2 Ways to Instantly Make Your Website More Trustworthy and Credible

A lot of business owners like to add bells and whistles to their website whether they add value or not.

They load up on social media feeds, videos, media coverage, testimonials and other content, thinking social proof and the use of modern technology will add to the company’s perceived credibility and trustworthiness.

But the 2015 B2B Website Usability Survey from Huff Industrial Marketing, KoMarketing and BuyerZone, which was covered in a recent Content Marketing Institute article, revealed that website visitors look for something much different.

Basic website components.

Not the animation that plays automatically, not a Twitter feed, not a feature article in a major trade publication.

Contact information. Thorough contact information, as in a phone number, email address and physical mailing address.

It can be tempting to force visitors to use a contact form so you can gather more data from prospects. It can be tempting to force a visitor to call you because you think that gives you a better chance to close the sale.

But any attempt to force users to do something they may not want to do is a bad idea. Like it or not, the customer calls the shots.

Aside from the fact that many visitors don’t like to fill out forms or pick up a phone, providing basic contact information says more about your business than you realize.

People can be called and emailed. People have a physical workspace, or at least a mailbox. People can answer questions and solve problems.

Even if someone prefers not to deal with humans, simply knowing that humans exist behind the curtain makes the user feel better about doing business with you.

And it makes your business seem more trustworthy and credible.

Failure to provide this basic information creates doubt and makes people uncomfortable. It raises questions about your business and how you operate.

Here’s another stat I found interesting. When asked what information they want to see on the “home” page, 86 percent of survey respondents said “products and services.” Not surprising, considering this was a B2B survey.

But contact information, typically considered an afterthought, came in second at 64 percent, far ahead of things like testimonials (27 percent) and social media icons (12 percent).

What came after contact information was also somewhat surprising.

“About info/team bios” also ranked second behind “thorough contact information” as a “must have” content asset that establishes credibility.

Let this study permanently debunk the myth that people don’t read “About” pages.

They do.

Save the resumé for your LinkedIn profile or job application. People don’t want to see a laundry list of qualifications, degrees, awards, and memberships in professional organizations on your “About” page.

They want to get to know you better. They want to hear your company’s story. They want to hear your individual story. They want to see if you share their values and priorities. They want to put a face to a name.

They want to trust you and see that you’re authentic.

A good “About” page or bio will go a long way toward earning that trust. Like contact information, your story makes you and your company more human.

If you want to add a few nuggets from the laundry list above, that’s fine. But focus on your story if you want to make a personal connection and build relationships with website visitors.

Because relationships based on trust last much longer – and are much more profitable – than transactional relationships.

Although this is a B2B survey, I think this data applies to any website. Also, I’m a big believer in the theory that says the line between B2B (business-to-business) and B2C (business-to-consumer) has been blurred to the point in which we now have one category – person-to-person, or human-to-human.

I’ve often said that the most important characteristic of great marketing content is clarity. Simple things like contact information and a good “About” page, core website staples for 20 years, contribute to that clarity.

They help to paint a clearer picture of who you are and what you’re all about.

As business owners, we may take them for granted, but website visitors obviously don’t. And website visitors – our prospective clients – are the ones whose needs we should be focusing on satisfying.

Include your contact information on every page. Tell an authentic story on your “About” page. Two simple ways to instantly add trust and credibility to your website.