Website credibility is one of the most important factors in whether your small business’s website works like you intend it to. Most websites exist for the purpose of making a sale – and sales is all about establishing trust with your potential clients.

The sales pitch doesn’t have to be a hard sell, by the way. For example, many blogs are intended to showcase someone’s expertise as a way to entice people to do business with them – one of the reasons why I think every business website should have a blog.

Plain and simple, no one is going to hire you to perform a service, or buy a product from you, through your website if (1) they don’t trust you, and (2) they don’t see that trustworthiness conveyed through the website.

There’s been a lot of research done on this topic, particularly at Stanford University. BJ Fogg of the Persuasive Technology Lab there says that your website’s credibility is a powerful thing because it gives the power to do two things to your visitors:

• Change their attitudes by getting people to think positively about, or feel comfortable interacting with, the website.
• Change their behaviors by getting people to complete a transaction, return to the site again, recommend the site to others, etc.

The PTL also published a widely circulated list of 10 guidelines for boosting your website’s credibility, a lot of which was the inspiration for my points below. That being said though, I think that one of their guidelines stands out above the others as the top way that visitors establish the credibility of your website.

The #1 way visitors establish credibility is…

…by looking for your contact information.

It sounds simple, and it is really. How easy it is for visitors, and more importantly, for visitors who are potential clients of yours, to find your contact information says to them: hey, there is a real person behind this business and this website. Here’s their email address. Here’s their phone number. And here’s where they’re located.

Displaying your contact information also tells people see that you really are a legitimate business that they can do business with – especially if there’s a phone number combined with a physical address. When there’s contact information available, coupled with some of the other things I’ll talk about below, that’s a major red flag that says that your business isn’t credible, and that they should take their business to someone who is.

Why is this so important?

Because in general, people like to do business with other people. We sometimes assume that just because someone is visiting a website means that they’re comfortable communicating with you electronically, when that’s not always the case.

There are plenty of people out there who do their research by looking at websites, but still prefer to pick up the phone and actually speak to someone when it comes time to make a transaction – myself included. If you hide your phone number or other basic contact information, all the people who prefer to do business that way will be turned off if they can’t find a way to call you.

That’s why on this website, I have my phone number prominently displayed in 2 spots on every page – in the top right of the header, and in the footer. That number is listed along with my email address AND a link to a contact form that people can fill out. And wouldn’t you know it – well over half the new project inquiries I get are people calling me over the phone to make first contact.

…but also by your website’s design

Now, granted I’m a web designer and study websites for a living, but when I visit a website, I can tell within the first few seconds all I need to know about the business behind it. That’s the power that design has on your visitors – they may not notice the same details as I do, but they’re doing the same thing.

So what are some design elements that people look for in order to establish your website’s credibility? Here a few of the more notable items:

• Do the colors reflect your business? – Design elements such as the color scheme need to be chosen carefully because colors can have many different meanings. Your website should use colors that someone would expect to see for whatever business it is you’re in.
• Does everything work properly? – Websites that don’t work properly leave a bad taste in people’s mouths. That makes you seem less professional, which translates into decreased credibility. Your designer should test everything before the website launches – not after.
• Are ads and promotions unobtrusive? – There are few things more annoying than seeing affiliate ads all over your website, especially when they make your content hard to find. This might make people think you either don’t have anything to say, or you’re hiding something.
• Am I asked to login unnecessarily? – Don’t ask your users to log in to view content on your website if they don’t need to. Doing so makes it seem not as professional, especially if it’s to do something very basic that shouldn’t require logging in, like commenting on a blog.
• What’s your search engine status? – If you have decent placement in search engine results, you’re doing something right. Whatever that is, keep it up, because a website that (a) can be found, and (b) that the search engines have found before, is one that is credibile.

…and by your website’s content

While your design is important, once people get past the design and start looking at your content, if they don’t see what they’re looking for or expecting to find, they’re going to just as easily be turned off.

