The online market is saturated. It’s so easy to start a business now because of the ease of online access, so there are countless sites dedicated to just about every product or service imaginable. Consumers have to sort through more options than ever when they want to make a purchase.
With so many businesses targeting consumers comes a lot of scam sites impersonating businesses. This culture of target, track, and attack made e-commerce shoppers much more aware and skeptical of strange sites. If your site looks like a scam, you’ll lose customers. Discover how to make your business more legit with a few simple steps.
Connect Your Website to Other Channels
If a company has just social media or just a website, many people will flag it as a suspicious business and avoid it. Just having a Facebook page isn’t enough to convince people you’re real anymore—you need a real, functioning, useful website.
Your website should be simple and to the point. The most important thing about a website is its user-friendliness. Too many popups and ads will deter potential customers. Focus on your products or services, highlight the main ones, and let your customers take the lead. Include links to your social media on your site so that your customers can see you’re a multichannel business.
Get Google on Your Side
Google is a trustworthy source in the majority of Internet-users’ eyes. Getting Google to recognize your business is a huge deal—and it’s free! Spending time on your Google My Business listing is incredibly important. This is a place where your customers can find essential information about your company. Google My Business listings provide opportunities for you to interact with your customers and give people a chance to review your business. Reviews are huge indicators to potential customers that your business is legit and trustworthy—assuming they’re honest and mainly positive reviews.
Make It Easy for People To Contact You
People want to be sure they can get ahold of your business when they need to. One telltale sign of a scam site is the lack of an About Us page or Contact Us page. A live chat can be helpful, and it’s a preferred method of communication for many online shoppers, but it can be unrealistic for small businesses to fund. Providing a phone number, an e-mail address, and social media handles is typically enough to make customers feel confident they can get ahold of you. The next step is to respond to contact inquires in a timely fashion, typically within 24 hours.
There are many different ways to learn how to make your business more legit. The three above are great starts for any small online business.