Building a website with good design is just a beginning, and not an end of your job. People often think that a beautiful website will work wonders for the business. But, a good design is only a factor of sales.

Good sales require good credibility. But… but… but! How to build the credibility that would bring you sales? Here are some tips to follow:

Do not lie. Be transparent
The very first thing one should remember is not to lie and maintain as much transparency as you can. Many people add fake reviews and testimonials to the site which they think would add credibility and trustworthiness to the site. Instead of gaining customers, businesses lose them. So, while adding reviews and testimonials, make sure you add the name, designation and the name of the organisation of the review/testimonial writer. For instance, your site sells novels. Think: One novel has got hundred reviews from common people, while the other has 5 reviews from wellknown media. Which book would do more business?

Similarly, do not have anything to disclose to your customer at the time of final payment. Lay down all the terms and conditions, in front of a customer, before he invests in your product. Suppose, you have purchased a beautiful set of wine glasses. The site delivers the product to you and later you realise that one of the glasses is chipped. Now you want to return the set, but the company says that they do not take back chipped glasses? What would you do then?

Keep yourself in place of the customer everytime you write a marketing copy, and write down all the things you feel ‘You’ should know about a product

Let them know you are reachable
One of the influential factors of credibility building is to let people know you exist and will be there, when needed. To assure them, you need to display your address and contact number on the site (even if the transactions are online) – customers need to know you have a physical presence and you are not a fraud, who sells defective products and then run away. Always display customer care numbers, if any, so customers will not contact the owner or other departments of your office for doubts and inquiries.

Are your transactions safe? If yes, tell them
People fear sharing their credit card details on a portal they do not know, as details may be leaked/or shared with a third party. If you have a system that keeps these details safe, then tell your visitors.

Video testimonials
Video testimonials can be of common people who have used your site and are happy with your products. These videos can demo or speak about the condition of the product (to assure others that products delivered are brand new) and guarantee/warranty (if any). Video testimonials can also be the reviews of TV channels or any other credible source. If you have any celebrity clients, it is better to have their video, on your site, no matter how short it is.

Have social media presence
Social media connect you with people. With the speed social networking is growing, you can not only maintain your current customers, but can also rapidly gain thousands of new customers daily. Word-of-mouth is said to be the best source of credibility and the cheapest source of publicity, and social media give you exactly the same.

Besides these, some of the other ways to build website credibility are:

• Do not clutter your website with ads
• Write persuasive copy for your product
• Have a blog and update it regularly
• Easy navigation
• Have original content – from copy to images

Hope these points would help you build a credible site and increase your sales. If you have any points worth sharing, then please share those with us in the ‘comments’ section below.