What are some content elements that visitors look for on your website in order to establish credibility? Here are some of the questions they’re asking themselves:

• What is your URL? – Does the website have its own URL, or is it hosted through some 3rd-party service? If you have a business website, the URL should be your business’s name or some variation of it, if the name isn’t available. If it’s not, then I’m wondering what’s going on.
• Are you on topic? – You should only publish content on your website that’s related to the services you provide or the expertise that you have. Don’t talk about random other topics – it’s not the place. Staying on topic will give visitors a focused message about you’re offering.
• Is your content current? – People (and search engines) like to see websites that are updated frequently. If one article on your website has a date stamp on it from 2006, that’s fine – but if they all do, your website looks dated. It also makes me wonder if you’re still in business.
• Is there an “About” page? – Visitors want to know who’s behind the website and what their expertise is. You should always have an “About” page or section to tell people who you are, why you’re in business, and who the relevant people at your business are (with photos).
• What service/product are you selling? – Visitors like to see what it is specifically that you’re offering them. Not vague generalities and promises, but specific products or services. Even better is if you mention who your product or service is intended for, so I know if it’s for me or not.
• Do you promise what you can’t deliver? – Want to ruin your credibility instantly? Tell someone that you don’t offer a service or product, and have them respond that they saw on your website that you do. Will they trust what you’re saying after that? Probably not.
• How much info do you ask for in forms? – Say you have a contact form for new clients to use. Do you really need to know anything other than the person’s name, email, phone number, and their comment? No, you don’t, so don’t ask for it – they’ll wonder what you’re doing with it.

Thoughts?

What else do you think builds a website’s credibility? What have you come across in your experience that has made a website more or less credible? Share your thoughts with everyone by leaving a comment below!

(If you don’t know what breadcrumbs are and want to find out more about why and how to use them, read through my previous post on the subject, “Hansel and Gretel Would be Great Web Designers“.)

By adding some code

If you feel comfortable working with your WordPress theme’s files, here are 3 different ways to incorporate breadcrumbs into your WordPress website. Choose a method depending on what content you want to use them for on your website.

Simple breadcrumbs for individual blog posts

A post over at WP Hacks details how to make simple breadcrumbs menus using basic PHP template tags. All you have to do is insert the following code into the single.php file wherever you want the breadcrumbs to appear:

<a href="<?php bloginfo('home'); ?>">Home</a> &raquo; <?php the_category(); ?> &raquo; <?php the_title(); ?>

You can style this with CSS to make it look a little nicer; my recommendation is that you wrap everything in a list like as follows, which will give you more options when it comes to styling:

<ul>
<li><a href="<?php bloginfo('home'); ?>">Home</a></li>
<li><?php the_category('') ?></li>
<li><?php the_title(); ?></li>
</ul>

I include the code here because this method is so simple to use. I’ve used it before, and it serves it purpose if you only want to include the breadcrumbs on your blog posts. The only drawback is that there is no flexibility to use it anywhere other than the posts on your WordPress website.

Advanced breadcrumbs for both pages and posts

When you want to add breadcrumbs to more than just blog posts, you need something a little more advanced in order to do that. Here are 2 different methods; both incorporate more advanced code to display breadcrumbs on both pages and posts:

• How to: Breadcrumb function for WordPress
• WordPress Breadcrumbs

With both methods, you just have to copy and paste some code into your functions.php file, and then insert some PHP code into your theme’s files wherever you want the breadcrumbs to appear.

I haven’t tried either one of these out myself, so if someone has used them, or tries them out on their website, leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

By using a plugin

If you’re not comfortable editing the code in your WordPress theme’s files, there are plugins available that give you the ability to style and manage them through the WordPress admin section, such as:

• Breadcrumb NavXT
• Yoast Breadcrumbs
• Breadcrumb Trail by Justin Tadlock

I haven’t tried out any of these plugins myself, so I can’t speak from personal experience about how well they work or if one is preferable over another. If you have used one of them or have any feedback about these plugins (or others I didn’t mention), leave a comment about it below.

