Possessing a strong background in website design, usability and marketing, I find myself judging websites from a user’s perspective quite often. This “judgment” may be as quick as a few seconds. So, what am I looking for or what basis am I judging the site on? Trustworthy or not. Although product breadth is key to a successful site, it is often the trust factor that continues to be overlooked. A good example of this would be a traditional brick and mortar store with all the best products, but is being housed in a rundown building. The question I ask while I stand in front of the building is “Do I trust this or not?”

I recently ran across an interesting article on websitemagazine.com. Basically, the article describes how an inability to build trust online through weak branding, poor layout, privacy concerns, etc; could cause a user to NOT make a purchase or as stated create “Sales Resistance.” One element that is often overlooked online is building your trust equity. Trust equity can be created by having a good understanding of your customer, their expectations, look and feel of your site, your customer service levels, and an understanding of the competition. Once you have a good grasp on some of these factors, they must be emulated into your website.

By failing to build a commitment to the user and the expectations they may have, the end user will build an immediate perception of your website and probably not purchase from you.

Post your thoughts!

Eric Bose
Senior Manager, Strategic Marketing
oneNetworkDirect

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websitemagazine.com reference:
http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/
blogs/posts/articles/Build_Trust_Online.aspx