Shopping in a brick and mortar store for customers is a whole lot different from them shopping online. In a normal shop this customer knows that he or she can pick up anything and pay for it and walk out of the store. However online the same customer has to first make the purchase and then wait for the company he or she has made the purchase from to ship the product to them. He or she therefore has to be made to feel that the company that they are purchasing from online is a trustworthy company who after collecting their money would actually ship the product to them. The onus to prove that the website is owned by a trustworthy company lies entirely on the website owner.

The website is the face of your company (and you). Its through your website that people judge your company and make a decision to buy a product from your website. People will only make a purchase on your website if they feel secure that you are trustworthy company to whom they can give out their credit card details and would ship the product to them.

As a result of this you have to actually go out of your way to ensure that every person who visits your website feels safe and secure as he or she navigates throughout your site. On every page of your website that this visitor browses you have to ensure that the page adds to the security that the user wants to feel before taking the decision to make the purchase on your site.

We have compiled a list of few things that you could do based on our experience of working with other websites to help them increase their online conversion rates.

1. Display a toll free number or at least your telephone number prominently through out your website so that visitors feel that they can call you for any questions they might have and know there is a human person available at the end of the line.

2. Display the complete mailing address and any registration numbers of your company given to you by the your Government on your website.

3. If possible display a photo of your office/building so that customers can know that you actually are present at a physical location and are not just another online business.

4. Get your site certified by companies like Verisign, Thwate etc that check your site up and allow you to display a logo stating that your site is a secure site to shop on.

5. The look and feel of your website also plays an important role in making your customers feel at ease as they navigate throughout the site.

6. Provide an easy navigation to your visitors so that they are not lost as they go through your website.

7. Prominently display all costs including the shipping cost right at the beginning with the price of the product. Customers do not like surprises at the end.

8. Test your site thoroughly to ensure that it does not have any broken links. Customers instantly leave if they come across any broken link.

9. Make it a point to tell your customers that the data you collect about them will not be given out or misused in any way.

10. Display testimonials from your existing clients prominently. Visitors like to know that they are not the first people to visit your website and that other have visited your website and made purchases before them.

About the author:

Manoj Mansukhani is the founder and CEO of Scarlet Technologies (http://www.scarlettech.com). They provide services to help business get setup and succeed online. Their services include increasing website conversion rates, online marketing, search engine optimization and web development. Visit the website or contact him to find out how you can succeed online.