One of the most important things for businesses to acquire is trust. Without trust, it will be impossible to create connections with your audience and within your industry, which in turn prevents the growth of your brand.

The same rules apply to websites as trust is required to ensure growth and to draw people to your content, compared to anything else they can find online.

Trust signals are a way of showcasing your good reputation and reliability to website visitors, and there are many ways these can be used across your brand. It is not enough to simply have good quality content online these days, as you also need other people to vouch for you.

This is the purpose of trust signals, and there are many forms you can use on your platforms.

A trust signal can be the most important element of a site for prospective customers as it shows that they can rely on your brand.

With trust signals, customers feel as though they are secure on your site and are, therefore, more likely to use your content or pay for services. All forms of websites can benefit from trust signals, especially an ecommerce site where customer trust is essential in making money.

There are many risks online these days, and you can ensure that you are providing a positive experience for online shoppers by building trust.

In this guide, we are sharing everything you need to know about trust signals, how they work, and what they can do for your site.

What Are Trust Signals?

Trust signals are elements that are displayed on your website and show visitors that this is a trustworthy and secure site to use.

There are many forms of trust signals that you can use on your site to ensure consumers that they are on a safe platform and one that they can trust. 

There are a lot of risks that come with shopping online these days in terms of security and privacy, and companies need to showcase their reliance if they want to draw in people to their business.

It is important to remember that a customer has a lot of prospects when it comes to shopping online, as there is a lot of competition. 

To ensure you are attracting customers and making money, you need to showcase credibility and build trust with your audience so they are more likely to complete their online purchase with you rather than a competitive company.

Trust is essential to every stage in the customer journey, and trust signals, such as trust badges and trust elements on your site pages, are a great way to showcase your credibility at all times.

Types Of Trust Signals

Many forms of trust signals and elements are used to show reliability to your customers.

These are third-party recommendations and verifications that indicate to customers that your site is safe and worth purchasing from.

To build trust with your customer base and show a professional image, you can use multiple forms of trust signals across your site. Trust signals are often badges and images connecting to trust sources that appear on your web pages and social media channels to show that you are a reliable resource that creates a safe environment for customers.

Trust signals can take on any form, with some of the best options being:

Better Business Bureau Badge

Having badges or seals from the BBB is one of the oldest forms of trust signals and continues to be a great way to showcase security online.

For decades, companies have been using the BBB as a symbol of trust and to showcase to customers that they are a reputable brand to rely on.

Having this recognizable logo on your site is a great example of trust signals, as it shows that your company is verified and being overseen by a higher, reputable service.

Industry Association Logos

Similarly, having union or relevant authority badges on your site is a great way to showcase your reliance within your specific niche.

There are ways that you can connect with other leading sites in your industry, as well as third-party verification processes that allow consumers to see that you are a trustworthy source.

SSL Certificate

This is essential for ecommerce platforms and social media links within ecommerce.

An SSL certificate is a way to show visitors to your site that your site is verified and will protect their credit card information during the purchasing process. There is a complete verification process that is required to have the secure socket layer badge on your site, which relates to data protection.

Having these trust signals on your site shows customers that there is no risk when making a purchase on your platform, as their financial data is protected.

Any professional ecommerce platform will have an SSL certificate to keep users’ information safe and reduce the risk of issues such as identity theft, which is common when purchasing online.

Testimonials

Testimonials are a common form of trust signal that is used on all kinds of websites and social media platforms.

These are a form of social proof trust signals where customers will leave reviews following their experience with your company, giving other prospective customers an idea of what to expect from your brand.

These trust signals work as a vote of confidence as long as you are generating good reviews and can give customers an idea of what to expect from your brand.

While customer testimonials are the most popular type of trust signal, testimonials can also come from clients and employees based on the kind of business you are running. Just as consumers can learn more about your brand from testimonials, employees or clients can get greater insight into your brand and see what to expect ahead of time.

Online Reviews

While these are similar to testimonials in the sense they operate the same way for social proof, reviews can appear on your website as well as other platforms.