Thoughts?

Do you have a preferred way of creating breadcrumbs on your WordPress website? If so, share your thoughts with everyone by leaving a comment below!

Wrong! Unfortunately, if that’s your business plan, then you’re not going to be very successful long-term. Taking any and all business that comes your way can – and inevitably, will – only take you so far.

Which is why I’ve decided that as I begin my second year in business, it’s long overdue to create a business plan around how I answer questions such as:

• What areas am I interested in?
• What skills am I good at?
• Who needs the services I can offer?
• Are there things I should know how to do?
• What kind of projects am I willing to do?

Why you should refine your focus…

Why do I think that won’t you be successful in the long-run if you do a little bit of everything?

Because if your business plan is to “specialize” in doing a little bit of everything, then what is it that you’re specializing in? Why should someone hire you over another business that actually specializes in what they’re looking for?

There are so many areas of expertise within the web industry. You have web designers, web developers, usability experts, web marketers, web developers, social media experts, SEO specialists, content developers – the list goes on and on. So how can you possibly specialize in doing everything that all of those people do? You can’t – and you won’t, even if you try to.

…but not refine it too much

Don’t get me wrong though – I’m not saying that you should have such a small focus that you don’t have at least a working knowledge of these others areas. In fact, you’ll often hear complaints along the lines of, “I wish the marketing people were on the same page as the web developers” – so having at least a basic understanding of other areas within the web-world is important when working with a larger web team.

When I started out, I knew that in order to be successful as a web designer, I needed to be very knowledgeable about web design and its components (colors, typography, etc.). What I’ve come to realize over the last year is that I also need to be knowledgeable about many other areas of expertise that make a big impact on my designs – areas such as usability, SEO, accessibility, etc.

Do I need to be an expert practitioner in each of those areas? No. But I do need to know enough about each of them to:

• Know how those considerations will factor into my designs
• Be able to answer questions about them when clients ask me
• Talk about them confidently and knowledgeably
• Offer tips on incorporating some of the minimum best practices

Know what services you can offer…

Once you know what your areas of expertise are, it becomes slightly easier to start defining the services that you can offer clients – or in simpler terms, what you can make money on.

If you’re in business for yourself, then this is also a matter of recognizing your strengths and playing to them. Are you really good at integrating databases into a website? Then become a web developer. Are you good at creating catchphrases and techniques to grab people’s attention on a website? Then perhaps web marketing is for you. You begin to see the picture.

…and who might need them

An important question that you’ll also want to ask yourself at this point is, where is there a need for these skills? What you’re doing here is trying to understand what your market is and who your potential customers are. If you can find a niche market, even better, but that can be very difficult to do.

Knowing who your clients are can also help you know what services you should offer, or if you don’t already, then what skills you should learn to do. If you get a lot of questions about e-mail marketing campaigns from your existing clients but don’t already offer that as a service, perhaps it’s worth learning about so that you can offer it. When you’re able to offer the services that your clients (or those in your market) need, you’re giving them even more of an incentive to work with you.

Know when to turn down work…

People who aren’t web-savvy often don’t know the difference between the various disciplines that web professionals work in. Within the last year I’ve had a lot of friends or family say to me, “you work in websites – so-and-so needs a website, you should talk to them”. While I definitely appreciate the referrals, just because someone is looking for a website doesn’t mean they’re looking for one that I’m able to give them give my skill-set.

What I’m getting at is that you need to know when you should turn down a project. I know it’s not easy to do, and I say that from personal experience. But if after talking to your clients and getting a real sense of what they want and need (and there’s a difference), if you can’t give that to them, then you’re wasting both their time and yours.

