Trust is one of the most important aspect of the relationship between a customer and a business. The trust and credibility have significantly huge impact on brand image and business’s repute. Here in Dubai and all around the UAE where the markets are very competitive and also growing on a rapid pace, the last thing any business wants is to loose it’s customer’s trust. The trustworthiness of a business determines customer loyalty. The customer loyalty tends to drive more revenue and generate higher profits for the business. People tend to make a purchase decisions very quickly if they brands they trust. That is not all, customers in general also refer trustworthy businesses and brands to their friends, co-workers and family as well. These days in Dubai and everywhere else in UAE the digital media platforms are very popular and the loyal customers who trust a brand are happy to share it on their social media as well. In addition to that the loyal customers are tend to be a very good brand advocate and it is all because they trust the business.
For any business the corporate website plays an important role in their online brand image and overall brand identity. These days’ people tend to look up for everything in the internet. How a brand is presenting itself in the cyber world will have huge impact on their branding which will eventually translate into revenue and profits. The customer retention is a key to long term success. Several market researches and large-scale worldwide studies have revealed that it is almost 5 to 25 times more expensive to acquire a new customer comparing to selling to an existing one. That is how important customer retention is. The customer retention depends on two things, trust and the customer experience. People tend to judge a business on the bases of their website. Here is how you can leverage a website for gaining customers’ trust and establishing a good brand repute:
1. Get a Professional Looking Domain Name
A website is considered to be the center point of all the online content and branding efforts a business does. Whether it is a business directory, a Google Map page, or a social media profile, everything will eventually take your customers to the website. We have noticed that in Dubai and also other parts of UAE businesses invest adequate amount of resources and money in the website and digital communication, however the most important part they usually overlooked is the Domain Name of their website. In a highly competitive market like UAE a business’s brand name should immediately establish trust and professionalism. When it comes to selecting the domain name, businesses must have to consider multiple goals and also their scope in the future. Whether you are a new startup or you are revamping your online branding, selecting a professional domain name that build trust is absolutely necessary.
Selecting a domain name depends on several factors, however, here is a list of a few key features that any business domain name must have:
- Geographical aspects (if applicable) such as if you operates only in UAE, then you can choose a domain name with .ae extensions such as XYZ.ae this will assure users that the business operates within the UAE and will abide all local laws which can offer more protection to the users
- Show your users what you do. A domain name must have to be self-explanatory, it should tell what you do, for example, XYZ.store or www.XYZ.properties, etc. This way the user will know that the business is expert in their industry and it will gain their trust
- Chose the TLD carefully. The TLD or Top-Level Domain is the last part of a website address which is commonly .com, .net, .ae, .org, etc. Most of the time these popular name are already taken but business can always choose a variety of TLDs like as I have mentioned above
- Integrate targeted keyword in the domain name. The targeted keyword is your primary keyword which you want other people to search you for. For example, if you are a book store, a cement mixing company, or a shopping mall, you must have one most important keyword, add it to you domain name, for example, XYZhardware.ae, www.XYZpetroleum.com, etc.
- Your domain name should be easier to pronounce and remember. Avoid using double letters, hyphens, numerical digits, short forms of the words, as such domains looks less professional and raise user suspicions
- Make your domain name short and unique. Avoid using similar name to a popular name, this is a big no. Especially in Dubai and all around the UAE it is very common for small businesses to choose look alike name as of popular brands, this can completely ruin the user’s trust. The domain name should be short and unique which gives an impression of a good brand
The domain name is the very first thing someone can notice about your business. Especially if you are running marketing campaigns, major digital platforms just show the homepage URL which is your domain name rather showing full page address. So, the domain name is very crucial for your all other online activities too. Let say if you are participating in a local event for your brand awareness campaign and you are distributing flyers or putting your website on a digital signage, etc. The very first thing anyone will notice will be your domain name. If it looks suspicious, no one will open it. That is why businesses have to be very careful while selecting a domain name.
2. Get a Good Hosting and SSL Certificate
The website hosting and the SSL Certificate both are also two most important component of a website but unfortunately businesses often don’t pay much attention to them. Think from a user’s point of view, you are searching for a computer hardware supplier for your office or you are looking for an interior decorator for your home, you searched in Google, clicked on a few links, some of the webpages downloaded very quickly while some are having slow moving loading gauges, or even a blank screen, or just the wait icon which means the browser is still downloading the page. What will be your first thought about all these websites? What website would you prefer to go to first? The one that gets loaded within a snap or the one that is still loading in the side tab?
Obviously our natural reaction would be that the website that take too long is not built professionally, and the one that gets loaded quickly is a good website. That is why a good hosting is also important if you want to make your website trustworthy. Furthermore these days the cyber security has been highlighted on the media a lot. Which is making people more concerned about their data privacy and protection. The SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer and it is used to encrypt the data communication between the server and the user’s computer. All popular web browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, MS Edge, Opera, etc. shows a padlock icon in the address bar next to the website URL. Which assures users that the website is secure and it is offering additional security features for your safety. That is a great feature to increase user’s trust and it also adds value to your brand.
3. Adding Security Seals and Certificates can Gain Users’ Trust
These days the cybercriminals are in all major news headlines, whether it is multinational businesses, government entities and departments or user data breaches at popular internet platforms and social media sites. The cybercriminals are getting more creative and active all around the world, which led governments, media outlets and other relevant organizations to launch huge media and awareness campaigns against cyber threats. This awareness made customers and users more suspicious and concerned. Having trust markers such as security seals, certificates, and badges can help boosting users trust on your website. There has been several studies and market researches that suggest that more than half of the website visitors consider security seal, certificates and badges a good indicator and it make them more comfortable visiting and browsing a website. That is why such trust signals can help gaining users’ trust and they also help improving the brand image.
