8 Quick Ways to Instantly Build Your Online Credibility

Regardless of what type of website or business you're pursuing on the web, you and your site must be seen as "credible" in the eyes of your visitors or it's "game over" before you even get started. Visitors must believe you are someone who "knows their stuff" and is worth their time.

Therefore, instantly establishing this credibility is vital to your site's success, especially online where people are still very distrustful of what they see and read. And if you're selling something this "distrust meter" takes a giant leap of faith.

So here are some eight quick ways to instantly build trust with your site's visitors and remember you only have a few nanoseconds to accomplish this difficult task.

So try these quick trust building methods:

1. Credibility Pre-header. Many marketers and webmasters try to get or place a credibility pre-header above their content, especially if you're selling a product. "America's #1 Affiliate Marketer according to Time Magazine, reveals all his secrets..."

Or something along those lines, but keep in mind, this pre-header must have a neutral third party blurb or statement which can be backed up. Quoting respected important sources such as major magazines, news programs, well known organizations or even other important web sites will instantly help establish your credibility in the mind of the viewer.

That's why on a lot of sites you see such things as "As seen on Oprah" "As seen On CNN" or even the old stand-by "As seen on TV" will add credibility to what follows... just use the same concept on your own site. While you may not be able to boast those kinds of claims... you can usually come up with some important (well known websites) which feature your work or content. I like using sites like "Featured on Ezinearticles.com", "Featured on Buzzle.com", "Featured on SiteProNews", while those places don't have the power of a Larry King, Dr. Phil or Oprah... they do establish some instant credibility in the "eyes" of your visitor.

2. Picture and Bio. Have your picture and bio at the top of the page so that readers can instantly see who you are. Give your major accomplishments and successes because you must prove that you're worth their time. Many savvy marketers use a two-columned page format where one side is used to establish credibility... where you place your picture, your bio, any awards your site has won and tons and tons of testimonials from your visitors and site users.

Use this whole side column all the way down your page to establish your credibility. As readers are reading your content or sales letter, they can glance over to see what you're saying is backed up by other people.

3. Testimonials. As mentioned above, you should have testimonials on your page and plenty of them. These will give credibility to what you're saying. You should also place a few of these testimonials in your main sales letter as well as to use the credibility of the person giving the recommendation to your best advantage.

Many big-name online marketers (Gurus) do have enormous credibility in the "eyes" of those reading the content. These testimonials can go a long way in establishing your credibility as well. Use as many as you can possibly get. Don't forget that also adding recommendations from the BBB (Better Business Bureaus) and placing securely buttons/logos does also help in establishing your site's credibility.

4. Use Videos. You have probably noticed many people are now using videos on their sites and content. Videos are an excellent way to immediately establish contact and credibility with your viewers... you are indeed a "real person" and not just some written words floating in cyberspace. Of course, the more personality and likeability you can bring to these videos will help further establish your credibility.

Many marketers and webmasters also use videos for their testimonials, anyone can make up fake text testimonials and place them on a web page but actually seeing and hearing 10 or 15 videos of customers talking about your product or content will definitely give you more credibility.

5. Professional Graphics and Design. We have all seen the cheap-looking template site that immediately says "template" in the mind of the viewer. Now the actual content on this site may be great but surfers are becoming increasingly web-savvy and will know a cheaply designed site when they see one and immediately hit the back button. Ouch!

Your site must appear professional in the "eyes" of the beholder. Using professional graphics and design will help you establish immediate credibility for your site. In that split second when you have to capture your visitor's attention, you want to make that all important first impression a good one. You want them to say "This site's a Keeper!"

6. Use Social Media Sites. Visitors want to know you're a real person or company, so establishing profiles in all the social media sites such as Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace, YouTube, Linkedin... gives credibility to who's speaking. They can check you out and see what everyone is saying about you. They can discover who your contacts are and what kind of reputation you have built up. These social sites can have enormous influence in building a solid relationship with your visitors. It can definitely help establish your credibility; so use them.

7. Content And Writing. Of course, the proof is in the pudding, your content must be compelling and convincing. It must show you know what you're talking about and that you're worth reading. All the flash and window dressing will be worthless if you don't have quality content on your site.

It is this quality content that will ultimately establish your credibility in the minds of your visitors. All the other factors are important but "what you say and how you say it" will be the main determining factor in how much credibility and trust you earn from your site's visitors; so choose your words carefully.

8. Pre-built Credibility. One last point on establishing online credibility has to be discussed. I believe many webmasters don't fully understand the importance of building credibility BEFORE your visitor even gets to your site. Your marketing strategy doesn't just start at your site, it must include building your brand and reputation outside of it.

One obvious example, getting top rankings in Google for your major keywords does give your site a lot of credibility. Or achieving top rankings in any search engine for that matter, but especially in Google, I have found getting top rankings gives credibility to your web pages. People respect Google and they have come to respect the search results and in turn, some of this credibility is passed along to your site.

Another more important way to "pre-build" or "pre-sell" yourself or your site's content is to write simple articles that are distributed all over the web. Visitors coming to your site from these articles will already be more familiar with you and your information. You have hopefully already gained some credibility in their eyes and may just be worth checking out.