I worked on two projects this year that didn’t end up coming to fruition, and it wasn’t until afterward that I realized that what I was able to offer them and am good at wasn’t what they really wanted. I couldn’t say no. Instead of telling them I could do what they wanted, what I should have said to them was:

“Thank you for talking to me about your project. Based on our conversation, what you’re looking as I understand it is  something that I don’t specialize in and am not able to give you. Because of that, I’ll have to turn down this project.”

Being honest with a potential client never hurt anyone – and in fact, they might really appreciate it. Even if they might be annoyed at first that you met with them for an hour but can’t help them, they’ll be less annoyed than if you start working on the project and end up having to scrap it because you’re giving them what they want.

…how to recognize the difference between “want” and “need”…

Of course, part of my job is to help people understand their needs vis-a-vis a website – that’s why they’re asking me to talk to them about it in the first place. As a professional, I can make recommendations differently if what they describe their needs are doesn’t match up with what they want. (For example, they might “want” a sleek Flash website when they really “need” something more basic.)

People don’t always have an appreciation for the intricacies of websites, such as what might really meet their needs. So just because someone is talking to you about work you might not specialize in, it might not be worth abandoning before you really know why they want what they’re asking for.

This is especially the case if someone comes to you and says something like, “I really like that website – I want mine to be like that”. Then they clearly need some guidance, and it’s your job to help them clearly understand what really meets their needs and why. It might be that the website they like would do exactly that, which is fine – but if it isn’t, then you need to tell them that. You’re the professional, after all, and if they want a professional opinion, they’ll listen to what you’re saying.

…and what work you don’t want to do

Along the same lines, you have to determine what kinds of project you’re willing to take on. For example, I only want to work on website designs/redesigns, consulting projects, or maintenance. Within those specific areas, I want to do work such as:

• WordPress-based websites
• Static websites
• HTML newsletter creation
• Content consultation
• SEO – organic/keyword consulting
• Blogs
• Site maintenance
• Template design
• Redesigning a website

By starting to focus in on the type of work you want to do, if someone asks you “do you do this?”, you’ll be able to tell them right away if you do or don’t. For example, I know that I don’t want to do “busy work”, even if it does help pay the bills. It’s just not something that interests me, and I don’t feel that it will help me grow as a designer.

One thing to note: don’t be too quick to turn down work. Even if you know what you want to do and are being asked about something you don’t do, sometimes it can be a smart move to do something outside your comfort zone. You never know where it might lead to.

So before you make such decisions, think carefully about what you might get out of that work, and if the pros outweigh the cons, then it might be worth considering.

Success is a journey, so start walking

Everything that I mentioned are things that people and businesses are constantly thinking about, refining, and changing. For someone first starting out in business, the answers to the questions I posed aren’t going to come to you right away. But have patience – if you’re successful, then they will.

This can be a lot to think about, but these decisions are essential to the long-term growth and success of your business. Think about them before it’s too late, because otherwise, you won’t get very far at all.

Please keep in mind that I’m not trying to brag here about anything I’ve accomplished. I’m writing this to give me a chance to reflect, but also to give people the sense that anything is possible when you work hard and put your mind to it.

That was then…

When I started Addicott Web, I had only designed very basic websites before, and it had been a few years since I had created those, so my knowledge of how to create a website using modern techniques was lacking. For the most part my experience until then had been maintaining and working with websites that other people had created.

At the time, I didn’t know whether this new business would make it or not. But I had a sense deep down that I could do this – although admittedly, my confidence at the time was still a little shaky.

