Have you ever been on a website that immediately made you wonder, “Is this site legit?”
With no lack of Internet privacy scandals, data breaches, and cyber security disasters plaguing headlines, everyone from regular online shoppers to casual surfers are more than a little skittish when it comes to online security.
Because your visitors have trust issues and scare easily, they won’t hesitate to make a snap judgment on whether or not your website is trustworthy. This is why you need to prove to your visitors that you’re trustworthy the second they enter your website by sending trust signals.
It’s time to show potential customers you’re a legit business. Here are seven ways to flash the all-important trust signals on your website:
1. Put it Under Lock and Keywords
When you’ve taken the necessary precautions to secure your website, visual clues like a padlock to the left of the URL lets visitors know you have an SSL certificate while a secure badge pinned to your shopping cart and checkout page show your payment system is secure. Keywords like ‘safe,’ ‘secure,’ and ‘protected’ also send trust signals and give visitors that extra peace of mind.
2. Flaunt Your Street Cred
Build trust with your website’s visitors by showcasing your business’s accolades, awards, and accreditations through professional associations, such as the Better Business Bureau or any industry-specific associations within your trade. These credible and trustworthy third parties will add a little muscle to your credibility and trustworthiness.
3. Flaunt the Fine Print
Potential customers will find it incredibly shady if they’re not able to find the information they need about your warranty, guarantee, return policy, or privacy policy. Not only do you need to have crystal clear information about your policies, it also needs to be clearly visible and easy to find. Dedicate a whole page to this info if needed and/or include it in the footer of your site.
4. Be Accessible
As a business owner, you need to appear to be 100% available to your customers to garner trust. This is achieved on your contact page, which should have a standard contact form as well as an email address that matches your domain name, phone number, and physical address. It can also be displayed in the footer of your website so it can be found on every page.
5. Be Social
Social media is not just another way to try to sell to your customers. It is a way to connect with them and to build trust and loyalty. Having an active social media presence is crucial. If you are not active on social media for months or thereabout, you risk being classified as inactive, which will definitely mean losing some of that hard-earned trust you might have built already.
6. Prove You Have Real Customers
Reading real customer’s real experiences with your company via testimonials helps convince potential customers to do business with you. Testimonials are great, but everyone knows you’re not going to throw in a negative testimonial just to mix it up. This is why reviews are important too. Reviews on relevant websites, such as Facebook and Yelp are an instant way to win trust.
7. Prove You Are Real
While you need to make sure your other trust signals are in place, you can’t forget the human element. The about page is a great place to do this and your opportunity to bring a face to the business with professional photos and short bios. A blog is another great way to humanize your business while boosting your overall credibility and showcasing your expertise in your field.
Even though your website is legit and you know it, you need to prove it to your customers. If you can’t establish trust in seconds, you might be handing sales to competitors that are already doing these things.
Having a professionally designed website is biggest, brightest trust signal you can send. It’s the trust signal that houses all the other trust signals and the best way to guarantee you will pass the trust test when someone visits your website. If you have any questions about how to demonstrate trust on your website, contact Net Designs today! We will make sure your trusty website is pulling out all the stops to assure your visitors they are safe!
Author: Kendall Dick, Net Designs Blogger
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