here:

http://www.webmastercourse.com/

Also, place testimonials along the sides of your web pages or in the middle of your presentations. Build a separate testimonial page and link to it from every page of your website.

2. Use Guarantees to Remove Risk

Another powerful way to gain the trust of your visitors is to offer a powerful guarantee for your products or services. It’s been proven by marketing experts that the longer the guarantee, the less likely the customer will want their money back. After all, who’s going to even remember to get their money back after a year of owning a product, right?

Offer a guarantee that your visitors can’t resist. Your guarantee should remove all risks from your visitors and place it on you or your company. If you plan to operate a good, honest business, you’re probably going to guarantee everything you offer anyway. Why not make this part of your offer to give your visitors a good feeling about buying from you?

3. Offer Professional Order Taking

Most online surfers are very familiar with ordering online. Credit card purchases are the “norm” now despite all of the initial fears people had years ago. Most of your visitors will be more concerned with professionalism in how you take your orders. Your order-taking system should be neat, have a nice pleasant form to fill out that’s hassle-free and also fast to process.

If you use a third-party company to accept credit cards such as StormPay or PayPal, make sure your lead-in to these companies is very professional. Just because the company takes the orders doesn’t mean you can be slack in how you present your product or services.

Allow customers to mail in an order if possible. This could be a great way to gain those customers who are still fearful of using credit cards online. It also adds comfort when your visitor sees a mailing address on your site (even if it’s a P.O. Box).

Do everything possible to make your site look like you’re serious about what you offer and how you treat your customers. This builds trust. A good presentation along with these key ingredients will tremendously increase your online success potential.

Candice Pardue is a freelance web presentation writer located at http://www.selectwriters.com

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