Website trust signals: why and how to use them.

Trust signals can make all the difference to your website — and your business. According to HubSpot research:

• 66% of customers said social proof increased their likelihood of purchasing a product
• 82% of customers said positive star ratings and reviews make them more likely to buy
• 76% of customers are more likely to buy when they see a safe checkout badge

These trust signals — and others like them — encourage website users to click and buy. They reduce your bounce rate and improve your website conversion rate. That’s why the best home pages, product pages and e-commerce checkout pages include lots of them.

Here, we take a closer look at trust signals — what they are and why they’re so effective at getting website users to believe in your brand. We also share 14 different trust signals that you can use on your website.

We’ll be covering:

• What are website trust signals?
• Why are website trust signals important?
• What makes trust signals so effective?
• 14 trust signals to use on your website
• Building trust with a professional website

What are website trust signals?

Website trust signals are website elements — like client logos, customer reviews and security badges — that improve your company’s credibility in the eyes of site users.

These trust signals show a website user that your company is trustworthy. They indicate that your products or services are genuine and that any transactions will be secure.

Some trust signals incorporate social proof. These trust signals are created with the help of real-life customers, experts and third-party companies.

You can also create trust signals yourself, by offering product guarantees and by providing transparent brand and product information.

Why are website trust signals important?

Nearly 43 million UK adult internet users have experienced scams online. So website users are understandably wary when viewing a new website.

Trust signals reassure website visitors that you’re not trying to steal their money or data. They show website users that someone — other than you — thinks your company is reliable and trustworthy. They also demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.

Using trust signals is important because, when buyers trust your brand and website you can count on:

• Improved reputation. Customers are more likely to recommend a trustworthy site.
• Brand loyalty. When customers get a reassuring experience on your site, they’re more likely to shop with you again.
• Improved conversion rates. By putting trust signals on your home page, product pages and checkout pages you turn more browsers into buyers.
• SEO benefits. Trusting customers spend more time on your site. This — along with good website security — improves your website’s search engine ranking.

What makes trust signals so effective?

Trust signals are effective because they’re reassuring. They provide guidance when shoppers are unsure. They help logical decision-makers judge your reliability.

Some trust signals also tap into human psychology. The fact is, we instinctively look to the people around us to judge whether we’re making good decisions.

A psychologist called Solomon Asch did a lot of research into this type of herd mentality. You can read about some of his experiments here. He found that people would ignore logic — and the facts right in front of them — in order to conform to what other people were doing.

When we apply this psychology to marketing and web design, it’s clear that showcasing the opinions and behaviours of other people can have a powerful effect on a potential customer.

By using trust signals, particularly social proof, you create a subconscious and emotional response in website visitors. Without relying particularly on rationale, they feel reassured that shopping with you is a good decision because their peers are doing it, too.

14 trust signals to use on your website

Now we know how useful trust signals are — and how they can improve website conversions — here are some trust signals to add to your website.

Testimonials

Testimonials show website users that other people rate your product or service highly. You can use testimonials from past customers. You can also use quotes from industry experts.

These quotes and snippets summarise your offering in non-salesy, down-to-earth language, making them really relatable to prospective customers.

But bear in mind that website users are always suspicious. They can’t be 100% sure that the testimonials on your site come from real customers and industry experts. So prove it to them.

Increase the trustworthiness of your testimonials by including a photograph of the customer or expert. In the case of B2B clients and industry experts, you can also include a link to their business or personal branding website.

Customer reviews

Testimonials are great. But customers know that these comments have been cherry-picked to reflect well on your brand. So it’s a good idea to include a less curated selection of reviews, too.

These can come from third-party sites — like Google or TrustPilot — where you don’t have control over the reviews shown. Get reviews for individual products and for your company as a whole. Then, showcase reviews and ratings on your home page and product pages, too.

Case studies

Case studies are one of the best website trust signals for B2B companies. They show prospective customers that you’ve achieved top results for brands like them.

Great case studies tell a story. They start with background on your client and the problems they were facing. They then introduce the solution you provided and the benefits you achieved for them.

Where possible, include a client quote in your case studies. Also, get specific with statistics. If you can say (truthfully) that you grew a client’s revenue by x% or helped them cut costs by x%, this is another reassuring sign for prospective clients.

Contact details

The next trust signal on our list is really easy to achieve. You don’t need to encourage customer reviews — or start overhauling your website.

All you need to do is add contact details — an email address or a telephone number — to your site. When users have an easy way to contact you, they’re more likely to buy from you.

