Having a credible website substantiates your brand or business. While you may think your website is legitimate, you may be surprised that others don’t agree. Often, the simplest things that establish the validity of your website are the ones that get overlooked. Take some time to evaluate your online presence to avoid the appearance of looking phony.
To start off, you might want to take a step back and ask yourself what the purpose of your website is. When I’ve asked clients this, the answers I hear most are, “To sell a product or service,” or, “To showcase my company.”
These answers aren’t necessarily wrong, but the big picture is always missed. The purpose of your website should be to drive people to contact you. You want to have content that entices the viewer without sharing too much information.
If you try to answer every question a visitor may have, it’s overwhelming and ends up being counterproductive. Hook potential customers in with tidbits of interesting information, then give a clear call to action, such as, “Contact us to learn more.”
After they’ve been hooked and give you a ring, you have the ability to personally close the sale.
Another tip is to start a blog, link it to your website and regularly update it. A blog is beneficial because it helps with search engine rankings and it shows people that your business is timely and you’re actively monitoring your website.
More credibility must-haves are displaying a physical address instead of listing a P.O. Box, using actual contact names and posting a phone number that’s easy to find.
Next, evaluate your visual content. Visuals are a must for any website; however, a common example of a fake-feeling website is one that overuses stock photos. By stock photos, I mean the ones that are available for use by purchase from websites such as stockphoto.com. They are usually generic-looking and categorized.
There’s nothing wrong with occasionally using stock photos depending on what they’re for, but using too many negates the “personal touch” of a website. People look for this quality and want the comfort in knowing that there’s a human behind a brand. Having too many stock photos on a website is comparable to canned Spam. It looks feasible, but there’s something not quite real about it. Sort of like the spam emails that are going around in a wave recently.
Instead, I suggest utilizing locally produced photos. If you’re no expert in photography, hire a local professional to take photos of your employees or product in a customized setting. An easy way to show credibility is to feature photos of your office, awards or employees, especially if your company offers something of service nature. The key is to make sure your photos look professional. If you have real photos vs. stock but they are mediocre quality, you lose authenticity.
The main point is this: Business is relational. If your website isn’t “real,” you cannot expect real work.
Charles Gaushell, principal and creative director of Paradigm Marketing & Creative, can be reached at 685-7703.
http://www.memphisdailynews.com/news/2011/jul/1/your-website-and-online-credibility/
