Is Your Website Credible?

When was the last time you took a critical look at your website? If it’s been a while, don’t feel too guilty, it’s hard to carve out time to sit down and give your website a checkup to make sure it’s credible.

However, it’s important that your website reflects exactly who you are and what you do in a way that ensures your clients and potential clients trust your business. If your website doesn’t look credible, people won’t trust your business and may move on to consider your competitors.

Check Your Website’s Credibility

This list should get you started as you take a look at your website and gauge its credibility. If you have any questions about how your site is performing and what you should update or consider changing, you can always reach out to us for help!

Does your site use HTTPS?

Over the last few years, we’ve seen websites change and while in the past having an HTTPS site wasn’t a big deal, it’s absolutely necessary now. 

If you see a little padlock icon in the address bar of your web browser, that means you’re on a secure site, one that uses HTTPS.

HTTPS site means the data you’re sending from your site or receiving on the site is encrypted and secure. If you land on a website that isn’t secure, Google will display a “not secure” error. 

Having an HTTPS website has also been an SEO ranking factor since 2014 and it keeps getting more important. If your website isn’t secure, Google will penalize your site and stop showing it as a trusted resource in search results.

Is your website professionally designed?

We all look for businesses online, shop online, and interact with businesses online. One of the biggest red flags for most people is if a website looks dated or the design isn’t created professionally.

Modern website designs also need to be compatible with a variety of mobile devices, as that’s how the majority of people view them.

If your website is old, has features that don’t work the way they used to, or the design is difficult to navigate on a phone, that removes credibility from your website and your business.

Would you trust your credit card information on your site?

Try to sit back and take a look at your website from the perspective of a potential customer. Does it look like a website that you can trust with financial information? 

Are you comfortable putting in your credit card number or are you concerned it might not be secure or a scam? If you hesitate, that’s a good indicator that your website needs to be more credible to appeal to your potential customers.

How slow is your website?

Your website should load within 2-3 seconds. The 2-3 second mark is really the turning point for most website traffic. Once you pass the 3-second mark of waiting for a website to load, bounce rates (people leaving your site) skyrocket. 

According to the most recent web usage statistics, 40% of consumers won’t wait longer than 3 seconds before leaving a site if it doesn’t load.

All sorts of things can slow down your website’s loading time and speedy website loading time is even more vital on mobile devices. You can get a quick idea of how fast your website loads by using a free tool like Pingdom.

Website Features That Add Credibility

There are a variety of things you can add to your website to ensure potential customers know they can trust you. A few of our favorites are:

• A highly visible phone number
• Make sure you include a physical address
• Testimonials and reviews from real customers/clients
• Share local professional affiliations and memberships
• Real photos of your staff members
• Blog content that showcases your expertise
• FAQs
• Links to other credible websites

Need A Website Update?

Wondering if your website is coming across as trustworthy to your customers and potential clients? We can help! 

Our web development experts have years of experience working with local businesses to help identify what works on their websites and what doesn’t.

Click below to start a conversation with us so we can help set your website and your business up for growth and success today!