| Credibility
Busters!
Impressed by the misspelling of Credibility
on the menu? No? Exactly...
As your prospects are reviewing your Web site, they are making
unconscious judgments about what it would be like to work
with you. They formulate positive and negative perceptions
of your business based on their experience at your
Web site. Adventures Online helps businesses build
and maintain credibility in this just-a-click-away
environment. We provide services that ensure enjoyable
experiences for visitors to your Web site—so they will
take the next step and contact you.
Here's a list of the most common issues that take away from
your visitor's experience and degrade your business image in the process.
- Broken Links: Broken
links frustrate visitors and give the perception that your
business does not pay attention to detail. A visitor to
your Web site perceives that working with you will be the
same frustrating and incomplete experience.
- Outdated Material: Outdated material
gives the impression that you are old-fashioned, resistant
to change, or that you don't care. You demonstrate that
you are "with it" and interested in your Web prospects
by keeping the information on your Web site current —even
down to the copyright date.
- Hard to Find Information: In
this just-a-click-away world of the Internet, frustrating
a visitor by making it hard to find information will reflect
poorly on your image. Getting to information quickly and
easily via an easy-to-navigate menu structure will positively
enhance a prospective client's experience, and leave the
impression that working with your company will be an equally
positive experience.
- Malfunctioning Web pages:
Have you ever been to a Web site that attempts to be high
tech and you are presented with graphics that overlay
text, a blank page, or a big box with an icon inside? Were
you eager to spend more time at that Web site? These scenarios
are avoidable.
- Typographical and
Grammatical Errors: Your website is oftentimes
the first introduction that a prospective client has
to your company. It is important to present the most
professional image that you can. Typographical and
grammatical errors take away from your ability to do
this.
- The All-ABout-Us Syndrome: A
visitor to your Web site is thinking "What's
in it for me?" and "How can I benefit from using
your products/services?" The verbiage used in your
content sends a message about your priorities. If the
content mostly begins with "We", it is clear
that you
are the priority and not your visitors. By modifying the
words to come from the perspective of your prospects,
you can deliver the same powerful message about your products
and services.
- Outside E-mail Addresses:
It is no longer acceptable to use the domain name of a
free or paid for e-mail service provider. Your prospect
expects your e-mail address to include your domain name—like
all established businesses. Plus, having your domain
name in your e-mail address provides free advertising
for you, and gives your prospects the impression that
your company is consistent and reliable (no surprises).
- Under Construction pages: While
once acceptable in the big charge to establish a presence
on the Internet, under construction
pages are no longer perceived in a positive light. They
give the impression that you are a struggling
beginner. User experience and marketing experts now say
that it is better to publish nothing until your website
is ready in its entirety.
- Visitor Counters: Counters
do not add value to a visitor's experience at your website.
They are old technology and should be removed because they
give the impression that you are behind the times. Also,
having a counter can backfire. If the number is too low,
a prospective client may be wary and move on to the next
website. If the number is too high, the prospective client
may become suspicious. We just don't know how visitors
will perceive the counter, so, the risk to you of losing
potential business is too high.
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