So you’ve invested in an online presence. You’ve got your own domain name, right? You’ve got an attractive website?
Have you forgotten anything?
Here are 6 things we think every business website owner needs to do with their website to help bring it to the next level and make consumers comfortable doing business with you
- Add a cookie notice
- Publish a privacy policy
- Publish your terms & conditions
- Publish your company number and VAT number
- Provide your opening hours
- Publish your physical contact details
Under Irish and EU law you need to inform users of your website about cookies. Have a look at the presentation we did on this here.
These days consumers are very concerned about their privacy. You need to be clear about what you are going to do with any data that you collect from them. What are you doing with that data? How long are you going to hold onto it? Why do you need it? The Irish Data Protection Commissioner‘s site has a lot of information, guides and FAQs that can help you untangle some of the details. (And if you’re not based in Ireland check your local DPA)
Publishing your terms and conditions can help you set clear expectations. How do you handle orders? Do you have a refund policy? How long do orders take to process?
Even if you are a 100% online business people will want to contact your customer service team (even if that’s only you!) so let them know when they operate. How can people reach them? How long do is it normally take to respond? Again, this is all about setting expectations.
If you have a physical presence your opening hours are really important. And even if you’re 100% online letting people know when they’re likely to get answers to their queries can help improve the customer experience.
While we all love how easy it is to setup a business online, when people do business with someone for the first time you need to help win their confidence. Providing tangible and physical contact details goes a long way to help with this. (And in some countries it’s a legal requirement!)
PS: Remember to keep your website up to date!