Want a brief snapshot of where Addicott Web was when I first started it? I didn’t:

• Have many clients, let alone a portfolio – Back then I was still primarily known for the site maintenance work that I was doing for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. I had only begun to talk to CityPAC about their website, who would ultimately become my first client.
• Have much of a website – Addicott Web’s first website was very basic and used mostly stock images and text that no one really read anyways. I remember spending so much time pouring through the content on it too, trying to fine-tune everything. It had almost no focus on usability or SEO, but it was better than nothing, and at least it gave me something to refer people to.
• Know what anything about blogs – Starting a blog was the furthest thing on my mind a year ago, so I definitely had no idea about how to write for blogs, how to promote your blog, or that I had a particular voice for how I wrote.
• Know how to communicate and interact with clients – I had no formal documents or processes set up for how to work with clients, and was doing everything on the fly. As an example, I was still using invoices that I typed out in Microsoft Word each month, and e-mailed from my personal Yahoo! account.

What a difference a year makes…

Initial learning curves are always steep, and mine was definitely no exception to that rule. Although I feel that I’ve learned and grown a lot as a web designer and a businessman, with only one year of business under my belt, I know that I’m only in the middle of that curve and still have a lot to learn.

It’s taken a lot of work to have come this far. I try to learn as much as I can about anything and everything related to web design and being in business for yourself from wherever I could. And it’s beginning to pay off. I’m feeling more and more accustomed to these concepts from seeing them so often – to the point where I can now talk and write about them with confidence, and in the case of how to interact with clients, actually implement them with my own clients.

Amongst everything I’ve accomplished and learned, I now have:

• A good-sized portfolio – I’ve worked on 8 different websites in 2008, which includes all the projects in my portfolio, as well as Addicott Web’s website and one other that is launching imminently. This gives me quite a selection of work to show prospective clients, and reassures them that they are hiring someone who other people have worked with successfully.
• Standardized ways to communicate with clients – I’ve created a whole range of materials to help me work with clients easier, more efficiently, and more professionally. I use Freshbooks for my invoicing, and I have web design questionnaires, letterhead, CD labels, envelopes, form letters, contracts, and much more all ready to go when I need to use it. And of course, all of them are nicely branded with the Addicott logo and contact information.
• A website that I’m proud of – I went through two intermediate designs before I finally settled on the current one. That was back in July, and since then, I’m really comfortable with it overall. I don’t foresee making major changes any time soon, other than slight usability or SEO-friendly modifications here and there.
• Started a successful blog – It took me a while to find my voice and focus in on specific topics that I could write about and provide useful information on. I’m also still learning such things as how to write a blog post, how often to write, etc., but those will always be a work in progress. I did have a few bright notes to the year – three of my blog posts got a ton of attention, which is definitely helping me to get the Addicott Web name out there even more.

Most importantly of all, over the past year I’ve finally found my sense of purpose and direction. I now know that this is my profession, and that based on how this year has gone, I can be successful at this. I’m hoping I’ll be successful enough so that I can turn Addicott Web into my full-time job, which is my long-term goal for the business.

Knowing both of those things is what continually fuels my confidence that I am offering a unique service to people. This is essential in everything that I do, from marketing to client interactions to actual design implementation.

Looking to the Future

Where do I want to be a year from now?

I want to have learned new things. I want to have written even more about the topics I do. I want to have helped even more clients make great websites for their business or organization. And most importantly, I want to look back and say that I have gone even further down this path towards making Addicott Web successful and towards being in business for myself.

I hope that you’re able to do the same things – either personally or professionally, or both – and that your 2009 is just as successful as well.

Happy new year!

Today I came across a comprehensive list of resources to help you improve how you work with your clients. It was put together by Christian over at the Smiley Cat web design blog, and since I thought it was such a great list, I wanted to share it with my readers. The list has a ton of great links on a variety of useful topics, such as:

• Understanding clients
• Communicating with clients
• The client relationship
• Your process
• Dealing with difficult clients
• Getting paid
• Legal stuff
• And more…

You can view the full list here.

What I don’t want is for people to have the impression that I’m just some guy who knows how to use a computer. Rather, I want them to think that they’re hiring someone with professional knowledge and skills that will meet their specific needs.

I’ve been reading a lot on this topic ever since I started Addicott Web. Some of my favorite blogs (such as Freelance Switch, Freelance Folder, Sitepoint) have some excellent resources and postings about the subject – written by more seasoned freelancers than myself – that have been very informative.

