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4 things that make your website less trustworthy

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What makes a customer decide to purchase from one website but not another?

Trust is a critical component of the purchase decision. As a web design Singapore company, we bring you the 4 most common mistakes business owners make that can cause their websites to appear less trustworthy to customers.

Poor Aesthetics

Websites are often the first point of contact for a customer, and form the first impression a customer has of the organization. In a study researching the relationship between page aesthetics and a user’s judgment of site credibility, users rated sites which were more aesthetically attractive as being more credible, despite the sites presenting the exact same content. We know how important this is, and have a list of tips compiled to help you improve the aesthetics of your website.

Bad Copy

Poor grammar and other copy mistakes demonstrate a lack of professionalism and little regard for the quality of work. A good practice is to have at least two persons proofread content before publishing it. Also, relevant to good copy is its presentation, which can affect ease of consumption. For example, important points should look important – this can be easily achieved through the use of larger or bold font and boxes that make it stand out.

Also, new visitors usually do not know when the content they’re reading was published due to the way information is presented on the internet. To remedy this, put a date to your published content so that visitors have an indication as to its recency. In line with that, updating your content regularly gives visitors the reassurance that your website is up-to-date and that your organization is in the loop on current trends.

Ambiguous Navigation Labels

Cryptic navigation labels make it difficult for users to locate content meaningful to them and can cause frustration, possibly even resulting in users abandoning the site altogether. Conversely, intuitive navigation labels convey that an organization understands its users’ needs and is able to meet them.

To gain the confidence of your users, keep navigation labels simple and easy to understand. Follow common web conventions that users will be familiar with and ensure that links lead to where they say they will lead. Also, check your website regularly to ensure there are no broken links.

Tip: Our eyes move top to bottom, left to right when we scan a page, meaning that content on the upper left corner of your website gets the most visual impressions, which may very well lead to more clicks. So, put your most significant content in this space to get the most attention. A caveat though – squeezing too much content in one place can overwhelm your visitors and backfire, so do this sparingly!

Not demonstrating your credibility

Word-of-mouth testimonials are the holy grail of marketers because they are a strong influence on purchase behavior. They demonstrate social proof, that others use and trust a product. By not using the testimonials and reviews that you have, you are losing out on the opportunity to gain the trust of your customers.

Consider mentioning any favorable reviews, ratings, or accreditations you have on your page. If you haven’t been soliciting testimonials from past customers, perhaps now is a good time to start doing so.

Alternatively, leverage on the brand power of other organizations by incorporating logos of partners, affiliated organizations, and brands you’ve worked with on your page to boost your brand’s credibility.

Conclusion

Trust can be communicated in many ways. In maximizing each avenue, you increase the probability of your message impressing upon customers, and consequently, the sales figures to show for it.

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