It’s not just you who needs to dress to impress. First impressions count, and you only get a few seconds to make a good impression with your website. If your website doesn’t look as polished and professional as you do in a business meeting, then it’s time to take off its pajamas and make it look as trustworthy as you really are.

Are visitors coming to your website, but you aren’t getting as many new clients or customers as you thought you would? Are you scratching your head over why more people aren’t signing up for your mailing list?

Are you wondering why your competitors’ websites are more successful than yours? Do you really want to know why too many of your website’s visitors don’t end up doing business with you?

It’s all a matter of trust. People always prefer to do business with people they know, like, and trust. And unless your website shows your visitors how trustworthy you really are, you are going to lose business. Do you need to improve your website so that it inspires confidence in your visitors and helps them trust you enough to buy from you?

Who would you trust?

Imagine you urgently had to hire a salesperson for your business, and only two people have applied for the job.

One of them is very well-dressed, but she mumbles so much that it takes a lot of effort to understand what she’s saying.

The other candidate is very well-spoken and communicates very clearly, but he showed up to the interview unshaven and wearing his pajamas.

Which one would you hire? Could you trust either of them to be an effective salesperson for your business? Of course not!

Does your Website work for you?

Now, what does this have to do with websites? Well, you need to think of your website as being an employee of your business. Your website can be a salesperson, a customer service operator, and a cashier or checkout operator for your business.

Have you thought of your business in that way before?

Your website is representing your business 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And it’s either working for you or against you, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Now, many people don’t realize that their website can actually work against them. They think that their website will either bring in more business, or it will have a neutral effect on their business. They don’t realize that a website can have a negative effect on their business.

What happens when your words say one thing, but your graphics say something else?

Here’s an excellent video by one of my mentors – it’s a real ‘must see’.

I saw a Bedpost store and their tagline while tripping around in New Zealand last week. I had to scratch my head a bit when I read the slogan.

Is it just me, or does it sound rather uncomfortable?

What do you think – does their tagline work or does it give you a sore back?