So why am I bringing this up now?

The topic has been on my mind these last two weeks, since it’s been during this time that I’ve been wrapping up my work with Etgar 36 on their new website. I wanted to use the opportunity with this client to try doing some new things that I haven’t done before. Now that I’ve done them, I felt that they were worth sharing.

The things that I did are what you would call small touches (or others would call attention to detail), but the important thing is that overall, they can contribute to a greater sense of professionalism in my clients’ minds.

Online Tools

Client Feedback

One of the new things that I just began to do with Etgar 36, and plan to continue doing in the future, is to send a brief questionnaire to the client once the project is complete. And by brief, I mean it – no more than 5 questions. Keeping it short helps ensure that the client will actually take the time to complete it.

What do I ask? For starters, I ask them to rate some broad items such as my professionalism, expertise, responsiveness to their ideas/concerns, etc. I also ask a few open-ended questions, such as what they liked about working with us and what they think we could improve on.

And to get a real sense of how satisfied the client was, I also ask them if they would refer me to someone else, and if they would hire me again. Needless to say, if they answer yes to both questions, they’re quite happy.

I used Survey Monkey to create this feedback form. It’s a great tool that allows you to create and manage surveys, and analyze the responses that you get to them.

Invoice Management

I’ve been using Freshbooks as my financial management system for awhile now. So while it’s not anything new that I just started to do, it’s still worth mentioning here. I use Freshbooks for a variety of purposes, such as:

• Creating and managing invoices
• Time tracking
• Running financial reports
• Expense tracking

It’s a much more efficient system to use than creating invoices by hand, which is what I used to do before I started using it. It’s more professional as well; clients receive my invoices by e-mail through the system, and get sent payment confirmations when I record payment. They can also log-in and view all of their past payments, invoices, and more.

Documentation

Logo Usage

It’s important to me that my clients get the sense that they’re working with Addicott Web and not just me. So on every piece of official documentation that they see, I make sure to include the Addicott Web logo and use the same fonts as those used on this website.

What do I count as official documentation?

• Letterhead
• Help guides
• Invoices/Estimates
• Mailing labels

As an example, I’m currently sending out some closing materials for the Etgar 36 project. To make them look more professional, I took a quick trip to Office Depot yesterday and stocked up on some mailing labels and large envelopes. The goal is to not scrawl the client’s name and address on the outside of the envelope, but rather print up some nice labels that had my logo and return address on it, along with the client’s mailing information neatly printed on it. It just looks so much nicer and more professional that way.

Of course, after I had sealed the envelopes I realized I hadn’t made any nice labels for the CDs that I had enclosed, which contained all of the files I used to build their new website. But that is something for me to improve on for the next client.

Thoughts?

What are some of the small things that you do to help convey a more professional impression to your clients? Share them with us by filling out our comment form below.

Right away I thought, wow, that’s exactly what I’ve been looking for – I would love to attend!

From their schedule I saw that there are all sorts of interesting sessions on topics such as “Secrets of a Successful Soloprenuer,” “How to Get Clients to Fall in Love with You (and Be Loyal Forever),” “How to Find the Time to Build Your Freelance Business”, and more.

Not only are the topics presented very relevant to this business, but the networking opportunities would have been great to have as well.

And the most appealing part about the conference was that it is being held in my own back yard, right here in downtown Chicago.

But alas, unfortunately I won’t be able to attend. Turns out that the conference will be taking place the week in August that I’ll be out of town on vacation.

(I can’t exactly complain though – a week’s vacation in California has been something I’ve been looking forward to since last year.)

So for now, I’ll have to settle for taking advantage of their resources page, where I found a lot of materials, links, and resources that will be beneficial to me.

And, I will definitely be keeping my fingers crossed that the conference is a big success and will be held again in years to come so that I can attend!