42 Factors That Influence Your Website’s Credibility

Every customer wants to deal with a credible company. If your website fails to prove that credibility factor, all the visitors will be left empty-handed. To convert more of this traffic into buyers, you have to enhance your website’s credibility.

It is not so easy to persuade a visitor that your company is trustworthy. Because they are hurriedly scanning your site. One bad design is enough to repulse them. So what can you do to attract them?

Scientists have researched the psychology of people in relation to their page visit duration. And what they have found will blow your mind! Most of the visitors leave a site within just 10 to 20 seconds. But they have found an amazing solution to retain the traffic for a long.

 The concept used is “Weibull distribution”. According to it, a website undergoes “Negative Aging”.

In simple words, if you can engage your viewers for the first 30 seconds, they will continue to stay at your website. So, you got the answer to your question. But what to show the visitors in this important 30 second period?

Credibility.

Focus on the first look of your site and provide a clear and effective Value Proposition. So that people gain trust and become ready to buy your products.

Then let us know the classification of credibility:

1. Earned Credibility

High-quality website design helps you earn this credibility. The audience is satisfied with the site experience and has trust in you.

2. Reputed credibility

The visitor has learned about your credibility from his friends or relatives. 

3. Presumed credibility

The viewer has listened a lot about your brand name in advertisements. And so has faith in your service.

4. Surface credibility

When the visitor interacted with your site features, he got impressed. Now he thinks that you are credible enough.

All these credibility types are dependent upon the site design. You must know the key factors related to credibility. For this purpose, we have stacked a huge, informative checklist. It contains 41 key factors to grow your site credibility.

Here we go…

Earned Credibility

1.Consistency

Every day people are coming to your site in search of fresh content. They will be elated if you regularly post new content or update your website. The goal is to develop consistency so that audience finds you energetic and active.

2. Unnecessary requirements

Many websites popup the registration box just the moment you enter them. They don’t know how it’s a turnoff for the first-timers. Mandatory membership registration takes away all the fun when you want to write a comment or read an article. Again some sites ask phone numbers which is not even needed by them. The less information you ask, the happier is the viewer. So, refrain from asking for unnecessary info!

3. FAQS

Every newcomer has some common queries to ask you. If you solve their problem by providing a faq section, they will be more than happy. Many sites consider faq pages less important for their business, which is a wrong perception.

4. Be careful while using jargon

Always check the capacity of your audience before creating product copies and blogs. Use jargon, if the customers are qualified enough to understand. Don’t use excessive difficult words which can be a turnoff for common people.

5. Keep the blog section updated

Blogging is a powerful tool to attract visitors. But it is equally important to keep up with the consistency. Publish at least two blogs per week. It is a favorable practice to engage the audience and charm the Google algorithm.

6. Expertise

People will abandon your site if you mislead them with wrong information. So, research thoroughly before you create content. Be an expert under your niche and provide detailed solutions to people’s problems.

7. Minimize ads

Ads hamper the user of experience very badly. Sometimes they pop up out of nowhere and hide the main content. Too many ads may also tell the customers that you are fishing for money. So, reduce the number of ads and save your customers from leaving your site!

8. Customer support

When you respond 24×7 to the customer queries and complaints, give them a meaningful solution, you win their hearts. You will earn good credibility by extending a great customer service to your visitors.

9. Citing sources

Especially in the blog section, you must justify the points and facts. The best way to gain trust here is to cite the links of websites that prove your opinion. People will think that you are well informed about your niche. They will trust your articles because you are writing them after complete research.

Reputed Credibility

10. Testimonials

By displaying testimonials, you provide a clear picture of how your products work. People can relate more to customers than the ads. So, testimonials are a great way to increase trust.

11. Reviews

Having a review section below the product categories, helps your visitors to check the credibility. Reviews seem very realistic as they are given by a diverse group of people. They can be both good and bad and can shape your reputation accordingly.

13. Professional product reviews

Here the professional bloggers, YouTube reviewers analyze your product and give their rating. Some bloggers have a good audience that religiously follows their words. So, they can also increase your brand credibility.

14. Trust seals

Some famous sites provide badges and seals to confirm the security, quality of a site. You can get your seal from Web of Trust, GoDaddy, PayPal, BBB accredited business according to your niche.

15. Influence reviewers

Some celebrities have a great fan following. They often influence people by advocating different products. Getting your brand promoted by an influencer will earn you good credibility.

16. Case studies

It is simply the story of a client who approached your company for a problem. And the complete steps in which your products alleviated his troubles.  This tactic also captures good credibility.

17. Networking

Having a good connection with organizations and communities will help your brand to get more publicity.

18. list of satisfied customers

You can showcase the number of clients you have served in the past to gain trust.

19. Third-party validation

When another site advocates your brand, you gain reputed credibility.

20. Press Mentions

When popular magazines and newspapers, publish an appreciation post for your brand, your worth increases.

21. Awards

If you have achieved awards by some big organizations or business bureaus, show it in your site. People will gain more trust.

Presumed credibility

22. Influencer feedback

When you get featured on the site of an influencer, new people come to know about your site. It can happen through guest posts, interviews, or reviews.

23. Guest posts

It fetches your new customers who have read your blogs from other sites.

24. Advertisements

Well implemented ads on Google AdWords, Facebook, and Instagram gains you presumed credibility

Surface Credibility

25. Branding

Branding your business gives you an authentic, unique space in the crowded digital space.

26. Website design

46% of the customers agree that website design is the prominent factor to establish site credibility. So, invest your best efforts in polishing it.

27. Typography

Simple, bold, legible typefaces are impressive and quickly tell the user everything about your website. Proper typography selection can improve your surface credibility.

28. Simple content

The more easy your content is to comprehend, in less time the reader will make a decision. So, simplify your content to make it quickly digestible.

29. Impeccable Grammar

Consistent grammatical errors in your site can tarnish your brand image. So, be watchful and proofread everything.

30. Onsite search

Ecommerce sites have a search box for the convenience of users in finding the products. Optimize it to give your audience the ideal results.

31. Flawless navigation

Proper anchoring, organization of elements, and navigation keys help your users to find their desired service.

32. Easiness

Customers have a great experience at your site if it is easy to operate.

33. Avoid technical glitches

Correct the errors like missing links, bugs, outdated webpages to save your traffic.

34. Contact information

Provide every little info like email address, phone number, address so that customers can contact you.

35. Staff photos and bios

Sharing your team members on-site tells the people that there are actually a lot of professionals putting their best efforts.

36. High-quality images

Make sure that you have a good number of context-relevant, high resolution images on your webpages. This will relax your readers and illustrate the products.

37. Privacy policies

When customers are near to make a purchase, they will look for a privacy policy. So, tell in detail what are your policies.

38. Anchor text of links

It should be clear, indicating the user where they will be taken through the link.

39. Product information

Provide every minute detail about products like cost, packaging, shipping time, delivery period, etc.

40. Convenience

It is a major necessity if you want more and more people to buy your product.

41. Pricing

Clearly display the prices of your products, so that customers doesn’t get surprised on the checkout page.

42. Warranties

These assure the visitors that your products are trustable. And you will hear their queries and product complaints.

So, these are our full list of 41 factors for website credibility. Don’t know what to implement first? Our tip is to test everything until you find a suitable factor for your business. After working on these credibility factors, you will definitely see a good improvement in your site metrics!