The internet can be a confusing place, with tales of online scams and identity theft only making the experience a whole lot more troublesome. When parting with their hard earned cash, consumers want to be certain that these horror stories aren’t going to happen to them. The saying “never trust a book by its cover” is prevalent in many walks of life, however with online purchasing, this is not the case.  Does having well designed website mean having a fantastic product? Potential customers want to be confident that they’re in safe hands, and in order to convince them to make a purchase on your website, you have to develop their trust. Here’s some simple tips on how you can gain the trust of your website’s visitors, ultimately converting them into customers.

Security

One vital step in gaining online trust is expressing just how secure your website is:

Seal of Trust

In order to increase your credibility, gaining a certified seal of trust from companies such as Better Business Bureau or Trust Guard can go a long way. Acquiring an accredited company status may cost money, however investment is more often than not covered by increased conversion rates.  Once certified, displaying the icon on your website instantly demonstrates the steps you’ve taken in assuring your business is legitimate and trustworthy.

Privacy Policy

By providing a brief statement assuring customers that their private information (name, address, contact details, financial records etc) will not be disclosed in any way, shape or form, customers are provided with peace of mind that identity theft or fraud is not an issue. Having a privacy policies may be an obvious measure, but reminding potential customers could be the difference in confidence that can greatly increase conversion rates.

Money-Back Guarantee

If you’re confident enough in your product, a money-back guarantee is a no-brainer. With no risk involved, customers are more likely to complete a purchase, knowing that they will receive a full refund if they’re not satisfied. If you have one, make sure they know! Usually, a 30 day refund policy will suffice, giving the customer enough time to make a decision. Alternatively, the offer of a 1 Year Warranty can provide extra trustworthiness. This could be accompanied by a bold icon/sticker, typically in gold (emphasising value and wealth) next to the ‘Buy Now’ button.

Secure Checkout

Once you’ve convinced your visitors to make a purchase, they need to know that the transaction will be secure; is their money going where they think it is? By using a reliable and recognised payment vendor such as PayPal or Stripe, customers can be confident of this, inspiring their decision to part with their money. Why not include a PayPal logo to sweeten the deal? Placing this next to the ‘Buy Now’ button, as well as on the checkout page can greatly increase the likelihood of a sale due to elevated levels of trust.

Identity

Who are you? What do you do? Why should I buy from you? These are the questions potential customers want answers to, meaning that personal touch could make all the difference in gaining their trust. Here’s how to answer those questions:

‘About Us’ Page

Developing a rapport with a potential customer is crucial, and what better way than to let them know exactly what you’re about. This increases transparency and lets the viewer know what you can offer to them as well as how this will benefit them.  Giving your company an identity and personality can work wonders in developing a trusting relationship between company and consumer, persuading them to buy from you.

Photos and Characters

In order to further that personal touch, photos and characters can be introduced to the ‘About Us‘ page.  People want to know who they’re doing business with, and providing photos of you and your team can do exactly that. Offering an insight into each individual team member’s personality with a short bio and facial photo can really develop recognition and understanding of what the company’s really about. This page can be as quirky and playful as you like in order to make your company seem approachable and down to earth.

Contact Details

Including contact information such as email, telephone number and mailing address is a simple way of ensuring legitimacy, as well as providing a means of personal contact if a potential customer has any queries. To increase the depth of personal connection, individual employees email addresses, social media accounts etc can be used to funnel viewers to individuals who can help them most, as well as further developing the idea of you catering for their every need.

Useful Information

Providing your visitors with useful information within your field of expertise is a great way of building trust. Offering your knowledge, as well as an insight into your company’s background can really benefit users and increase the likelihood of them returning to your site, consequently increasing conversions in the process. Additionally, due to helping people and building a relationship with regular posts, people will increase their positive opinions of your company. Why not put together a blog, provide tips and tricks, or even useful and interesting facts in order to entice potential customers on a regular basis? This will expand their levels of trust and ultimately keep them hungry for more.

• Reputation

A company’s reputation is pivotal when influencing the opinion of a potential customer; people are much more trusting towards a company that is widely accepted as a reputable brand. Surely if others received a high quality service, then they’ll provide a similar quality of service for me too. So how do you convince your traffic that this is the case?

Testimonies/ Reviews

Testimonies from satisfied customers provides people with reassurance that they will receive the same excellent service, eradicating any lingering scepticism. Your website should provide quotes from fulfilled customers (individuals and companies) as well as photos, locations, who they are, and contact details in order to further sweeten the deal. This boosts trust due to the continued theme of personality and continued proof that your company is legitimate, and has the potential to benefit visitors who do make a purchase. In addition, a review section for customers to input their opinions of the service provided and overall satisfaction would go a long way towards gaining trust and ultimately sales.

In order to further the notion of your company solving the problems of likeminded individuals, logos of the companies you’ve worked with could be beneficial. Locating these alongside testimonies or on a landing page not only shows your experience and work history, but also highlights how highly you value your satisfied customers.

Social Media

Does your brand have a strong following on social media? If so, let people know! Numbers of followers, fans and subscribers can amplify your presence in the market, establishing authority and respectability. Those who have high numbers radiate experience and suggests that if so many people are showing support, there must be a good reason for it. Even if you have a relatively low number of followers, providing links to your social pages from your website can be a means of connecting to your audience. From social media, you can answer their queries as well as keep them in the loop with future updates, further reinforcing your rapport, increasing your reputation as well as overall trustworthiness.