We have been discussing variables that you can test to increase your conversion rates. Last month we covered Features vs. Benefits. The next item on the list is Credibility.
It is very important that your site's visitors trust your site and have confidence in the legitimacy of it. There are many factors that contribute to the credibility of a website. We will focus on the following points:
- Testimonials
- Security
- Contact Page
- Domain Email Addresses
- Phone Number
Testimonials
One of the best things you can do to add credibility to your site is to display legitimate testimonials from your customers. These can be all on one page, or you might have a few highlighted on other pages such as your home page or a product listing page. There are different methods of getting testimonials. In some cases, happy customers might email you with good feedback. If the content of the email looks like it could be used as a testimonial, reply to their email and ask permission to use it on your site. You may want to just use a first name and last initial along with the general location of the customer like " John D, Orem, UT".
Another option would be to send out a survey to your existing customers asking how their experience was ordering on your site. As replies come back and you see some that you want to use as testimonials, follow the steps above to gain permission to use them on your site.
Security
Your visitors want to feel comfortable ordering from your site, especially when they are entering sensitive information such as credit card numbers, billing addresses etc. When you are hosting your site with StoresOnline, your Shopping Cart/Order Form uses a server secured through VeriSign. In StoresOnline Pro, there is now an element on the form called "Security" that you can use to add the official VeriSign logo to your order form. For 4.0, you can submit a programming request to the Changes Department to have it added to your site.
Contact Page
This one might seem obvious. In fact, every StoresOnline site has a Contact Us page built into i by defaultt. Be sure that this page has enough information for customers to be able to easily contact you with any questions or concerns.
Domain Email
If you have a domain name for your website, you should definitely be using email addresses that use the domain such as "info@yourdomain.com. This small point makes a big difference when it comes to credibility. Displaying non-domain-related email addresses such as Hotmail or Yahoo addresses, can look unprofessional and lessen your credibility. In StoresOnline Pro, you can create your email aliases right in the store builder. For 4.0, contact customer support to get them set up.
Phone Number
When a visitor sees a phone number displayed on a website, even if they aren't planning on calling, it adds credibility to the site and confidence to the visitor. Displaying a phone number may not be possible for all merchants, but it is definitely worth looking into. You might be surprised at the amount of orders you get by phone that you may not have otherwise received. If you are not always available to answer the phone, be sure to have a voicemail greeting that sounds professional.
These five items will work together to give plenty of credibility to your website which in turn gives a boost of confidence to your customer. Remember: Credible Site = Confident Customers = Higher Conversion Rates.
