Here are 40 simple actions you can take to get started.
1. Your website design is the first impression. Make sure it
is
professional and relevant to the subject matter.
2. Navigation must be intuitive. If visitors can't find what
they are
looking for easily, they will question your competence in
providing
what they want.
3. Make the website personal by giving it its own tone and
voice.
People buy people.
4. Follow the HEART rule of creating online content.
(Reminder: HEART
stands for Honest, Exclusive, Accurate, Relevant and
Timely.)
5. Use language that is appropriate to the audience. It will
build empathy.
6. Regularly add new content to your site. It shows that the
business
is alive and kicking.
7. Review all links. Doubts will quickly form in your
visitors' minds
if links don't work or, worse still, take them to error
pages.
8. Good grammar and spelling matter. Errors give the
impression of
sloppiness and carelessness.
9. Don't make outrageous and unbelievable claims, like
"Read this blog
and you'll be a millionaire by the end of the week."
People are used
to scams, get-rich-quick schemes and rip-offs.
10. Publish REAL testimonials and third-party endorsements.
Try to
always use real names and link to websites where possible.
Some sites
show images of letters sent by happy customers.
11. Publish case studies about customers you have helped,
who use your
product, etc.
12. Don't put down, curse or insult competitors. It's
unprofessional.
It is better to offer an objective comparison of competitive
services
or products.
13. Focus on building your long-term reputation, not on
making quick sales.
14. Write articles for humans, not search engines.
15. Make your 'About Us' page personal and comprehensive. It
plays an
important part in making visitors feel comfortable that real
people
are behind the site.
16. Publish your photo or the photos of the key people
involved with
the site. Again, this reinforces the fact that there are
real people
behind the screenshots.
17. Clearly identify who is behind the site. Nothing creates
more
suspicion than a site that tries to hide the identity of its
publishers.
18. on the 'Contact Us' page, provide an email form,
telephone
number, fax and address of the company.
19. Provide a telephone number that people can call and talk
to a person.
20. Provide Web addresses linked to the website domain, not
addresses
from free webmail services such as Hotmail and Gmail.
21. Think carefully about reciprocal links. If your site is
about
organic food and you have links to Party Poker, people are
going to
question your integrity.
22. Think carefully about the adverts you display on your
site.
Ensure that they are relevant to your subject and audience.
23. Write and publish your privacy policy. Be clear about what
you
will and will not do with any personal data you collect.
State that
you adhere to all data protection laws. Make it easy to read
and don't
use legal gobbledygook.
24. Write and publish a security policy. State what measures
you take
to ensure that all transactions are secure as well as how
well you
handle customers data.
25. Ensure that you have a security and privacy policy which
is linked
from the footer on every page. Make the link more prominent
on all
the order pages.
26. Clearly publish your guarantee. I would recommend making
it a 100%
money-back guarantee if possible.
27. Clearly state your refund and returns policy.
28. If you use PayPal, put the PayPal logo on your site. If
you have
a merchant services account with a major bank like Citibank
or HSBC,
put its logo on your site.
29. Use Google search on your site for two reasons. First,
it is a
great search solution which will help your visitors find
what they are
looking for. Second, having the Google name on your site
instills
trust.
30 If there are well-known industry associations for your
subject,
join up and put their logos on your site.
31. Have a forum on your site and respond quickly to
questions. Have
the attitude that you are happy to help others without
receiving
immediate reward. As the old saying goes, 'Givers always
gain.'
32. Allow people to comment on articles. Interactivity and
an
exchange of views build community and a sense of
involvement.
33. If people provide constructive criticism or comments in
the forum,
don't delete them, but respond with your point of view.
34. Use the words 'secure website' whenever you try to get
any
information from visitors, including newsletter sign-ups,
forum input
and payment.
35. on every page, state, "We take your privacy and
security very
seriously." Link the statement to the security and
privacy policy.
36. If you are selling a subscription, offer a low-cost,
entry-level
option. This could be a one-day taster, 'a week before
billing
starts' or a monthly trial.
37. only ask for information from customers that you really
need. For
example, for an email newsletter sign-up, the only
information you
REALLY need is an email address, so that is all you should
ask for.
38. If you have pricing on your website, make it transparent.
I
recently went to buy a book which was advertised for $10.
When I
checked out, they added tax, post and packaging, and the
final bill
was $19.50. I didn't buy it as I felt they had deliberately
tried to
mislead me.
39. Start a small newsletter of your company/services &
circulate it
among your clients/employees. Also, publish it on your
website
regularly.
40. Allow people to "unsubscribe" from your
mailing list. This may
sound very obvious, but I have found that many websites
still don't
follow it.
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