These can be incredibly beneficial for your business and are a great persuasive tool for potential customers. Every customer who leaves a positive review for your business or service is contributing to the trust of your brand and offering great insight to prospects ahead of time.

Brands should make it easy for customers to contact them regarding their experiences to encourage more reviews. This can apply to both your main website as well as social media channels, where prospects will want to learn more about your business and what they can expect.

Social Media Links

Having badges for your social channels is more than a marketing tool for your company, as these can also be trust badges.

You want to encourage customers to follow your brand on your social media profiles, as this can create a lasting relationship as well as increase trust.

Brands that showcase their social media are being transparent by making it easier for any customer to contact them and learn more about the business. This is useful for all kinds of companies, but especially if you are running a new site where you need to give prospects confidence regarding your reputation and just what you stand for.

Social media is one of the best providers of social proof in the digital age and, therefore, should not be ignored as a trust signal on your website.

What Is The Point Of Trust Signals?

While other elements of your website need to be worked on to provide a good experience for users, the importance of trust signals cannot be ignored.

Trust signals work in any industry as they show the reliability of a company to its customer base.

As we have explored, there are multiple types of trust signals that you can use across your site based on the content, for example, an SSL certificate for product pages or the BBB badge on your homepage.

No matter what trust signal you use, the whole point of this process is to create a good relationship between brands and customers. A trust signal works to show:

Data Protection For Customers

Many risks come with online shopping these days, and you want to show your customers that you are a safe option for them. 

To show that it is safe to make a purchase, trust signals like the SSL badge, for example, should be used to show that credit card information is protected.

While this kind of trust signal is essential for ecommerce platforms, any of the trust elements we have mentioned can be used to show customers they are safe when using your website – even if they are not buying anything.

Marketing Tool For Brands

Trust signals like reviews can be a good marketing tool that appears on your website or social media links.

These are written by other clients of your brand that will outline their experience with your company and hopefully highlight the great things you did for them. It is always a good idea to use positive reviews as an example of your work, highlighting the quality of your service or products by relying on past experiences.

These trust signals are used between customers to help them identify the best options within a specific industry that can offer great service and are safe for them.

Increased Customer Conversion Rates

The impact trust signals can have on customer conversion rates cannot be ignored and may be the next step for your business in terms of increasing revenue.

While your website may be attracting a lot of visitors, to make sales, you need to be able to convert these into paying customers. Showcasing your good reputation and security through trust elements can be the final push required to make people move through the sales funnel.

Trust signals show that there is less risk to purchase from your company compared to others within your industry, and this may be the last push required for people to make a purchase.

An SSL certificate is perhaps the best example of this benefit because it shows visitors that your site is secure and their payment information will be safe, which will encourage them to complete the sale with you rather than others in your niche.

How To Use Trust Signals Efficiently

Trust signals are a great tool for businesses that want to improve their relationship with their customer base and bring in more revenue.

However, as with all kinds of marketing tools, it is important to exercise moderation for the best results.

Trust signals can be overused and may have the opposite effect of building trust when they are used this way. Having too many logos or badges on your website does not look good, which in turn can impact the view customers get of your brand and the reputation they assume your brand has.

While it may be tempting to use all the trust signals on your site, make sure to exercise caution and rely on the most relevant ones for your brand. If you do want to use multiple trust elements, like badges, then work on the theme of your site to ensure they fit in well.

You do not want your trust signals to impact your content and the overall appearance of your site. After all, your site is the first impression most customers will get of your company, so you want to make it a good one, which is why moderation is key in trust signals.

Summary

Attracting people to your site is one thing, but ensuring they stay and spend money within your business is another, and this requires brands to build trust.

Trust signals are a way of showcasing your good reputation and the security of your platform online. There are many forms of trust signals that you can use on your site to develop a good impression on your audience based on your niche and industry.

Services can be used to generate trust signals for your site, as well as create a good layout for these symbols to be showcased to your audience.

If you want to attract more customers to your brand and stand out within your niche, trust signals are the way forward. They will make people feel safe on your site, which in turn leads them to be more likely to complete the sales process and bring in revenue.