How to Build a Trustworthy Website for Your Business

Updated February 8, 2022

Do You Come Across as a Shady Business Online?

Would you do business with a shady joint down some dark back alley? Of course not! You want to be where it is friendly and safe, on Main Street in a brightly light store. The same applies to the digital world. Most likely, your business website is the first place people see. So is yours a trustworthy website, or are you a shady business?

94% of people say bad design is the main reason they don’t trust certain websites.

TechJury

Your business website is your digital storefront. You are directing all your content marketing, search engine optimization, and social media efforts towards it. But in reality, your website could be harming your credibility, rather than helping.

Design has a 75% influence on a website’s credibility.

Web FX

Unless your visitors feel safe on your site and trust what you have to say, you’ll find it difficult to turn them into customers. A trustworthy website, on the other hand, can help you make more sales, and customers will feel safer about entering personal information, such as their email address, credit card number, and home address.

It’s crucial that you build trust with your current and potential consumers, both in-person and online. Take a look at this checklist to see if you have a trustworthy website, or if your website is ruining your hard-earned credibility.

Trustworthy Website Checklist

Design

Do…

• Focus on mobile users; in 2022 most of the content is consumed on smartphones.
• Make professional appearance a priority.
• Have a clear visual style that is appropriate for your target audience.
• Make your site unique and distinctive, whilst still appealing to your users.
• Design with consistency and keep your clients’ needs in mind.
• Make sure navigation is visible and consistent.
• Make it easy for visitors to search your site through an accessible search function.
• Consider adding a sitemap for visitors as well as search engines.
• Confirm that clickable elements are defined and the same color throughout the design.
• Optimize for page load speed.
• Maintain your website with the latest software updates to improve security.
• Use a trusted and reliable hosting company.
• Install a Secure Socket Layer (SSL) certificate.
• Have a privacy policy.
• State your cookie policy.

 

Don’t…

• Use low-resolution, blurry, distorted, or watermarked photos.
• Have missing images.
• Have broken links.
• Have confusing or hidden navigation menus.
• Have inconsistent navigation.
• Have a slow-loading website, people are impatient and won’t stick around.
• Use unprofessional fonts like Comic Sans.
• Don’t use small font sizes. We recommend 16px.
• Use garish colors like neon and clashing hues that are hard on the eyes.
• Allow shoddy design that is busy, cluttered, and disorganized.
• Keep placeholder content or images.

 

Content

Do…

• Include your clients or your target audience in your content.
• Have a clear purpose; make sure visitors know what your site is for, and equally important, not for.
• Think about why your clients are coming to your site and make that content most important.
• Create content to build emotional appeal.
• Have an effective call-to-action strategy to foster conversions.
• Clearly articulate what you do and how you add value.
• Clearly state what problems you solve, or the benefits of working with you.
• Write in a consistent tone and style throughout the website.
• Have testimonials or references.
• List your key clients.
• Have an FAQ page.
• Publish case studies and white papers.
• Include an About page to put a face to your site.
• Establish a blog and post regularly.
• Update your news page with timely information.
• Include accurate information about the industries you serve.
• Be careful about ad content you display on your website.
• Have a clear purpose; make sure visitors know what your site is for, and equally important, not for.
• Think about why your clients are coming to your site and make that content most important.
• Create content to build emotional appeal.
• Have an effective call-to-action strategy to foster conversions.
• Clearly articulate what you do and how you add value.
• Clearly state what problems you solve, or the benefits of working with you.
• Write in a consistent tone and style throughout the website.
• Have testimonials or references.
• List your key clients.
• Have an FAQ page.
• Publish case studies and white papers.
• Include an About page to put a face to your site.
• Establish a blog and post regularly.
• Update your news page with timely information.
• Include accurate information about the industries you serve.
• Be careful about ad content you display on your website.

 

Don’t…

• Have any typos or grammatical errors. Use a proofreader instead.
• Try to be too funny, “hip,” or casual. It can sound silly and fall flat.
• Don’t use industry jargon or buzzwords. It will only confuse visitors.
• Have inaccurate or outdated information on your website.

