Sally heard about a money saving deal on beautiful custom-made baby blankets from a friend.
So, she went to the URL given and noticed the colors and logos seemed off.
She felt uneasy and decided to shop elsewhere online. She went to the big stores’ websites where at least she knows and trusts what they sell.
The point? Credibility and sales go hand in hand.
Don’t let these five habits kill your website’s credibility and sales, especially if you run a small business and are ready to attract more customers.
1. Not Including Your Contact Information
Be sure to include a simple “Contact Us” page with your business’s name, address, email address and phone number.
Most visitors will never attempt to contact you, but just having this information displayed instills greater trust and confidence.
2. Not Sticking With Your Brand
Your website is an extension of your business and its respective brand.
When a visitor accesses your site, they should see your brand elements, such as logo, tagline, color scheme, etc.
3. Not Publishing New Content
When was the last time you published new content?
If you haven’t released new material for several weeks or even months, you should invest the necessary time and resources to do so.
4. Not Including External Links
It’s a good idea to include links to other websites and third-party sources to instill greater confidence and credibility.
Without external links, visitors may view your website as being a one-way street. In addition, it draws more attention to search engines, which in turn will draw more attention to your site.
5. Using a ‘Free’ Template or Theme
Sure, using a free template or theme for your site’s design can save you a couple of dollars, but you have to ask yourself what it will cost you in the long run.
Hundreds, possibly even thousands of other sites are using the same free design, which can water down the quality and credibility of your site.
These are just a few bad habits that can kill your website’s credibility.
Does your business’s site reflect any of these bad habits? It’s not too late to change them!
Need more tips for getting your website ready to attract more prospective customers? Check out this series of blogs on improving your business’s website.
Not sure where to start? At Content First Marketing, we help small businesses grow! Schedule a business review here to see how we can help yours.
