Step by Step Guide to SEO , Checklist # 6

Checklist Point #6 – Would you trust the site?

 This section looks at the trust levels for your website. We’ve already discussed some of the things that can help people trust your website, but let’s look at a more comprehensive list. People like to deal with real people. When they arrive at your site, do they know who they are dealing with? 

About Us Page 

Every website should have an About Us page and those that do, often find it’s one of the most visited pages on the site. The About Us page is something that many of us skip over and ignore, but really, it does help build trust when people can find out more about you and your site. 

Comments enabled

We’ve already talked about comments earlier in this book. Make sure you have a comment system installed on your site so that visitors can leave feedback. 

Does the site pretend to be a merchant? This specifically refers to affiliate sites who send traffic to a merchant site in return for making commissions on any sale. 

Is the Site/Webmaster a Recognized authority? Being an authority basically means you are recognized as someone to

trust in your niche. It’s something you can achieve relatively easily if you do one thing: BE EVERYWHERE! 

Other reasons people don’t trust your website? 

• No Contact page. 

• No privacy page.

• No business address or phone number clearly displayed.

 • Doesn’t seem to have been updated in years. 

• No testimonials. 

• Copyright notice on the website is out of date. 

• Lack of “trust symbols”, e.g. Better Business Bureau, VeriSign, McAfee, TRUSTe, etc. 

• Web pages with typos, spelling mistakes or grammatical errors. 

• Lack of response from YOU when comments/questions that are

posted. 

• Bad reviews. 

• Poorly targeted emails and difficulty unsubscribing from your newsletter.

Trust Checklist 

• Does the site have a photo of the webmaster/author of the content? 

• Does your site have an About Us page? 

• Are Comments enabled? 

• Does your site pretend to be a merchant? 

• Is the author of your site a recognized authority in the niche/industry? 

• Are you using a Gravatar set up on the email address you use for your site?

• Is your business address displayed on the site, preferably with a phone number? 

• When was the last time your site was updated? 

• If appropriate, are there testimonials and are they up to date? 

• Is the copyright notice on your website the correct year? 

• Do you display any trust symbols (if appropriate) 

• Check all content for spellings and grammatical errors. Check your navigation systems for these errors as well. 

• Are there unanswered comments on your site?

(article is taken from SEO checklist from ANDY Williams)