How to build your online company’s credibility

There’s a lot of potential when it comes to running an online business, but there are some pretty obvious drawbacks.

First, competition can be tough, and getting your name in front of people’s eyes can be difficult. Then there’s the whole matter of credibility. People are rightly more cynical of digital companies than they are of their real-world counterparts, and that means that companies have to work harder to convince them of their credibility. So how do you do this? We take a look at a few tried and tested ways below.

Be credible

You can fool some people some of the time, but you can’t fool all people all of the time. If you’re going to convince people that you’re a credible online business, then first thing’s first: you need to be credible. This means going into your company with only honest intentions. Anything else, and eventually it’ll show through. It’s tempting to do things like add surprise charges at the end, or have a limited or complicated return policy, but these things will backfire on your company in the long run.

Share your reviews

Of course you’re going to tell the world how great and reliable your company is: it’d be weird if you didn’t. Alas, this isn’t going to make too much of an impression on your potential customers, not on as many as you’d like, at least. It turns out that people are increasingly prone to tuning out the boasts of a company. Instead, they’re responding to the recommendations of other people, who are just like them and have no vested stake in the success of the company. If you receive a good review (and if you’re providing a great service and then soliciting reviews, then you will), then post it on your website for all to see.

Get your name out there

Credibility relies on repetition. If a person sees a company name once, they’ll forget about it. If they see it multiple times and in various locations, then it’ll begin to take on a degree of credibility. In the digital world, you can get your name out there by working with a company that offers a guest posting service. This will get your website (with a link) placed on another, relevant website. It’s not necessarily a direct endorsement from the company that’s posting about your site, but it’s similar. Plus, the more places your website is visible online, the more traffic you’ll receive.

Manage your feedback

You’re eventually going to receive a review on one of the main review websites, be it Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor, or anywhere else. Hopefully, this will all be good, but it’s possible that you’ll receive a negative review. Left on its own, this can damage your credibility. So make sure you own the review. Replying in detail is one way to show potential customers that you’re not hiding away from your mistakes. Every company makes errors along the way — and it’s how you respond to these errors that determine how trustworthy you are.