While the title of the article references making your website “appear” more trustworthy, by no means is this to be taken in the context that a website should merely seem trustworthy regardless of how trustworthy it actually is. It’s really the contrary. However, many of the measures you take as a business owner or web developer to ensure your site is safe and secure for your visitors aren’t actually seen by users. Despite this, visitors still need to feel like they can trust your site by seeing or experiencing elements that elicit trust. This is what is meant by making your website “appear” more trustworthy-simply making the trustworthiness of your website more visually apparent to your visitors.
Having a solid company reputation and practicing trustworthy business dealings will both help to increase the amount of trust people have for your business. But when it comes to your website, you have to show visitors that you can be trusted. To help you know some effective ways to accomplish this, here are three tips for making your site appear more trustworthy to your visitors.
Spend Time On Your Design
The design of your website can say a lot to visitors about the type of business you’re running. If you haven’t taken the time to create a website that makes your users feel secure, you can bet that you’ll have a harder time having online success.
According to Tara Horner of SEONick.net, how your website looks can go a long way toward building trust. Horner states that a website that is well trusted by its visitors will likely follow modern design trends and have a classic design that doesn’t look outdated or unprofessional. Frequent updates to your website, either by adding information or including an active social media feed, can also help users feel more trust because you are showing that you’re a legitimate business that is doing current work on your site.
Showcase Your Relevant Trust Badges
Even if you are using the best practices for online security of your visitor’s information by requiring strong passwords or verification processes, having additional representation of your security or trust measures can only help. One easy way to do this is to showcase badges your company actively uses to ensure the safety, security and satisfaction of your customers. Especially for ecommerce business, relevant trust badges displayed on your website can result in a huge conversion boost.
Some of the best trust badges to include on your site, according to Andy Hagan, a contributor to MonetizePros.com, are Symantec, Comodo, GoDaddy and TRUSTe. Because these institutions are well respected, their trustworthiness will rub off on you when associated with your company. You can also create your own trust badges showcasing specific value propositions to this same effect.
Use the Right Testimonials
Testimonials are a great way to show your potential customers that others who have worked with you had a satisfactory experience. However, it can at times be difficult to know which type testimonials to use that will most effectively build trust.
Neil Patel, a digital marketing guru, explains in an article for Forbes.com that there are six things testimonials should have if you want to include them in the trust-building aspect of your website. These characteristics include product- or service-specific features, relevance, indirect praise, images and more. Also, these testimonials have to be believable to your visitors, otherwise their for naught, so make sure the testimonial was written for the right reason and by a reliable client or customer.
If you’re running a reputable and respected business, it’s vital that your online presence reflects that in order for you to have the most success with Internet users. Use the tips mentioned above to bring an added measure of trustworthiness to the appearance of your website and see just how much more success you’re able to achieve.