Studies have shown that when people get ready to make a purchase online, they are more likely to buy from websites that demonstrate credibility; that is, sites that generate confidence and appear believable, honest, and trustworthy.

Unfortunately, many website owners are unaware their site lacks these qualities and, as a result, they are losing sales … often without even knowing it.

The simple fact is this: If potential customers don’t feel comfortable about doing business with you, they are going to leave … and all the traffic generation strategies you have put into place (and spent money on) will be worthless.

So what does it take to ensure that your website appears credible to your visitors?

There are several factors involved and I address them in my FREE report, “Creating Strong Website Credibility.”

I urge you to download a copy, then take a critical look at your website and make whatever changes may be necessary. I feel certain you will benefit in the long run.

Do you know about eye tracking? This is the way it’s described on the poynterextra.org website:

Eyetracking is research that tracks where a person’s eyes look while reading, then analyzes the data to reveal patterns. By combining and reviewing data from multiple individuals during testing, you can discover representative patterns that apply to most of the population.  

Several studies have been conducted related to eye tracking, and Seth Godin has posted an excellent summary of the results on his blog.

Having this information can be extemely helpful in knowing what your site visitors are looking at when they arrive at your website, and how long they spend on the different areas.

For example, did you know that the top left corner is the first place your visitors look? Or that they ignore large blocks of text? Or that they spend considerable time looking at your navigational menu?

These are just some of the areas to consider when laying out your website. Even if you don’t do your own website, always remember ‘you’re the boss,’ so make sure the person you hire follows these eye tracking tips.

I’m not sure where the person got his information, but on the Warrior Forum, someone made the comment that the “About Me” page was supposed to be about “how you can help me.”

This is incorrect.

The sales copy is where you write about how you are going to help your prospects. The “About” page is supposed to be just what it says … about you and/or your company.

Partly because of SPAM, but also because of the real threat of identity theft, people are becoming extremely cautious about buying products and services online.

They are looking for websites that appear trustworthy and generate confidence. They want assurance that the person or company behind the website really exists. 

They want to know such things as how long your company has been in business, where it’s located, the name of the principal(s). If you are a service provider, they want to be assured that you have plenty of experience and, in some fields, they may look for educational qualifications and/or professional credentials.

People also want to know who to contact if they have a problem so it’s important that you provide not only an email address, but a phone number as well. (Many website owners have a separate “Contact” page for this information, which is fine, but it doesn’t hurt to include it on the About page as well.)

Depending on the subject of your website, the About page may also be a good place to let people see the human side of you — to let your personality come through (just don’t go overboard and include all your personal foibles). You might even want to provide a little background on why you started your business.

If you would like to know other ways that you can ensure your credibility and trustworthiness on the internet, request my FREE report, ”Creating Strong Website Credibility.”

It happened again today.

I landed on a website as a result of a Google search and started reading the content. Within only a few moments, it was obvious to me that the website owner had not updated the site for quite some time.

Why? Because there was reference to an event that took place in 2004 … with a mention that a similar event was scheduled for 2005. The writer promised to provide more details as the event drew near.

Hellooooo? It is now October 2007.

Did the event ever take place? I’ll never know because the website hasn’t been updated.

I own and operate 7 active websites, so I know now difficult it is to stay on top of every page of every website, but nonetheless, I try to make a practice of reviewing the sites on a monthly basis to be sure the information is still accurate, as well as making sure all the links are working.

New websites are being added daily to the internet — sites that may be your competition. If the information on your website has not been updated for quite some time, who do you think visitors will choose to do business with?

Answer: The website that has the most up-to-date and accurate information on products and services.

Will that be your website?

I just read a blog that talks about the importance of good web design (one of the many elements that makes a website successful).

The blog writer references research done by Carleton University in Canada that found “Web users form first impressions of web pages in as little as 50 milliseconds (1/20th of a second).”

The reseachers further suggest that these “first impressions can influence subsequent judgments of website credibility and buying decisions.” (For more information on website credibility, download my FREE report, “Creating Strong Website Credibility.”)

This is further evidence that the success of your website is not based entirely on traffic. Yes, traffic is important because without it, your site is just taking up space on the internet. But once your visitors arrive, the design of your website (along with navigation, content, ordering process, etc) plays a major role in determining whether they will stay … and buy.

It’s been said that everyone likes to make their customers happy.

I believe there is a great deal of truth in this statement; however, as I surf around the internet and look at various websites, it seems some website owners have forgotten what it takes to make their customers happy (or at least their potential customers).

Here’s the scenario: You arrive at a website hoping to find information about a particular product or service. After spending several minutes at the site, clicking here and clicking there, you end up leaving in frustration because you feel like you’re going in circles.

Are you happy? Probably not.

Experts say that most of us will click 7 or 8 times to find what we need. After that, we generally say ‘sayonara’ to that website and move on.

To my thinking, people should not be forced to click even 5 or 6 times to get where they need to be. If a website has been laid out with the visitor in mind, the process of getting from Point A (the entry page) to Point B (the order page) should be effortless, i.e., a maximum of 3-4 clicks.

If you are a website owner and want to make sure your customers are happy, pay special attention to your navigational menu and make sure each link takes your visitors where they want to go.