The ability to use a Website is equal to the amount of trust and credibility that is developed from the site. People will only buy, or contact you from the Website, if they trust your company. Websites that are easy to use will build more trust than difficult to use Websites.
- Make it clear that your Website is the official Website for your brand. There are many copycats and competitors that look to steal others’ brands. Users need to know they are at the right place.
- 25% of online shoppers and browsers will never use a credit card online. This is due to lack of education about Web security and trust issues. Many of these people have no problem using a credit card in a restaurant, which is a much less safe environment. These people will buy on the phone however, so make sure your phone number is prominently displayed on the upper right part of your Website. Put the number on all site pages, because when they are ready to call, the phone number needs to be easy to find. This makes it easy for the user to buy. The good news is 75% of Web browsers will buy online and use their credit card.
- Include privacy statements on your Website because they are read by 60% of visitors. They will often make their decision based on what they read in this section.
- Nothing on a Website should look like an ad, unless it really is an ad. People ignore online ads and see them as a distraction. We have seen this repeatedly in user testing sessions and it is confirmed by many usability studies on the Web.
- Assume people don’t know. Companies get into trouble when they assume visitors to their site will know what they mean, when in fact many will not have a clue. Keep it simple. Explain your business in a simple, clear and concise way.
- 25% of Web surfers are visiting blogs on a regular basis. They don’t always expect information to be truthful or accurate and tend to intuit whether something is fact or an opinion. When people read universal truths, they believe them. Keep your blogs focused on facts and reveal your sources when possible.
Source: Consumer Reports’ Web Watch
