"Trust is the most valuable commodity in Cyberspace"
By now you must know that the Internet in the form of email and web browsing has become one of the most popular everyday tools of both the business and personal computer user. This means that your connection with the Internet and more specifically the World Wide Web, provides you with an advantage over the companies that are still "thinking about jumping on this bandwagon".
At Topic, we'd like to feel that the service we provide is value added to the product or service you are already providing. To continue with this value added service we've put together some information to help generate more business through the power of the World Wide Web by perfecting your current and/or future web site presence.
Of the many Internet articles we've read, one that stood out in particular included the statement "Trust is the most valuable commodity in Cyberspace". This statement definitely applies to all of us and is an extremely valuable topic for discussion.
Both you, as the content provider, and us, as the web production developer or architect, are responsible for creating a web site presence that every Internet visitor trusts. And a web site that's credible at the very least has the potential to be profitable.
Some of the issues that web users will wonder are....
- Who has provided the information on this page?
- Can the information be trusted?
- Can the people behind it be trusted?
- Is it safe to send an email to these unknown people?
- Will an order be secure?
Without credibility, there's not going to be much action, is there?
Have YOU thought why should anyone trust the information published or to be piblished on your web site?
Some clues that web users will look for to suggest that YOU are honest and trustworthy could be:
- Plenty of worthwhile content
- Attractive, user-friendly design.
- A secure order form.
- Good writing and perfect proofreading.
- The magic word -- "free".
- Friendly persuasion.
- A real sense of your people and premises.
- A big strong money-back guarantee.
- Testimonials from real people, with addresses. >> [ Some of ours ]
- Your organization's name and address on pages.
- A promise not to sell people's names and addresses.
- Links to other web sites.
- "Last updated" last month.
Does the above give you some food for thought?
The first item on the above check list is "Plenty of worthwhile content".
Research confirms that high-quality content is the most important factor in attracting people back to a web site again and again and is what produces an outstanding web site?
Web sites which sometimes are no more than online brochures can often be ignored. They could be taken for empty shop-fronts
that say virtually nothing except, "Hey, look at us! We're on the Web!" Nonetheless, if this is your kind of web site, all is not lost. At least it's a foundation on which to build. Remember, you have already jumped on the bandwagon and don't have to hurry along to catch up with it!
We've read on more than one occasion that the best tip you'll ever get about creating a successful site is "ADD CONTENT". Add plenty of high-quality, focused, non-commercial content. And update it often.
A page with lots of valuable content is a page worth reading. So it goes without saying that a page worth reading is a page worth bookmarking.
Have you checked your Bookmarks or Favorites lately? Most either do something marvelous or are information-rich, with layers and layers of articles, news, games, tests, tips, tutorials and links. One information-rich web site is worth a great deal more than a thousand empty ones.
Like you, all web surfers are hungry for something interesting, something useful, something original. We're all information-hungry -- so don't you think that you owe it to yourself to make your site information-rich. But please remember that content is more than games, graphics or music. Content is original and usually consists of text.
Of course you can't put everything you know on your web site. But since you are the expert on what you have to offer, think carefully about what people want to know, and what you can reasonably provide. Determine what your clients or customers are most interested in and then provide detailed, authoritative information about that topic.
Here are a some interesting examples we received on how to include good content:
- Say you're an optometrist upgrading your web site. You might decide to concentrate on two categories for content: common
problems with vision, plus your catalogue of frames.
- For the first, you write or commission a monthly article about common problems with vision -- from the cross-eyed child to glaucoma to eye-fatigue in computer-users. The articles present information and advice, seeing things from the patient's point of view. They expressly avoid any reference to your optometrist's business. The articles don't try to sell glasses.
- For the second, you provide a complete, searchable catalogue of spectacle frames. You include photos and technical information.
And maybe an interactive facility where people can see different frames on their own type of face.
Have the above two examples given you any good ideas of your own?
Another important feature is interactive content.
Interactivity is a strength of the web (the graphical user interface mode which catapulted the Internet from the drab command line interface to what you use now). And people, which includes you, love it. The visitors to your web site are interacting by clicking or subscribing or filling out a form or a free draw or just wanting to be notified the next time your web site is updated.
What other ways can you think of to set up something interactive that is personal, informative and automatic?
Here are some more examples we received.
- A speed reading trainer offers a reading test online.
- Astrologers give you your monthly chart.
- An HR company offers a personality profile test online and so on.
All of the above and more go towards making your web site worthwhile, trustworthy and bookmarked for return visits. In others words, a potentially profitable web site.
"Trust is the most valuable commodity in Cyberspace" continues HERE
At Topic we consider the strategic importance of web design and usability to enhance OUR CLIENT'S ability TO ATTRACT, MAINTAIN and INTERFACE with existing as well as the millions of potential customers on the INTERNET. Not only do we design web sites from scratch, but we often get contracted to do face-lifts and upgrades for existing sites, or maintenance on a daily, weekly, monthly or annual basis.
