8 Factors That Make Your Membership Site Trustworthy

Posted on 20. Aug, 2010 by Steve in Tips & Tricks

Believe it or not, there are a large number of seemingly unimportant factors that determine who trustworthy your membership site appears to the average viewer. Because you are asking them to sign up as a member for an extended period of time, they are going to need to trust you before they take their credit card out of their pocket. There are a number of tiny elements that, when pieced together, will make your entire offer look more legitimate. Here are a 8 easy ways to make your website appear more professional.

1. Have a Privacy Policy – Without a privacy policy, your potential members will not likely feel safe giving you their personal information. They want to be reassured that you are not going to sell their personal information, such as name, email address, or telephone number.
2. Give Them a Taste – There are a variety of ways that you give potential members an idea of what you have to offer. You can have links to sample content, offer a free trial, or even create a restricted free membership. All of these things help your potential member feel like they have a better idea of what you are offering.
3. FAQ – Without a FAQ section, people will not hesitate to leave your website. They not only want answers to their questions, but also want to see that you are listening to your current members and responding to their questions.
4. A Guarantee – Without a guarantee, it is much more difficult to attract new members. If someone said to you, “I will give you X, Y, and Z for $20”, but don’t actually let you see X, Y, and Z, how likely are you to make the purchase. Even drug dealers let the buyers see the product first.
5. SSL – Most internet users know that when you process their payment, it needs to be on an encrypted connection. Without an SSL, almost no one will actually give you their financial information.
6. About Us – Let them know who you are. This not only helps build your credibility as a source, but it also let’s them know you on a more personal level. People like to know that they are dealing with a person and not a faceless company.
7. Contact Us – You need to make it as easy as possible for potential members to ask you questions. By having a direct link to a contact form, you are making it as easy as possible (but you do have to respond to them in a timely manner).
8. Looking Current – It is important to update the way that your website looks, especially your sales page. If it “feels” old, then potential members will likely assume that you are providing old information and they will go elsewhere.

There are a lot of little things that you can do to build a relationship with your potential customers. Before they will pay for a membership, they are going to need to trust you, which means that you need to appear trustworthy. The best way to do that is to make it evident that you are keeping their best interests and needs in mind throughout their entire experience.