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Building Online Trust
Part Seven - Guide to Increasing Online Sales
Building trust online revolves around understanding and anticipating
your visitor's needs and questions. A web site which is taking orders
for products needs to clearly state what it's return policy is,
what shipping costs are involved in an order, whether or not shipping
insurance is included in the price or available, what privacy policies
are in place, what security policies are in place. All of these
things can go a long way in instilling that sense of assurance that
we spoke of earlier. It's amazing to see how many commercial web
sites are lacking these ingredients. Following are a few areas to
consider when attempting to increase the level of trust that potential
customers feel towards your web site:
Testimonials
Using testimonials is an obvious method of lowering some of the
reluctance which many online shoppers feel when making a purchase
from a new or untried web site. Include testimonial information
directly in your sales copy or product description if possible.
Guarantees
Can you guarantee that a product will be delivered or that a service
will be fulfilled? A properly written guarantee offers an online
buyer some recourse should a problem in fulfillment arise. Just
make sure that you are able to back up any promises that you make.
Professional Web Design
A poorly designed or amateur web site does not instill the sense
of assurance and security that you want your customers to feel when
viewing your web site. Spend the time and relatively small amount
of money required to make sure that your web site has not only a
professional design but that it functions flawlessly, is viewable
by many types of browsers and computer configurations.
Policies
Have policies in place which address issues of online security,
privacy and refunds. Clearly state what your policies and terms
are and make sure that this information is easy for a potential
customer to find.
Search Engine Rankings
Most people feel that the web sites which appear in the first page
of search engine results are the top players in a particular field.
As we spoke about earlier, search is the first step in the online
buying process. The majority of your online sales will originate
as a result of online searches. This fact should not be overlooked
when planning your online sales strategy. Make every attempt to
ensure that your web site ranks well for searched related to your
product or service.
Depending on the nature of your product or service you might also
consider having pages with technical support information or a page
or frequently asked questions (FAQ's). Information offered on your
web site which predicts and answers questions and addresses common
needs or concerns help to build trust. It shows your web site user
you that you have taken the time and effort to think about them,
that you have done everything possible to make the web site experience
positive and worthwhile. By addressing the issues noted in this
segment of the guide, you have also taken steps to mirror the offline
buying experience, which ultimately leads to higher levels of customer
trust and can translate directly to an increase in your online sales.
Part One - Introduction to
Online Sales
Part Two - Web Site Usability
Part Three - Defining Calls to Action
Part Four - Optimizing Sales Copy
Part Five - Online Purchasing
Behaviors
Part Six - Price Comparison
Behavior
Part Seven - Building Online
Trust
Part Eight - Understanding Conversion
Rates
Part Nine - The Payment Process
Part Ten - After The Sale
Download this Complete
Guide in PDF Format
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