If you fail to deal with anxiety on your site, you’ll leave money on the table. A recent Web Marketing Today article provides tips on how you can establish credibility and remove fears.

“Anxiety is one of the largest reasons why people fail to convert. As you start to reduce anxiety on your site, sales will increase.” What reduces anxiety?

• A professional site and user experience. Clear messages, using navigation categories people expect, where they expect them, at the same time complying with usability guidelines and web conventions.
• A clear privacy policy statement which outlines in simple terms how information will be used.
• Logos and links that demonstrate your adherence to industry, security, business and privacy standards.
• Timely and relevant testimonials calm fears about unknown products and companies.
  Free trials, clear guarantees/warranties and return policies.
• Support tools which make buying easy, accessibility to policies, and kind error messages.
• Claims that are substantiated.
• Full information disclosure. If it breaks up the sales path, hyperlink out to pages with more detailed information.
• Contact information with names, phone numbers, and hopefully photos
  Delivery and availability information for products. Provide sample newsletters, delivery schedule and “what will happen next” statements as well as simple and clear policy statements on how information will be used.

The following specifics are also anxiety increasers:

• No “contact us” link on the home page.
• Unexpected redirects to sites outside of the initial domain.
• Poor spelling, grammar, information hierarchy, usability.
• Lengthy, complex forms asking for unnecessary information.
• Lack of a secure transaction server.
• Omitted information that is essential to product selection.
• Shipping price policies that seem hidden or deceptive.

Author Todd Follansbee is Web Marketing Today’s Usability and Conversion Optimization columnist. He’s the founder of WebMarketingResources.net and brings a focus on psychographic marketing, scientific usability testing, and a Persuasion Architecture approach to sales conversion. He lives aboard his 44-foot ketch 4 Bells in New Haven, Connecticut.

Source: Todd Follansbee. “Reduce Customer Anxiety to Increase Sales Conversions,” Web Marketing Today 03/19/07.

Related Post: “Eight Ways to Cut Customer Anxiety,” EBT Blog 03/11/07.

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