When you visit a news website, you probably looks for signs of credibility. These signs can include the source of a story and information about the person who wrote it. While it’s no secret that people expect news sites to be credible, what about business sites? Even though you may not realize it at first, credibility is just as important for sites that are selling a product or service. In fact, credibility may be even more important for a business site than a news site.

Why Credibility is Crucial for Business Sites
One of the great things about reading news online is if you come across a fact or figure that seems off, you can check it in a matter of seconds. As a result, even though people want to get their news from a credible source, in the back of their mind they know that they can check any piece of information that they want. This gives them a sense of control and power.

But when it comes to a business site, they know that once their credit card information is entered and the submit button is clicked, that transaction is out of their hands. Because this arrangement actually takes away people’s sense of control, they need to have complete trust for a site in order to share their financial information. This is where credibility comes into play. Credibility is the element that builds respect and trust. It’s also what determines whether a visitor hits the back button or becomes a customer.

How Do You Establish Credibility?
Since credibility is important regardless of the nature of your business, the next logical question is “how do you establish it?” The good news is there are quite a few different ways to build credibility:

Looks Matter: Not only is it important to have an attractive website, but you should also have pictures of yourself and your employees on it.

Be Available: If your business has a phone number, keep it prominently displayed. And even if you handle everything by email, make sure that visitors to your site are always only a click away from getting in touch with you or your support team.

Link Out: Has your business gotten media attention? If so, be sure to link to it! And when you’re writing an article or blog post, don’t be afraid to link to your sources.

Be Specific: If your business is doing well, it’s more than likely because there are things you do better than your competitors. Instead of making vague claims, be specific about exactly why your company is the better choice for potential customers.

Don’t Skimp on the Details: While benefits are key for good copywriting, that doesn’t mean your site shouldn’t address the specific details of the products or services you offer. Including all relevant details and then some will reassure visitors that your company is the real deal and doesn’t have to anything to hide.

Brian Waraksa is owner of www.RaxaDesign.com, a Houston web design and development company. Feel free to follow Raxa Design on Twitter.