Most website owners do not realize it, but trust is a very important thing to establish between a website and its users. Too many website owners are focused on delivering information and services that will drive traffic, instead of realizing that a trustworthy website will always be preferred by repeat users. You may offer the most state-of-the-art Internet features on your site, but your site will sit barren if users do not trust it.
What does it mean to establish trust with a website? More website owners need to focus on the trust elements of their sites if they want to bring in reliable repeat traffic instead of being infatuated with the bells and whistles that act only as gimmicks.
Security
The first time a user goes to your website and gets a virus from your site, you can be assured that you will never see that user again. That user will also warn others against visiting your site and that will have a significant effect on your traffic. If you want to establish trust with your website, then you need to invest in security.
You need to make sure that your retail transaction pages have security certificates and you need to scan your site regularly for any potential viruses. You need to do everything possible to protect the information and computers of your users and you need to post your security policies on your website for all of your users to read.
Accurate Information
So many website owners are infatuated with getting new information on their website first that they forget that the information needs to be accurate as well. Inaccurate information is perceived as a lie by your users and Internet users hate to be lied to. Before you post any information, make sure that it is factually correct and that everything about your website is accurate.
Giving Away Information
While it is important to generate revenue from your website, it is also important to let your users know that they matter to your business. Every website, even the most subscription-heavy sites, offer some sort of information for free. Aside from information on how to subscribe to your site, you should also offer some level of information or services free to any user. Not only does this help to establish trust with your users, but it also gives them a sample of what your website has to offer which should lead to more paid subscriptions.
Being Consistent
Owning a website is the same as owning any business in that you must deliver consistent customer service to gain the trust of your users. You must develop customer service policies that are posted clearly on your site and that you and your staff use to make decisions regarding customer issues. If it starts to get around that you treat each customer differently, then customers will not know what to expect from you and that will cost you business.
It is not enough to have a website that looks great and has all of the latest Internet technology for your users to utilize. If your users do not trust your website, then they will not come back for more business. To develop repeat business, you need to take the time to create trust between your traffic and your website.