Credibility
Make
Your Web Presence Believable
by Phil Hanson
The decision to establish a Web presence
for your business can be a daunting one. First, you wonder if
you can afford it (you probably can), then, you wonder if you
can afford not to (you probably can't). You, and your company,
can benefit from having an on-line presence providing you take
the right approach.
Before
you dedicate your time, energy and money to build a Web site
to represent your company in the world of on-line commerce,
ask yourself a few simple questions, and give yourself the same
amount of honest answers.
For
starters, what is your primary reason for building a Web site?
If your answer to this question is that you intend to use it
strictly as a business tool, both for promotions and advertising,
and as a de facto sales outlet, then you're building it for
the right reasons. You can be assured that, by going ahead,
you've made the right choice.
If,
however, you've decided to build a company Web site as a monument
to your ego or as your next move in an ongoing game of corporate
one-upmanship, you can be equally assured that you're building
it for the wrong reason. It's just a matter of time before your
on-line business joins the ranks of those that have already
met with failure on the Internet.
Will
your Web site be user friendly? Will your Web pages load quickly,
and be easy to navigate? Visitors to your site don't come for
entertainment or, as is often the case, annoyance and aggravation;
they haven't got the time or the patience for it—they have
an agenda of their own. What they do want is usability, speed
and convenience. If you give them less than that, they won't
perceive you as being serious about your business. You'll not
only lose credibility, but you'll lose potential customers and
sales.
Another
thing that will put a major dent in your credibility is to promise
more than you can deliver. When you accept money for your product
or service then fail to deliver the goods, you not only put
a huge ding in your credibility, you make a serious train wreck
of your reputation, too.
Does
your on-line business consist primarily of disseminating information
or advice? If so, the appearance of factual errors, old news
and obsolete information on your Web pages will, at the very
least, raise nagging questions about your qualifications and
competency. Once again, your credibility takes a hard hit.
Finally,
let's discuss the text that appears on your Web pages. Is the
writing literate, cohesive, coherent and compelling? Or, does
it read like something that was thrown together by the "D"
students in a seventh-grade ESL class?
A
vast majority of Web sites share a common trait—poorly
written text. Errors in spelling, punctuation and grammar litter
the Web pages, rendering them almost unreadable. However, professional
oversight can remove this particular threat to your credibility
simply by removing the mistakes. In fact, professional services
like proofreading, editing and freelance writing can take your
credibility to the next-highest level.
From
the standpoint of visitors (potential customers) who come to
your site, believability is not a bad thing. From a business
standpoint, when your Web pages look good, you look good. And
that is a very good thing.
Copyright
© 2002 — 2008 by Phil Hanson
All rights reserved.
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