4. Publishing Social Proofs at Website Encourage Users to Convert
Posting social proofs is one of the best way to gain users’ trust. These days’ the social media and online reviews are major factors that build a brand identity. It doesn’t matter if your business model is B2C (business to consumer) or B2B (business to business), the social proof is equally important. The on-page product reviews, customer rating, social media posts and recommendations from trustworthy friends, family or co-workers plays an important role in influencing someone’s purchase decision. Basically the social proof is positive information or opinion shared by others either existing customers or just brand admirers which help building a positive brand identity and gain trust of the prospects and visitors of the website. The customer reviews and the client testimonials which are very common in Dubai and all across the UAE are considered by the potential customers and website visitors as a proof of authenticity and good quality.
The customer feedback, testimonials, social media posts, endorsements and recommendations have a strong psychological impact on the customer’s mind. When we see something which is popular, other people are liking it and suggesting it, our brain doesn’t have to work so hard to evaluate it, or to weigh its pros and cons. It makes decision making easier, hence the customer tend to convert for such offers. This phenomenon is also called ‘wisdom of crowed’. The social proofs have stronger effect if the element of similarity is there, for example, if the reviewer is a general manager like you, or if they have faced similar problem that you are facing, if they got what you are also anticipating and even age, gender and even location also matters. That doesn’t mean the cross-cultural social proofs got any less effect. In fact people across different regions and cultures reacts the same to the proofs and recommendations from others. That is why the social proofs are essential to prove your website’s trustworthiness.
5. Build Trust in the Product/Service Pages and Landing Pages
The process of optimizing your website for the trust is incomplete without working on the individual product/service page and landing pages. Eventually the customer will convert from the product or service page or if you are running a marketing campaign your customer will land on the landing page which has to be optimized to gain more trust. All other trust markers should be included along with additional trust markers for the individual page. If you are selling products online, then each page should have proper information, majorly the customers are concerned about the fact that when they order a product it might look different from the product that is displayed on the product page or landing page. That is because the product images are not good. Make sure you have excellent product images that looks original. It is good to treat those images with a photo editing software, but don’t over-do it. Add clear and accurate description and other details such as shipping, return, guarantee, warrantee, etc.
If you are offering services or dealing with B2B customers then the product/service page and landing pages will be slightly different. Each business model have a slightly different audience groups. For B2B customers the product qualities, what value it can add to their organization and how it could solve their problems is much more important than the photos. However, good quality imagery and visuals are also very valuable. In that case you must have to provide all important details about the product or service. At such pages the client testimonials and case studies are very important to build trust. Furthermore the clearer and straightforward information can boost user’s trust. It is crucial to include all important aspects of the product or service, so the customer don’t have any ambiguity. Adding FAQs can be a great help for the customers. Moreover the clear details about the customer service, other terms and conditions and policies shows you how transparent you are. Such features facilitate customer journey and make things easier for them. Thus the customers trust the business more.
6. Prioritize Customer Needs in the Web Design and Improve Accessibility
A website trust building campaign is impossible without having all right ingredients to establish and trustworthy aesthetics. For most of the customers the first impression is enough to decide whether they will stay on the web page or not. Your web design is entirely responsible for the first impression. If your first impression is good the customer will explore the website further else they will immediately left. Visually appealing image or graphics can attract customer at first, however, it will be the design’s functionality and ability to provide easy access to the information that will convert a customer. If the website’s navigational structure is complex, the customer will not going to waste time on finding relevant information, even if they are desperate for the products or services you are offering, they will try to find another business. So, the information itself and the way it is presented on the website both are equally important and crucial to gain user’s trust.
The web pages which lags a clear structure are tend to loose valuable customers. It gives a very non-professional impression and compel your visitors to think that if a company is not even capable of providing all the information on their website, how they would be able to provide satisfactory products and services. The web design should look professional and it should facilitate the customer journey. Furthermore the accessibility is also very important, it doesn’t take much time or efforts to introduce accessibility features. However, here in Dubai and all around the UAE very few businesses focuses on accessibility. Adding features that allow the visitors to adjust the font size, color schemes and adding dark theme and so on. Such features are very easy to integrate in the web design. Now a days having a responsive and mobile-friendly web design has become industry standard. However, it is extremely important to offer smartphone friendly version of your website. Such features gives an impression of a big business and gives confidence to the users that the business cares a lot about its customers.
Conclusion
It is crucial to make your website trustworthy else you will lose a huge chunk of the revenue. The customer’s trust is a very valuable asset. Businesses needs to build a trustworthy and strong connection with its customers. The customer who trust a brand become loyal to that brand. Customer loyalty and customer retention both heavily rely on the customer trust. To obtain customer loyalty a business must have to gain their trust. A website is the most important aspect of the online and digital strategy. Almost all digital channels eventually converges to the corporate website. That is why it is extremely crucial to have a great website which adds value to the customer experience, capable of gaining their trust and take them through the customer journey to convert. Studies have shown that it is 5 to 25 times more expensive to acquire a customer comparing to the cost of selling to an existing customer.
This makes customer retention and loyalty even more important. Businesses need a strong and loyal customer base in order to grow and progress towards their goals. A business can built a trustworthy brand image by simply improving its website. However, it is not as that simple. There are so many things that are usually left un-addressed by most of the businesses. That is why we are writing this blog to provide our audience with the exceptional services/products and experience to gain their trust. If you want to learn more about the subject or if you want us to improve your website, please feel free to get in touch with us through our Contact Us page or leave a comment in the comment box below and we will get in touch with you soon.
Check out this: Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Businesses in Dubai