 

E-Commerce

Do…

• Offer mobile payment options.
• Provide detailed and transparent transaction reports.
• Clearly state your return and exchange policy.
• Make it easy to login for return visitors. We recommend social login functionality.
• Feature product videos.
• Show as many high-quality product images as possible.
• Provide accurate and detailed product descriptions.
• Allow shoppers to review and comment on your products.
• Use video for customer testimonials and use studies.
• Offer discounts and incentives.
• Establish a frequent shopper rewards program.
• List product size, weight, and any other related information.
• List all warranties and guarantees.
• Clearly show if a product is in stock or on backorder.
• Show other, related, or bundled products.
• Provide multiple, trusted payment options.
• Offer multiple shipping options.
• Email detailed order confirmation.

 

Don’t…

• Overuse large promotional banners and popups.
• Show multiple third-party ads.
• Have a cluttered shop or products page.
• Make it hard to find products.
• Feature products that are no longer available.
• Require membership or login to make a purchase.
• Use a hard sell.
• Use switch-and-bait tactics.
• Direct shoppers away from your site to complete their transactions.
• Use an unknown payment processor.
• Have a long or complicated checkout process.
• Have hidden fees.

 

Transparency

Do…

• Provide contact information very clearly.
• Have multiple ways that people can contact you (Phone, Email, Chat).
• Include a contact form so that you’re easily reachable.
• Have your company address visible and easy to find.
• Provide directions and other relevant information on your directions page, for example, including where to park, public transit information can be beneficial.
• Have a map of your location, preferably a Google Map.
• Show your opening hours. Be sure to update as needed for holidays and special events.
• Provide details about your customer service and support.

 

Don’t…

• Have splash or intro pages.
• Have pop-ups that ask for too much information from your visitors too soon.
• Make people opt into cookies before they can even see your site.
• Require visitors to install a plugin to see the animation or other parts of the site.

 

Internet

Do…

• Avoid spam, from both you and advertisers
• Link to your social media profiles. LinkedIn is a favorite among professionals.
• Showcase impressive follower numbers from social media, email, or other channels
• Link your content to other credible websites and resources.
• Guest blog.
• Comment on other blogs, groups, or online discussion sites for your industry.
• Have a presence on third-party review sites for your industry. Reviews are much more credible than anything you say.
• Display logos of your trade organizations or professional groups.
• Display any certifications, licenses, or other credentials.
• Include testimonials and case studies that illustrate the benefit you had on your clients.

 

Earning Your Visitors Trust (and Business!)

Now you know what it takes to create a trustworthy website for your business. Without one, you will run the risk of leaving doubts in the minds of your website visitors. And if that doubt grows into mistrust, you will have lost them.

Adding transparency to your online presence by having a trustworthy website is not that hard. Think about it; what makes you feel comfortable when you surf the web? Most likely, your potential clients or customers feel the same way. Give them what they want.

Look at it like this; when you meet a client in person, you are friendly, outgoing, and informative. A smile, wave, or firm handshake makes an impression and sets the tone for your client relationship. A trustworthy website works the same way.

If your business website comes across as engaging, relevant, and informative, you are halfway there. Make it easy to contact you and ask questions or go and make a purchase. Add videos and images of your business, store, or restaurant, and you and your team provide your service or product to happy consumers. Show that five-star review from Yelp or Angie’s List. After that, all you have to do is to deal with the increase in business!

Building and maintaining a trustworthy website takes time and effort. But it is the only way to earn the trust of increasingly sophisticated and demanding mobile consumers. We are here to help!

Do You Need to Earn the Trust of Your Visitors?

Do you want to create a trustworthy website for your business or product brand? Our team of professional designers will be happy to help you with this. But, first, look at our portfolio and read our case studies.

Then, if you believe we are a good fit for your web design needs, let’s talk! We offer a full range of consulting and design services for businesses and product brands, including custom web design and development, e-commerce solutions, website redesign, multilingual web design, search engine optimization, and WordPress optimization.

And if you are still not sure how professional web design will benefit your business, let’s talk! Our team will listen to you, answer your questions, and help you earn the trust of your online visitors. It is one of our specialties, after all! 

Do You Have a Trustworthy Website?

Do visitors trust your online presence? Or are certain elements making potential consumers feel uneasy? Do you have anything to add to our trustworthy website checklist? Maybe you have some examples of your own you can share? Or perhaps you built your own trustworthy website?

Please leave your comments below so our audience can benefit as well, and grab our feed, so you don’t miss our next post! And help other business owners get a trustworthy website by sharing this post with them!

Thank you! We appreciate your help to end bad business websites, one pixel at a time!

By PixoLabo
Not Your Average WordPress Web Design Agency
@pixolabo