How To Increase Website Conversion Rates In Seven Simple Steps
Part 2
August 2007

     But this is not Joe. In reality Joe does shoe repair the old style hand crafted way, which would be a dated or retro period design with friendly and quality overtones. The objective is to make Joe look trustworthy with traits that define the most descriptive nature of Joe's shoe repair shop which in this example is "experienced,” "professional," "quality work," and "friendly."

     As credibility based logo for Joe's Shoe Repair, the "design brief" would require the logo to communicate: expertise = "shoe repair" + trustworthy = "experience", "professional", "quality" and "friendly". This credibility trait logo description would produce a logo design of a shoe with professional, dated, friendly and quality overtones. It must be simple and have high impact as a sign on Joe's shop. This is a credibility-based logo design. The same logo must appear on all areas of public contact. Joe's work apron is a good example.

     This approach also demonstrates that if a logo design can be described verbally after it is designed as so many graphic designers and company businesses do, it can also be described before it is designed.

A Credibility-Based Logo Design Case History.

     My online logo design company, Powerlogos Design, designed a logo for Housen Painting. My client, Tom Housen, is a small business house painter outside of New York City.

We started with symbolizing Tom's basic business --- house painting --- which is his company’s area of expertise. Then, we added design forms which would express Tom's desired trustworthy traits of "highly efficient work" and "clean." This is also how Tom operates in reality.

The credibility traits then which make up our "design brief" are: expert = house painter + trustworthy = highly efficient work and clean = credibility-based logo design. Here are the early progressions incorporating the desired credibility traits leading to the final design:

Finally, the credibility traits come together. This is where the expertise symbol couples with trustworthy traits to become a great, credibility-based logo design as shown here in the final design solution. The logo is also strong, unique, communicates with simplicity and with high impact. This is basic to all logo design. But combined with a company's credibility traits, a great logo appears.

     The Housen Painting logo communicates specific credibility traits defined above. All companies have different credibility traits. An airline like Continental communicates expertise traits of "flying" and trustworthy traits of “highly tech”, "friendly" and “state-of-the-art.”

     In contrast, an antique shop might want to communicate expertise traits of being in the "antique business" and trustworthy traits of, “been around a long time” and “neighborly." Credibility traits are also true in substance for the company. Meaning that the company "walks the talk."

Credibility-based Website Design

     The same credibility traits must be perceived in the overall design of the company's home page. The first page a visitor sees. This is easily done after the credibility-based logo design is adopted. The home page continues the design motifs define by the company's trustworthy traits. It would be incongruous to have a logo design communicating one image and the home page communicating another.

     Consistency in specific company credibility trait visual communication and perception is the key word here.

     Briefly, this is a quick tutorial about credibility-based logo and website design. There is more in my book, The Power of Logos, and on my website, www.powerlogos.com.

     Now back to the next seven steps to increase website conversion rates which are more easily accomplished.

4. Show the Website is Legitimate.

   This is very simple. Just list the physical address, phone number and email address. This infers credibility that there really is a company out there. Other things in this category might be bios of the company officers and board members; membership with the Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce. Third party endorsements would include press releases from the media and awards. It also includes links to and from other websites you trust. Finally show that you, the website owner, is credible. The author uses his PhD title as an example of reputed credibility.

5. Make your website easy to navigate.

   Dr. Fogg states that his research shows that websites are more credible when they are easy to use, and are useful at the same time. Some designer friends use too much dazzle to show how creative they are. Websites are more like editorial pages of a magazine. They are useful when they inform. They inform when they are easy to navigate to what the visitor is looking for.

6. Update your website from time to time.

   This seems obvious, but not often done. I have lawyer friends who have websites they have never seen, yet update. It is important to stay with the same broad subject as your website product or service. Some very astute websites add information useful to their visitors beyond that of their product or service. John Deere offers a whole host of farmer-related subjects for example. This is a great way of keeping potential customers interested and returning to the website. It also gives heightened credibility to the company.

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.