Seven Building Blocks of a Destination Website-Trust & Creditability

Seven Building Blocks of a Destination Website-Trust & Creditability:
The initial six building blocks in creating a Destination Website; proficient information, usability, website design, distinctive value proposition, time and presence, and voice are all things that we, more or less, have straight control over. The exemption is time. We don't control time but we do control how we build up our presence over time.



Trust and credibility are also partly in our control but also two of the hardest things to attain. We find out whether we move forward in a reliable way, and whether or not to act in a plausible manner, but no matter how hard we try, we cannot wish those two things into existence. We cannot force someone else to believe us. We cannot tell someone to find us plausible and expect them to do so on our word.
We can go about doing all we can to build both trust and credibility, but, in the end, whether we are trusted or not lie not with our individual efforts but other people's perceptions. If you spend months and years showing you can be trusted and proving that you're plausible, but one knows or believes it to be true, then you just aren't. These are not physical things that can be touched; they simply must be understood to be factual.
How to build trust and credibility:



Answer phone calls and return emails:
I'm astounded at how often I run across businesses that don't do this. You would think that this is one of the fundamental no-brainers of doing business. Heck, if you can't return a call or reply to an email, what signals are you sending to the prospective customer? First question: are you a lawful business? Second question: if I have a problem, which's going to be there to help me out?
It's bad enough that prospective customers call and get a voice mail during business hours. Shoddier when those calls are not returned. Rule of thumb, you have about 24 hours to reply to messages and emails before your trustworthiness is questioned. However, if you really want the customer, you should reply much faster. Twenty-four hours is a long time on the web and if you wait too long, you very soon might have lost them to a competitor.
Keep information secure:
Security is vital to conveying trust. Whether you are selling products or just capturing leads, visitors need to know that their information is going to be kept safe and it won't be used for nefarious purposes. Using trust symbols such as Thawte, Better Business Bureau, and HackerSafe can all provide further feelings of trust. Linking to solitude and security policies from your forms can help as well.
Open communication:
Keeping communication open between you and your clients is crucial. This is more than just returning calls, but its dynamic participation. Both in meeting customer's needs but also in foreseeing them. It means finding where your audience is and engaging with them in discussion, chat rooms, blogs and the like. Keeping communication open gives you opportunity to be truthful with your shortfalls, own up to your mistakes, and to present yourself as you truly are, a real person who cares genuinely about the needs of your audience.
Put the customer first:
We've all heard it said that "the consumer is always right." Now I don't certainly believe that's true in all situations, but the point is, to survive in a consumer oriented business, we have to put the customer first. This means going out of your way to make certain the customer is satisfied with their purchase and transaction and if not, finding out what areas they are displeased in and provide a solution to make them satisfied.
Exceed expectations:
One of the best ways to build hope and trustworthiness is to simply exceed the expectations of your audience. This can be both easy and hard. It's easy to find little ways to go the extra mile. To give a little extra service or extra benefit. It can be difficult, however, if you over-sell yourself. If you do that then you make it hard enough just to meet expectations. Look for opportunities to do something your clients or prospects don't expect. Ways to prove to your customers that they are special to you.
Of course, all this isn't just about building perceptions, but proving those perceptions to be factual. Creating a perception of trust, only to have it proven fake is far worse then never having built the aura of trust to begin with. If you fool visitors into thinking you're plausible, they'll soon find out you're not. Both are difficult to rebuild than to build in the first place.
Putting them all together:
When building a Destination Website, all six other building blocks can be in place, but without this seventh one the first six are futile. Usability, voice, design, expert information, etc., all just become part of the hoax. But, if you are really building up trust that can be trusted and credibility that is credible, the first six building blocks all lend a hand to that end. They all play a role at helping to establish and prove your credibility.
Very unbeaten businesses, both on-and offline have been built on this last building block alone. In fact, only this last one is necessary for success, though all seven are essential to build a Destination Website. Like any good foundation, all seven building blocks provide support for the other six, with faith and credibility being the most vital piece of the pie.

Labels: Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization