How giving your website a human face will help build trust

Posted on February 7th, 2008 by Jane in Communication

Have you read Alison’s post about putting your real-world address on your Contact page? I was so pleased to find out that it’s a legal requirement because I’ve been trying to get people to do just that for ages. It’s such an easy way to build up trust with the visitors to your site. And being trusted is crucial when you’re operating online, in a virtual world.

People do business with people. And that’s why its wise to let personality shine through on your site. Slick, shiny and glossy is fine. But people will trust you far more if they know there’s a face behind the machine. So ask yourself these simple questions:

Do we know who you are? Tell us a little bit about the people behind your business. You don’t have to write too much — just make your people come alive.
Are there any photos of you and your staff? You wouldn’t believe the difference it makes when visitors can see real human beings. And I don’t mean stock photos of models. I mean good quality photos of you and your people.
Is the tone-of-voice of your copy conversational? People really like to feel they’re being talked to personally rather than talked at. Avoid hard-sell, in-your-face copy. Better to offer solutions rather than quick fixes in a loud voice.
Are there contact details on every page? And I mean, every page, not just the Contact Us page. If people can’t get hold of you easily they’ll start by being irritated and end up wondering if you’ve got something to hide. (Personal pet peeve showing its colours, there!)

Remember — you need to give visitors to your site reasons to trust you before you can convert them into customers. Adding that personal touch to your website is a powerful first step.