{"id":3478,"date":"2011-09-11T13:07:22","date_gmt":"2011-09-11T17:07:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pixsym.com\/?p=3478"},"modified":"2024-01-12T14:20:22","modified_gmt":"2024-01-12T19:20:22","slug":"what-makes-a-website-credible-top-5-credibility-signals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pixsym.com\/what-makes-a-website-credible-top-5-credibility-signals\/","title":{"rendered":"What Makes a Website Credible? Top 5 Credibility Signals"},"content":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all been there. You head to Google for a quick answer to a question or problem, click on a website and say to yourself \u201csomething\u2019s fishy here\u201d and you head back to the search engine to browse through additional search results until you find a reputable website. There\u2019s something \u201cfishy\u201d about non-credible websites \u2013 consumers know it when they see it, but most times they can\u2019t put their finger on what makes them want to high-tail-it back to the search results page they came from.<\/p>\n

Over the years, Google has increasingly stressed that website quality and credibility are a major factor in search engine rankings \u2013 in fact, the two are synonymous on the web. Following a few guidelines will help tell visitors that you’re up to snuff and in return, it may also assist in your search rankings.<\/p>\n

#5 \u2013 Keep Ads to a Minimum<\/h3>\n

Lots of distracting ads say to your visitors \u201cwe\u2019re desperate\u201d, \u201cwe don\u2019t care how annoying our website is\u201d, and \u201cwe value clicks on our ads more than we care about you finding what you need\u201d. While this rule mainly refers to Adsense ad units, banners, and pop-ups for affiliated products and services, ads that point to your own website can go overboard too. Banners and such that promote your own services\/products are okay in moderation but should be used sparingly.<\/p>\n

#4 \u2013 Update Content Regularly<\/h3>\n

Websites with outdated content say to visitors \u201cwe\u2019re lazy\u201d, \u201cwe don\u2019t care\u201d, and \u201cwe really didn\u2019t want your business anyway\u201d. It\u2019s important that your website be updated regularly with information that reflects your current business. We all know that we should keep our contact information updated (we do right?), but what about those \u201cabout us\u201d pages and service pages. Things change and your website should reflect the latest information on your company.<\/p>\n

If you really want to say \u2013 \u201cwe keep up with the latest trends\u201d and \u201cwe know what we\u2019re talking about\u201d,\u00a0start a blog and update it often. Even post-2020, blogs do a fantastic job of lending credibility to your company\u2019s offerings and they are great for getting traffic to your websites via search engines \u2013 gratis<\/em>.<\/p>\n

#3 \u2013 Design for Speed and Ease of Use<\/h3>\n

First impressions can last forever online and if the impression that your visitors get is one that comes from an outdated and\/or slow-to-load web page and frustrating navigation \u2013 you are definitely sending people running (to your competition). The best course of action is to use a clean layout that\u2019s not overly trendy (unless you like redesigning your website every couple of years) and make absolutely certain that your website is easy to use on a mobile phone. Google makes a free mobile-friendly website checker<\/a> that will give you a load of information relative to this point.<\/p>\n

#2 \u2013 Transparency (showing off the real you)<\/h3>\n

If your website makes it hard to find out who is behind the curtain, you\u2019re telling visitors \u201cwe\u2019re shady\u201d. \u00a0Your company is run by people right? (if not, I suppose you can skip this one.) It\u2019s okay to put a human touch on your website even if you are a large company. People want to know they can trust your company and that means the people behind the scenes that they can hold accountable\u00a0if God-forbid something goes wrong<\/em>.<\/p>\n

People also want to know\u00a0who<\/em>\u00a0is behind the scenes; Don\u2019t leave it to their imagination because they won\u2019t stick around long enough to figure it out. Create an \u201cabout us<\/a>\u201d page with real people (not stock photos) or a staff listing page and infuse it with your company\u2019s vibe and personality.\u00a0Also, be sure to make it easy to contact the people on these pages, as this will put visitors at ease and tell them \u201cwe\u2019re\u00a0available\u201d.<\/p>\n

#1 \u2013 Make it Easy to Verify Your Claims<\/h3>\n

If your website has loads of testimonials, certificates, guarantees, and promises with no way to verify the accuracy or validity of your claims, you are really telling visitors \u201cwe\u2019ll say anything to get your business\u201d and \u201cyou can\u2019t trust us\u201d. If you are talking about how awesome you are \u2013 be prepared to back it up. If you have certifications, link to the certification company. If you have good reviews, link to the offsite reviews. The key here is \u2013 don\u2019t be afraid to link out to other websites if it lends itself to your goal of\u00a0backing up your claims.<\/p>\n

There you have it \u2013 the 5 most important factors that help you convey trust online<\/strong><\/p>\n

There aren\u2019t any super-complex equations involved in conveying trust to your prospective customers. In fact, most of the things listed here are conveyed subliminally and without yelling “trust me!”<\/strong>. Trust on the web, like in person is one of those things you just get a feeling for – your customers will either know it when they see it or the will leave your website after realizing they don’t.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We\u2019ve all been there. You head to Google for a quick answer to a question or problem, click on a website and say to yourself \u201csomething\u2019s fishy here\u201d and you head back to the search engine to browse through additional search results until you find a reputable website. There\u2019s something \u201cfishy\u201d about non-credible websites \u2013…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Makes a Website Credible? 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