Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of people who use websites for all kinds of different things — fashion blogs, online portfolios, e-commerce stores, etc. Regardless of the type or purpose, there’s one common thing amongst all successful websites —TRUST. In business, trust can take many different forms and the more efficient you are gaining trust, the better your potential for success becomes. This remains true for your website.
Stay Consistent
One way to build trust online is by regularly updating your site with new or fresh content. This is particularly relevant for people running a blog. If you launch a blog with too few posts, your site will look incomplete, which directly influences how your visitors will perceive your overall online presence.
Get your blog off to a strong start by drafting and scheduling content in advance of your launch. Each week, dedicate 2-3 hours to writing content. By month’s end, you’ll create a collection of 4-5 posts while also developing a writing habit that works for you. Imagine developing your writing habit 2-3 months in advance of launching your blog. At launch, you’ll have a substantial number of posts to roll out on a weekly basis. Continue your consistent writing habit as you post. As more posts get published, your site will begin to feel more complete. More inmportantly, you will have established a regular cycle for your posts that visitors will appreciate. If they’re a fan of your content, and they notice every Wednesday they can come back to get something new, that’s precisely what they’ll do.
Faster is Better
Speed is another major determining factor in how people perceive trust. Let’s say you’re on stand in a jury trial and an attorney asks you a question. A short direct response will always seem more truthful than a long, drawn out answer. The same rings true when you’re running a website. The faster your site loads, the easier it is for visitors to find the information they want, and the more likely they are to have positive associations with your site. Just like in the real world, instilling trust with potential clients or customers is often done in the first few moments of chatting with someone. Your site taking too long to load is equivalent to a flubbed elevator pitch. Faster sites make stronger first impressions.
Less is More
When it comes to the web, the more straightforward and accessible an experience, the more likely we are to return to that experience. For example, online stores require convincing people to spend their hard-earned money on a product they can’t first see or touch in-person (if at all). If the payment process is too complicated and leads to frustration, a potential customer will bail on the purchase and never think about it again. On the other hand, if the purchase process is simple and predictable, customers won’t hesitate to part with their money, share your product with others (read: new customers for you), or revisit to make more purchases.
Overall, if you come across as a trustworthy person, you’re much more likely to attract your next client or business investor. Online, that trust is just as valuable but with one major difference—you’re not physically present to do the convincing. Instead, your site will have to do the work for you. Keep this in mind and consider how your site is designed, how fast it loads, and how easy it is to use.
Automattic Design 