Total Landscape Care Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/217626
cover story Does Your Website Build Trust? Seven things your site needs to bring in new clients BY BEN BOWEN potential client has just found your website. They may be doing research for a future project or looking to hire someone immediately. Either way, you have 10 to 20 seconds to make a good impression. What keeps them from hitting the dreaded back button? In a word: trust. How can your website pass the "trust" test? You need to send the right signals to your visitors. Here are things to think about that will help keep a potential client from immediately leaving your site: Who, what, where and how. Your site should answer these questions immediately. Users shouldn't have to scroll down to find such basic information. A Ross NW Watergardens' website includes project photos, a blog, links to their social media pages, contact information, staff photos, a contact form and landscape design FAQs and answers. Does your homepage make it obvious who you are, what you do, where your service area is and how you can be contacted? If not, you are losing potential customers just seconds after they found you. Grammar and spelling. Misspelled words and poor grammar send a clear signal: run. You may be exactly the landscaper your visitor is looking for. But, if your homepage says you are a "landscraper," you will never get the chance to prove it. Page design. A website should look professional and modern. Is your page cluttered and messy? Do your choices of colors or fonts make it difficult to read? I have seen many landscapers' sites with a green background and white text. It's uncomfortable to read, and most of your visitors won't even try. Getting these basic trust signals right can earn you a little more time. Now, you can focus on convincing the potential customer to contact you by incorporating these elements: Badges. A "badge" is a logo from a third party imbedded in your site. A badge from an D E C E M B E R 2013 TotalLa nd s ca p eCar e.com 23