7 октября 2019
The Internet is not a safe place. Many of us feel a sense of anxiety when looking for products online or making purchases, which is quite justified. There are numerous stories about credit card fraud and identity theft. All this makes life much more difficult for owners of online stores. Each of them has to put a lot of effort to create a resource that establishes trust of the audience.
1. Badges
If your company guarantees a refund in case of non-compliance with the expectations of the buyer, if your products are marked with prestigious awards and certificates, notify the audience of the website with a special badge. Create a gold or silver emblem and place information on it that would encourage visitors to make purchases. For example, on the product page you can post a badge indicating the warranty period of 1 year.
It is recommended to place such badges in the immediate vicinity of the "Purchase" button. The most preferred color of the badge is gold. Associations with precious metals help to build confidence in the website, signal the value and significance of the products offered.
If for one reason or another gold does not suit you, you can choose any other color. Just make sure that they contrast with the main palette of the website. The only color, which usability specialist strongly recommend to avoid, is red. This badge clearly attracts attention, but part of the audience subconsciously can perceive it as a "Stop" traffic light.
2. Customer logos
Nothing strengthens the trust of the audience as the company’s achievements and extensive record of accomplishment. If you already have a significant portfolio, it will be easy to win over a new consumer. Place the logos of satisfied customers, and none of the new visitors will doubt the experience and professionalism of the company.
If in the list of your customers there will be eminent persons and brands, you can count on additional effect. When business representatives see that you have helped successful and reputable companies a while back, they will turn to you in hope of the same result. What could be more tempting than to repeat the success of competitors or the strongest brands in the world!
Imitation of standards is not considered shameful. Business owners are closely watching the successful companies and adopt the best from their experience.
3. Payment systems’ logos
As mentioned above, people are afraid of becoming victims of credit card fraud or identity theft. Therefore, if you have an online store, calm potential buyers by placing PayPal logo, as well as logos of other payment systems. Emblems of reliable payment services are perceived by the audience as a guarantee of cash transactions safety.
Place the logos next to the "Purchase" button on the product card and on the checkout page. This measure will not only strengthen the trust of users, but also significantly reduce the number of "abandoned carts".
4. Comprehensive information about the company
The more facts and details on the "About" page you publish, the higher is the level of confidence in your website. By opening up to your target audience, you build a strong and lasting relationship with them. Try it - and you will see how many new visitors become your regular customers.
People buy from people, not from faceless companies. And many customers want to work exclusively with industry leaders. The About page is the perfect place to identify your business. Adding personal contacts will increase accessibility and reliability of the website in the eyes of the audience. It is also useful to place pictures of all your employees here and specify their positions and responsibilities. This will give potential customers an idea of whom exactly they will be dealing with.
5. Human faces
Continuing the idea that people prefer to cooperate with people rather than with abstract organizations, we note that in the online environment, those who are not afraid to show their face win. One of the fastest and most effective ways to earn the trust of the audience is to publish a picture of the CEO or any other responsible representative of the company. For visitors, it will be evidence that you vouch for the quality of the products or services offered, put your name down for every word written on the website. It is easier for users to believe brands if they know who is behind them.
Plus, with pictures of the chief executives, your website will become much more interesting and attractive. Just remember that the pictures should be professional, and the clothes of officials corresponding to their rank and position.
6. Social evidence
We encounter examples of so-called "social evidence" every day, but in most cases do not pay attention to it. Those who surf the Internet without specific purpose do not need social network blocks on your website. Nevertheless, they can be very useful to those who came to your website to make a purchase. If a person sees that a company has thousands of followers on social networks, he immediately dispels doubts about its reliability, honesty and experience. Brand of such authority and popularity among the audience certainly will not disappear the next day.
In addition, social evidence appeals to the human psyche. We don't want to miss information that tens of thousands of other people are interested in. Following the same logic, in social networks we follow companies that have more followers.
7. Reviews and recommendations
Documenting the high quality of your services is the most effective way to build a trusting relationship with the audience. If you have at least ten customers willing to provide thank you letters, do not miss the opportunity to publish them on the website.
People prefer conformity. Many of us are guided by the "me too" principle. Reviews are recommendations pages appeal to such people precisely. After reading what problems others have solved with your products or services, they will want to achieve the same result. When we see a familiar problem, we automatically identify with the one who faced it, and greedily search for the method of solving it. If there are enough examples of solving the most challenging issues on your website, sales of your company will grow significantly.
8. Useful information
Useful information should also be placed on the pages of your website if you want to gain user's trust, for example, expert advice or "How to..." instructions. Before buying anything, people search for valuable information about the product they are interested in, and your useful advice here can come in handy. Free tutorials, research articles, statistical reports, infographics that address key issues and problems of the industry – they all increase credibility of your company in the eyes of the target audience.
Users actively share useful links, spreading information about your business all over the Internet. Gradually, you gain the status of an expert in your industry. In the example below, we see a selection of tutorials that allow visitors to understand huge variety of Internet marketing aspects.
Using this method, you build long-term relationships with your audience and increase the level of loyalty. Visitors appreciate that you pay attention to them, sacrificing the principle of quick sales. They return to your website again and again in search of new information and eventually become customers of the company.
Conclusion
Building trust on the Internet is not so easy. Especially since you are limited in time. You have only a few seconds to convince the visitor of the reliability of the online store and the quality of the products and services offered. We hope that the above-mentioned usability tools will help you to catch and keep a potential client.
