Have you evaluated your company's web site lately… really looked at it from a customer's point of view? Because no business is static all marketing materials, including your web site, need to be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. A research team at Stanford University conducted an extensive three-year study to learn how businesses can improve their web site's credibility. Here is what Stanford learned and how you can review how credible your web site is for your customers.

Make it easy to verify the accuracy of the information on your site.

Give full credit to other sources and links to experts, like I have here for Stanford University

Show that there's a real organization behind your site.

About Us and Contact information can help validate that your company really exists

Highlight the expertise in your organization in the content and services you provide.

Years in business, certifications, and qualifications.

Show that honest and trustworthy people stand behind your site.

(Customer testimonials work; speak in real people language to establish rapport.)

Make it easy to contact you.

Offer phone numbers, email addresses, business address and a map if needed.

Design your site so it looks professional or is appropriate for your purpose.

Your site should reflect the nature of your business and your audience.

Make your site easy to use --- and useful.

Think about the end user; ask customers and clients for feedback.

Update your site's content often, at least show it's been reviewed recently.

Give customers a reason to return, stay current with new technologies and trends and add new information regularly.

Use restraint with any promotional content, e.g. ads and offers.

If your site is for e-commerce, ignore that.

Avoid errors of all types, no matter how small they seem.

Details, details, details.

Not revolutionary ideas, just basic good business principles. Whether you're developing a new site or updating an existing one, this is a simple tool you can use to evaluate your site's effectiveness. As with every marketing and business tool, web site quality and credibility are critical to building your company brand.

You can access the complete report at http://credibility.stanford.edu/guidelines/index.html/

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