9 Proven Ways to Build Trust and Credibility for Online Businesses

First things first. There’s no point in being honest and upfront if your website can get hacked at any minute. If you fail to secure your website, you put your customers’ data at risk – not to mention the financial implication to your business. In our report on data breach statistics we found that a data breach costs $210 on average!

A good place to start is to install an SSL certificate. Though there are also paid, more high-visibility SSL certificates, if money is really stretched, start by getting yourself a free SSL certificate from your web builder, web host, or Let’s Encrypt to encrypt data and keep your visitors’ info safe. 

Then make sure your visitors know they’re in safe hands by flaunting your trust badges and security seals. People put them in banners, pop-ups, in the footer, and above-the-fold.

And don’t forget to provide a clear privacy policy and terms of service, which you can whip up using your website builder.

You can also make your website’s login credentials strong and unique, and encourage your users to do the same for their accounts too. Regular website updates will always help get rid of bugs too.

Websites should always be as optimized as possible, so make sure you follow website navigation best practices and give your website a sleek design, just like Apple.

Customers love a good website that takes into consideration how easy it is to maneuver around and find what they’re looking for in as few clicks as possible.

Speed is another crucial factor. In our report on website load time statistics, we found that if your page doesn’t load in 4 seconds, 25% of your visitors are gone. You can check what needs to be done to speed up your site on Google PageSpeed Insights and make it super-fast for your visitors.

Lastly, make your interface user-friendly and intuitive. It helps to consider the type of websites that work best for most users, and don’t forget to make your website accessible to disabled users too.

A huge part of how to build trust on websites is showing that other customers have had a good experience with you already. And what better way to show this than via customer reviews?

There are many ways you can get your customers talking with reviews and testimonials – just make it easy for them to do it. The first step is to ask customers for reviews and then gather them off TrustPilot, Facebook, Yelp, etc., or use platforms like Yotpo to collect them for you.

Add testimonials to your website and display them loud and proud on your site (or at least make the link to them prominent, like Amazon uses them). Testimonials from customers make new users feel more confident that you aren’t scamming. They can also show how effective your service or product is. For example, if you’re creating a dating website, you’d want to add testimonials from happy couples who found connection using your site!

If you have really enthusiastic fans, why not ask them to consider making a little video that you can put up on your website and share on your social media as user-generated content?

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Customer reviews are a powerful form of social proof. Discover more Social Proof Examples in our full list!

Customers are more likely to trust you if other trustworthy groups trust you. So if you’ve worked with or work for reputable partners or clients, show them off with logos, the more recognizable the better. You can even go a little deeper – add each other’s links on link trees or collaborate on special projects.

Include press coverage, whether local or international, and share user-generated content and social media shout-outs.

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• Did you know that there are specific credibility factors – including real life reviews, awards, and third-party trust seals? We list 30 of these Website Credibility factors in our helpful guide!

Nobody likes hidden fees. So when you’re pricing your products, it’s best to be upfront and take care to avoid any surprise charges and hidden fees at any point during the buying process. For example, charging expensive shipping fees right at the end of checkout. The last thing you want is for your customers to feel tricked and leave – once your reputation is lost, it’s hard to get back.

And if you want to go above and beyond the call of duty, why not offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee? It really shows people that you believe in your own sauce.

We love an expert, and we definitely want them around when it’s decision time.

The thing is that quite a good chunk of us don’t think about the fact that we can be experts and thought leaders too! You can become the go-to source for info for your industry, product, or location, or whatever you want!

But you have to be perceived to be an expert too. Create killer blog content. Publish informative articles and guides, à la Moz. Get involved in industry events or conferences. Do guest appearances on podcasts.

To showcase even more of your expertise (and your products and services!) host interactive webinars or workshops. This allows you to personally build trust and credibility.

More Information

• Marketing for Doctors: Doctors need to generate a lot of credibility and trust online so it’s important to perfect your marketing strategy

No matter how well you run your business, things will go wrong – whether it’s a lost package or an item damaged in transit, you need great online customer service ready to go for when any issues arise.

Customers won’t trust you if it feels like you’re dodging their enquiries or complaints. So it’s good to make it as easy as possible for them to reach you using different channels including email, phone, social media, help centers (especially when you’re away) and platforms like Zendesk.

It’s also important to respond to questions as quickly as possible. A good FAQ section can help meet a few of those questions ahead of the pass, but you’ll still get specific queries so be prepared.

Some online businesses like to create videos that show how to use products or services, posting them on the website or on social media, like YouTube. When done right, these double as ads!

You can also offer personalized support through video calls or screen-sharing sessions. That helps you give a more human touch to your customer support.

This works on the same principles as the partner logos and SSL certifications. Trust seals and certifications just give that little bit more oomph to the trust factor.

Score some industry-specific trust seals, like BBB Accreditation, and display your certifications or memberships where they are easy to see. Landing pages are good, and you can also put seals in banners and social media bios.

And use verified payment gateways and security measures to show you’re the real deal. Well-known payment methods like PayPal build even more trust because of their familiarity and anti-fraud guarantees.

Don’t be shy about sharing any awards or recognitions your business has received. This can further boost your credibility and showcase your commitment to excellence in your industry.

Why slog it alone when an influencer marketing strategy can help you jump leaps and bounds ahead? When you collaborate with influencers in your industry, you’ll get your brand out there. Think about what kind of influencer will work best for you – there are different types, for example micro, macro, nano, and mega influencers!

Ensure their line of influence complements your business – if you sell spicy honey, there’s no point in hooking up with a sports car influencer.

Instead, find influencers whose audience links to your own. Casper mattresses did a multi-year campaign with influencer dogs to promote its dog bed launch, and it was so fun people only cared about seeing more.

Before you seek out endorsements from the pros, think about what’s in it for them. What do they have to gain by going with you?

To use influencers to drive sales, you need to build long-term relationships with them by engaging with and sharing their content. Please their audience – they might be your future customers.

So that’s it! Now you know how to build trust on websites with these nine strategies to help you get going.

Building trust on a website takes time and effort, but when you keep at it and start seeing the rewards, it makes all the difference.

By following these steps consistently, backed up by your authenticity, you’ll be well on your way to a more trustworthy website in no time. Keep pushing forward and refining your approach to stay ahead of the game!