Your Online Presence Affirms Your Credibility

You don’t just need an online presence. You need an obvious choice online presence. That’s true even if your business is strictly word-of-mouth.

Think about it. When someone gives you a referral or hands you a business card, what’s the first thing you do?

If you’re like me, you go online before you make the call. I want to find out whether the company’s obvious choice online presence lives up to the expectations my colleague has created.

• Does that company have good reviews on Yelp or LinkedIn?
• Does its website communicate the same warm, fuzzy feelings my friend has communicated about the firm’s business operations?

Question: Will a visit to the website be more likely to encourage or discourage a potential client from contacting you?

That online check is akin to what my colleague calls her “management 101 check.”

When she goes to a business location, the first thing she does is check the restroom. The attention to detail in the restroom speaks volumes about the attention to detail in the rest of the business.

You have to think of your online presence as a credibility platform.

So if you’re concerned about credibility (and you should be; credibility is the key to business success), here are five questions you can use for a self-audit.

1. Is what you do clear and easy to understand?
2. Does your website describe the kind of problems you solve?
3. Is your site visually stimulating — or does it consist of long stretches of text?
4. Are your location and contact information easy to find?
5. Have you made any changes or updates to your website in the past 30 days?

Of course, these five questions don’t equal a comprehensive audit. If that’s what you’re looking for, message us.