Trustworthy by Design: Conveying Web Site Credibility to Convert Site Visitors into Customers

"Marketing is not a battle of products; it is a battle of perceptions," according to the classic primer, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing. Implied is that consumers' perception of a product outweighs its intrinsic worth. (Consider how established brands continue to outsell generic or lesser-known ones even when the products are near-identical.)

Authors Ries and Trout didn't write their "immutable laws" with Web sites specifically in mind, Nevertheless, winning "the battle of perceptions" online means precluding users' doubts about your trustworthiness. The smallest mistake will spook them—and guarantee their quick abandonment.

Appearing trustworthy is key. Stanford U's Web Credibility Project (2004) determined that 46% of us base our perception of site credibility solely on visual design. It's no different, says Project Head B.J. Fogg, from how we judge other things like cars and politicians.

I include the Project's ten recommendations below, augmented with choice recommendations from Acro Media's talented designers.

Make it easy for visitors to verify site info accuracy. Link content to third-party support e.g. citations, references, source material.
Prove your organization's legitimacy. Display physical address, a photo of the office, membership in respected orgs. e.g. the Chamber.
Highlight your company's expertise. Display credentials of your authorities. Don't link to doubtful sites. Designer Chris: "Don't overuse your logo/brand in the site—this can make you come across as pushy or arrogant and destroy your credibility."
Show that actual, honest and trustworthy people are on your team. Convey it with images or text e.g. bios including family and hobbies.
Make contacting you so very easy.
Design your site so it looks professional and appropriate for your purpose. Art Director Jason: "A cheap, amateur design (or brand) is easy to spot for a designer. For the average Joe, they just sense it without knowing why, technically. Pay attention to detail and consistency (same logo, same colors, same typography etc...) across all of your company's media."
Ensure ease of use and usefulness—distinct areas benefiting greatly from knowing how best to convert visitors to your site's business goals.
Update content often, or at least review regularly. Acro Media recommends a content management system to let you edit content easily, with no technical skills required.)
Use restraint with promotional content e.g. ads and offers. Write clearly, directly, sincerely.
Avoid errors of all types—no excuse for typos, broken links and unexpected down time.

To sum 'er up, don't sabotage your online efforts by gambling with less-than-professional design. Better to heed Dr. Fogg's warning: "If [your site] doesn't look credible or like what [visitors] expect it to be, they go elsewhere. It doesn't get a second test."

Acro Media Inc. is an interactive agency that professionally delivers four main solution sets:

Ecommerce solutions—for product sales.
Corporate sites—for lead generation.
Showcase design—for brand building.
Portal sites—for community building and member services.

With a decade's experience and team of 39, Acro Media ably provides: