Doing Business On The Web Is Different

Lakelands Media is committed to developing your Web Site success. Towards that goal, we are providing the following articles to help you understand what makes a successful web site.

Yeah, right…
Is Your Web Site Hard to Believe?

Would you buy a watch from a guy in an overcoat in the street corner? Chances are you would not. Why, because the guy has no credibility. He could be selling top quality watches at decent prices but you would never even hear him out.

Now consider buying a watch from a Mom ‘n Pop watch store in your neighborhood. You would be most likely to buy the watch here because you bring certain assumptions about the business, based on their perceived credibility. You would assume the Mom ‘n Pop store knows what they are doing, is stable and reliable, offers honest pricing and quality products and guarantees your satisfaction. Additionally, you would assume that, should you have any problems, Mom or Pop would be there in the future to handle your complaint.

So what makes a Web Site credible?
The Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab has published the 10 guidelines about Web Site credibility:

1. Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.
2. Show that there's a real organization behind your site.
3. Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you provide.
4. Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.
5. Make it easy to contact you.
6. Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).
7. Make your site easy to use -- and useful.
8. Update your site's content often (at least show it's been reviewed recently).
9. Use restraint with any promotional content (e.g., ads, offers).
10. Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.

Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.
Wherever possible, provide links to 3 rd party, independent validation of your claims.

Here's an example:
Take a look at the ACU Heating and Air Conditioning Company's page:
http://www.flex.net/~lonestar/

My first reaction, to be kind, is that this is not a very professional looking web page. So what does it have going for it? A lot!

The first thing I notice is that there is lots of free information about heating and air conditioning in general under the sections “Things You Should Know About” and “Consumer Tips”. They are not charging me for this information; it is just there for free. Best of all, there are plenty of links to verification of the information at Federal, State and even University Web Sites. These guys know what they are doing!

Further along the page I see that they use products with The Good Housekeeping seal of Approval, are EPA certified, and even link to their state License number. These guys are credible!

Show that there's a real organization behind your site.
Have you ever gone to a Web Site ready to make a transaction only to discover that there is no telephone number for the business? In my book, this is as bad as running an ad in the classifieds asking customers to mail cash to a Post Office Box. How do I know where my money is going?

You are a real company with real employees and a real physical address. Even if you run your business from your home, you must at least publish your telephone number. Ideally, you will provide an address, fax, phone, and person name for customers to contact you.

Adding photos of real employees can be beneficial for certain companies, as well. Look at http://www.flex.net/~lonestar/ again. Scroll to the bottom of the page. There is a photograph of a real employee. Not only that, he happens to be an expert who has been interviewed in a trade publication. Great!

Highlight the expertise in your organization and in the content and services you provide.
Thinking again about ACU Heating and Air Conditioning Web Site, the fact that one of their employees has been interviewed in a trade publication increases the company's credibility, not just because I see the real employee behind the company, but because it tells me they hire experts who know what they are doing.

If your company employs people who are certified in your area, are authorities or otherwise credentialed, let your audience know. This alone increases your credibility significantly.

Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.
A company is only as honest as its representatives, so show that your company is made up of honest, reliable people. You can show these points by providing profiles or bios of your employees, preferably with photographs of the actual employees. Look at the picture of ACU's employee. The picture screams, “Real, hardworking, honest employees here!”

By the way, this doesn't work if you try to push –off stock art photos of models on your Web Site. People see through this.

Make it easy to contact you.
Don't hide your contact information under 2 levels of menu items. Publish the contact information right on the header of your pages, and also provide a menu item directly to your contact information. Oh, and please call it “Contact Us,” like everyone else. This is especially important if you are doing business locally.

Design your site so it looks professional (or is appropriate for your purpose).
Thinking again to the ACU Heating and Air conditioning Web Site, what was your initial impression in the first few seconds of viewing their Web Site? My guess is it was not positive. The “free-type” graphics and unprofessional layout might have turned me away before I even had a chance to read the Web page. However, I will say this: just because you are attempting to put forth a professional business image does not mean you have to have a boring, corporate Web Site.

Your site can still be fun and attractive while maintaining the credibility of your site. You would not design your own logo, represent yourself in a lawsuit or perform an operation on yourself. Do not design your own Web Site! Well, unless you happen to have professional Web design training…

Make your site easy to use -- and useful.
This guideline is really two very important and separate points. Ease of use is nothing new. I am sure you have been to Web Sites where you just know the information is there somewhere: the problem is you can't find it. How frustrating! You do not want to be known as the company that is difficult to deal with. Put thought, time and effort into how you organize the content on your Web Site.

And, yes, make your Web Site useful. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but no one cares about your business except you. People only care about what your business can do for them. Take extra care to define the goals of your Web Site, and do so from the point of view of a user. This is a difficult task to undertake, but one that pays –off immensely.

Look at ACU Heating and Air Conditioning. The information on their Web Site is not mostly about blowing their own horn, although it does so where appropriate. The information is for me, the customer who is having issues with my heat pump, or who is trying to make an informed purchase of a new AC unit. ACU is offering me solutions to my problems. If there happens to be information about the company, it is only in support of this initiative.

Update your site's content often (at least show it's been reviewed recently).
The Web isn't new anymore, and subsequently there is a lot of old, stale information out there. Make sure the information on your Web Site is not only up-to-date, but that it appears up-to-date. According to the Stanford Guidelines , “People assign more credibility to sites that show they have been recently updated or reviewed.” This is as simple as reviewing your content and publishing a footer that read, “Information last updated (today).” Additionally you might publish the date on articles, press releases and similar information.

Use restraint with any promotional content (e.g., ads, offers).
If you have ads on your Web Site, make sure they are for businesses your customers will be interested in, and visually separate them from the rest of your Web Site. Never include annoyance-ads like pop-ups or pop-unders. Make sure your writing style is clear, direct and, most importantly, sincere. Avoid coming off sounding like a snake oil salesman.

Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.
You know this one: No typos, grammatical errors, false information, or other mistakes. It is simply unprofessional, so be sure to check; double check and triple check your grammar, punctuation and spelling before you publish anything. Additionally, check the links on your page from time to time to be sure you do not have broken links. Broken links not only make your company look sloppy, but also makes your Web Site seem out-dated.

Kerry Reilly is the President of Lakelands Media, in Gaithersburg, MD. and a Certified Usability Analyst. Contact Lakelands Media today and let us show you how we can increase the credibility of your Web Site.