Building Trust - Credibility On The Web - Return Visitors : How To Blog/How Do You Blog

Credibility = More Readers!

No one want to listen to any other guy on the street right? It is the same with websites and blogs, people don't want to waste their time with some nobody! So part of getting whoever who came to your site or blog to start reading what you have put in there is to create a feeling that what you have put in there is credibly and trustworthy.

If you are able to achieve this status of trustworthiness then the readers will dance to your tune and not only will you see an increase in return visitors and comments, you will also see an increase in your sales of whatever you are selling! So what do you do to achieve it?

**Note : Remember to Follow @randomrational for continuous updates!**

Authentic Profile & WHOIS Privacy

The first step to your road to credibility is to provide your information first. If you are afraid to reveal even your name or mail ID to the readers then why should they even spent time to even read what you write? 

Authentic Profile Information

Another aspect to consider if you are an online shopping website is the WHOIS Privacy feature that most hosting companies are providing. If i am going to be spending cash on your website to purchase things on your website i would want to know that i am making a secure purchase. Not having WHOIS Privacy tells the user that you have nothing to hide and that they are perfectly safe! Arguably only the tech community will pay attention to all this but hey, they are the ones who are going to be writing all those articles and reviews and sure as hell they are going to notice this!

Good Design = Better Credibility

The Design 

We are all told "Not To Judge A Book By Its Cover!" but we always do and the first impression always sticks! A design that is well spaced with the use of light colors gives a professional feeling to the reader and subconsciously encourages the reader to believe in the article you have posted on your website!

References

Giving references to other famous people that the reader has probably has heard of allows the user to get more familiar to what you are trying to put across and gives a feeling of authority on the topic! It also tells them that whatever you are spouting isn't something that you have cooked up! It is one of the best way to back up what you are trying to introduce and convince the reader that it is true!

Familiarity in Your Niche

We listen better to people who are familiar with than to strangers! So start making a name for yourself in areas related to your niche! Join forums and communities that are involved in your niche and actively participate! Remember to use a single user name for all those places so that people get to see your name often! Being seen often shows to the users that you are actively involved in the niche and that you probably know what you are talking about! It opens them up to whatever new thoughts that you might have. Even a sales pitch will be more effective if they are more familiar with you!

Social Networking


Do you have an army of followers on twitter? Or thousands of subscribers on Facebook? If not better start recruiting! Displaying that you have thousands of followers that are ready to listen to you appeals to the new visitor and reduces their guard against you! It is just mob mentality, hey will become more receptive to you because if so many people are listening to you, then you cant be wrong can you?

Communicating

When communicating with the users or potential customers always be polite and let them feel in control! Do not bombard them with information and always follow up on your promises! If you promised that you will find something out or send them a mail make sure you do it! Prompt replies are the best way to make the readers happy and elevate their opinion of you!

Improve Your Brand Image!

Improve Your Brand Image

Seeing someone famous talk about you is always good! That is why all the stars are paid so much to endorse a brand and use some products in public! Cyber branding works in a similar way too. Try and get guest posts from famous bloggers in your niche and if possible post a few guest posts on top ranked pages. This will increase your visibility and definitely will lead to an increase in traffic to your site! In my experience no blogger big or small, never turns down good content, so don't be scared that you are just starting out. Good content is always appreciated!

Time


Finally you cant become credible overnight it has to be earned piece by piece so do what has been stated above and people will surely want to hear what you say for sure!

These are just a few of what you can do to build trust and credibility with your users! What are you doing to achieve it? Leave your suggestions below!