How To Increase Website Conversion Rates In Seven Simple Steps
August 2007

     Most websites, maybe yours, loose over 80 percent of the visitors within a few seconds upon landing on your site after all that hard work you did to get them there. In a nutshell, the problem is website credibility, or rather, lack of credibility. I did research on the creative aspects of credibility as part of my 2006 PhD thesis. And Dr. B. J. Fogg of Stanford University did a study on the problem covering various aspects some three years ago.

     What follows is a summary of our respective findings.

     I have rearranged the solutions according to when visitors first arrive at the website, then what they do afterwards.

First Glance Web Optimization

     When visitors land on a website, the first thing they do is mentally evaluate in an instant whether they can trust the information on the site enough to continue. Like all information, this is a matter of whether or not the source of the information can be trusted to overcome perceptions of risk, uncertainty and even possible identity theft. Trust or no trust happens during the visitor's initial impressions or "first glance" at a website when visitor is still unfamiliar with the vendor.

     In people to people interaction, we evaluate the person doing the talking before we accept the person's message. On a website, we evaluate the company behind the information. The company is evaluated at "first glance" during the first three seconds of a website encounter.

     But on a website, the initial period of trust is not based on personal experience with the vendor. The visitor and vendor do not have a personal relationship history. The visitor makes a trust evaluation on what information, verbal and visual, is available. Otherwise, the vendor is faceless.

     Trust is one part of credibility. Expertise is the other. A website cannot have credibility unless both parts are there. The following suggestions will increase website credibility and conversion rates. Some are based on Dr. Fogg's work; some are based on my PhD work. (For those interested in more about the research findings, please email the author at bill@haigbranding.com.)

1. Show that there is a real organization behind the website, as an honest trustworthy company.

   This is done most effectively with a credibility-based logo design sm representing the company. The credible company logo is usually in the upper left hand corner of the website. Perception theory in communication persuasion suggests that people immediately want to know the source of the message which follows. Just like when we often look first for the name of the person on an envelop or post card.

   Similarly, visitors to a website look at the company logo, or search for the company name if there is no logo, at "first glance."

   Then, simultaneously,

2. Show that there is a credible organization behind the website with an appropriately designed credibility-based home page.

   A company website home page must be designed with the same appropriate credibility traits as in the company logo. This will also give consistency in credibility traits important to the company behind the website.

   Logos and home pages are perceived almost simultaneously. People perceive the "whole" before they perceive the parts. Although the eye will go immediately to the company logo or name (as a part) after perceiving the "whole" or overall visual character of the home page. Thus, the company credibility-based logo design and the home page design must have a consistency in credibility design "look." For example, the logo cannot have a contemporary design and the home page a dated design.

   The bottom line with first impressions is that the whole visitor perception, logo and home page, must communicate credibility to assure the visitor continues at this initial web experience --- at "first glance." These first impressions are key to trust building and continued visitor conversions to being a customer. For more on credibility-based logo and home page design, visit www.powerlogos.com.

3. Show professionalism in overall website visual design.

   The word "professionalism" is too ambiguous. I will substitute that the whole website must be designed to communicate company credibility as defined in the design of the company logo. Like the home page design above, the design must be consistent with the desired company credibility traits. Then the type font must be compatible with the type font used in the company name. Not the same font however. This is reserved only for the company logo name. On the flip side of credibility-based website design is the use of inappropriate templates, or just bad design. Don't do this. Conversion rates are too important not to look credible.

   Let's stop here for a moment. You have probably been stymied about how to look credible with your company logo and company website. Here is a quick tutorial.

Credibility-based Logo Design Process.

     Source credibility in communication persuasion means that the source is expert and competent AND believable and trustworthy. A credible company must achieve an image in people's minds that it is expert and competent in its field, as well as believable and trustworthy. It cannot be just one without the other. For example, some companies feel that being "liked" is enough. We all like some people to but would not trust these same people with computer repairs or restaurant advice if they know little about these businesses. Remember: Credible = expert + trustworthy.

     Credibility based logo design projects the company as being an expert in their business symbolizing the company core competence and communicates the company as being trustworthy and believable with design motifs appropriate for the company expertise. That is, a company must be believable at being able to do the work for which it claims to be an expert.

     Expertise and trustworthy define the two import credibility traits for a given company. Take Housen Painting, a small house painter in New York. House painting is the company's business; this is the company's expertise. The main symbolism in the company logo then is "house" and "painting". This is the "expertise" dimension in the Housen Painting logo. The "trustworthy" dimension is more fully discussed in the next section.

     Credibility-based logo design also communicates the company as trustworthy with recognized non-verbal design motifs. Housen Painting's reputation for high service was communicated by making the "house painting" symbology "high tech", "state-or-the-art" and "friendly". These trustworthy traits were communicated in a contemporary design motif. University supervised research demonstrated that successful logos --- logos that work to help achieve company goals --- are indeed credibility-based.

How Does a Graphic Designer Create a Credibility-based Logo Designsm?

     Credibility-based logo design philosophy first requires a designer to symbolize the company business as mentioned in the previous section. This says the company is an expert in that business. For example let's use Joe's Shoe Repair. This would be a typical shoe repair shop with a sign hanging on the store front with a simple "shoe" symbol and the identifying text, "Joe's Shoe Repair."

Continue reading How To Increase Website Conversion Rates In Seven Simple Steps

© William L. Haig, Ph.D. or Bill Haig, Ph.D. 2007

This is an original work of the author. All rights reserved. Copyright registration will be applied for. No part of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, and recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author.