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Internet marketing companies and online retailers should study their web analytics to better understand choke points and abandonment rates. With these identified, you can narrow you focus on "real" problems rather than gut feeling or perceived problems

Great comments. Internet marketing companies and online retailers should study their web analytics to better understand choke points and abandonment rates. With these identified, you can narrow you focus on "real" problems rather than gut feeling or perceived problems. Additionally, if you treat web analytics as predictive data rather than reporting and "news", you can pro-actively make changes, monitor, tweak and optimize until you increase efficacy.

In order to convert visitors into paying customers, you need to prove your credibility… you need to show your potential customers that you are trustworthy, reliable and that you will deliver what you promise.

These are some of the EXTREMELY important issues your website needs to cover:

1. Testimonials

Include testimonials from your current customers to show your potential clients that you are trustworthy, reliable and that you offer great service and/or products. Make sure the testimonials are real and if possible provide contact details of the person who supplied you with the testimonial. If you don’t have any right now, get them! Simply email your customers and ask for their feedback on your business and service. Most happy customers will gladly provide this.

If you are starting out and don’t have any customers yet, volunteer your services or give away some of your products. Then ask your customers to provide you with feedback – if you’ve done a good job or your product is useful, they will be more than happy to do so.

2. Before & After Shots

If appropriate, show your customers problem pictures and beside them show the picture of resolution, with an explanation of your service/product’s benefits.

3. Money Back Guarantee

The longer the guarantee, the more effective it will be. It could be 30 days, 60 days, 1 year or lifetime. Remember you are trying to take the risk out of doing business with you.

4. Privacy Policy

Privacy continues to be a major issue for customers shopping online. Concerns about how their information is going to be used is a major barrier when making a sale. Internet shopping experience is built on trust and privacy is the number one ingredient in trust. So let your customers know you will not sell or rent their details to third parties.

5. Media

Include any information, photos of your products, staff etc that have appeared in the media – print, TV, radio or internet. If you have written articles that have been published, ensure you also include them.

It is difficult to get customer trust. We should have some security certification to show, that someone else trust us. We should have proof of our honest as soon as possible.

We really appreciate these articles. Always interesting!

Hi Jason,
Terrific article! The days of just putting up any old Website and having it generate tons of sales are long gone.

It's critically important that you give site visitors all the information they need to confidently take the next step...whether that's buying from you, signing up for a newsletter, or picking up the phone and making an appointment.

Sadly, all too often Web developers and designers try to restrict the amount of content you can put on any one page of your site--either by the way the design it or by telling you no one reads on the Web so don't put more than 250 words up there. I say poppycock!

As the author of The Small Business Website Bible (http://www.smallbusinesswebsitebible.com) I've spent tons of time helping clients and customers make their Websites more effective, and regularly see a 300% or more increase in their leads and sales as a result.

Here are a few simple ways to improve response on any Website:
1) Make your site so easy to navigate a 4-yr old could find what they're looking for (that means keeping it clear and consistent).
2) Be sure to include enough content to answer all their questions, deals with all their objections and give them all the info needed to confidently take action--no more and no less.
3) Build trust and credibility by including an address and phone number, photos of real people at your company, testimonials, and audio and video.

I go into WAY more detail in my book. But hopefully these suggestions will help your readers make their Websites more effective.

Here's to an amazing '09!

Stacy

Stacy Karacostas
Practical Marketing Expert
http://www.success-stream.com

Thanks for the great article, on my sites I actually force my visitors to contact the merchant to have one- to- one conversation to finalize the sale and not to buy online and it seems to work in other words I let him use the internet for research only. I realize ZA is different from the USA but we trust people less

Trust, in my opinion, is somewhat too general. It could mean examples ie. will your prices increase once I'm committed or will the products arrive in a reasonable time after payment? Now days, it might mean, will you still exist in a couple months?
Personally, reflect details to inquirers that show the product or company has been around for thirty plus years and has seen its share of dry deserts, mountain and valleys in the economy. When I take somebody's money, I will do my damd'est to see to it that he gets what he paid for. If it's a lack of information or communication, then I'll give and/or take - whatever is needed.
If it requires hands on or face to face time, then that what I'll do but usually the integrity of the product and people before me have solved that.

Another great way to build trust is by using Trust Seals like McAfee Secure, Trust Guard, BBBOnline.

Thanks for the great article!

see u can't destroy the traditional market and can't change the behavior of a human. it is true there is lot of risk involved and a greater trust building measures from online shops in definitely desired