That’s because they trust they can get in touch with you if they have a problem with your product or service. This helps prove that your product or service offering isn’t a scam.

Guarantees

Guarantees are useful for building customer trust, particularly if you’re selling high-cost items. Here are a couple of real-world examples:

• Simba — a company that sells mattresses — offers a 200-night trial with free and easy returns if a customer isn’t happy with their mattress during that time
• Outdoor clothing retailer, Berghaus, offers a free repair service
• Mobile network, Three, promises to beat competitor prices on its business contracts

Guarantees like these show how much you believe in the quality of your product or service. They also demonstrate how much you care about customer satisfaction.

Info on how other people are shopping

As we mentioned above, the behaviour of people around us influences what we do. So, if you’re an e-commerce company, you can use this social pressure when customers are shopping.

On product pages, tell users how many other shoppers have this particular product in their cart. Or how many people have bought this product in the past 24 hours. Or how many have recently viewed it.

This social proof nudges customers to put a product in their basket because other people are doing it, too.

Delivery and returns information

On an e-commerce website, delivery and return information is another important trust signal. It reassures customers that they’re going to receive their chosen product quickly — and that they’ll find it easy to get their money back if they want to return it.

So be sure to present this information clearly. You could:

• include links to delivery and returns information in your website footer
• provide a summary of delivery and returns info on your product pages
• provide detailed information about delivery and returns during checkout

Client logos

Worked with some big-name brands? Then ask their permission before showcasing their logos on your website. When potential customers see that impressive organisations have chosen to work with you, they’re more likely to do the same.

User-generated content

User-generated content (UGC) is social media content created by your customers. If you encourage users to post using a company hashtag, you can collect UGC and feature it on your website.

This can be particularly useful for e-commerce companies. Use UGC to show how real-life customers are using and styling your products and you’ll find it easier to convert other shoppers.

Influencer and celebrity endorsements

You can increase social proof for your brand by getting someone with a sizeable online following to promote your product on their social media channels. You can also use influencer quotes or content on your website as additional social proof.

Media mentions

If well-known publications have written positively about your brand, tell customers about it on your website. Just as you showcase client logos, include a section on your landing page titled “As featured in”. Then include the logos of the media outlets who mentioned you, along with a short snippet of what they said.

Social media presence

Your social media profiles give potential customers a better sense of who you are as a brand. So include links to your company’s social media profiles on your website.

Also, make sure that your profiles are up to date. If a user goes onto your socials to find that you haven’t posted in months or don’t respond to customers quickly, they may doubt your reliability.

Security badges

When you have an SSL certificate for your website, a little padlock appears at the top of the browser, by your URL. Your web address also begins with HTTPS — not HTTP. This indicates to website users that your site is secure.

If you’re taking payment on your website, security badges on your checkout page reassure users, too. Add badges from your payment provider or gateway to show that a reliable organisation is processing the payment.

Accreditations and awards

Recognition from a third-party organisation is another type of trust signal. It shows users that your brand meets independently established criteria — or (at least) that you care enough about your business to invest in professional memberships.

If you pride yourself on ethical and sustainable practices, you might like to get B Corp certification. Software companies often display awards and badges from respected tech reviewers, like G2 and Capterra. If you have any accreditation or award within your industry, download the badge and add it to your website.

Building trust with a professional website

There are lots of trust signals you can add to your website. But there’s another big factor to consider. Trust signals are unlikely to be effective if you don’t have a professional website to put them on.

75% of people judge a company’s credibility by its web design. So you need to ensure you’re ticking the following boxes, too.

Professional design. Trustworthy websites aren’t cluttered or confusing. They take a minimal approach, using lots of empty space and easy-to-read typography so users can easily find the information they’re looking for.

Professional imagery and text. The best websites have professional photographs and professionally written copy. Domain names avoid numbers and punctuation so they don’t look spammy.

On-brand design. A website is more trustworthy when it reflects your branding. So the best websites are bespoke — they don’t follow the same drag-and-drop template as other sites.

Regular updates. Trustworthy sites are frequently updated with new content so they don’t look out of date. Web design is also refreshed regularly to keep pace with changing web trends.

Easy functionality. A good website works perfectly. It combines top user experience and responsive design to create a fast, user-friendly website that works well across all devices.

In summary

You can use trust signals across all customer touchpoints. You can use them in adverts and emails. You can also use them across your website, on the homepage, product page and checkout pages.

Professional web design, along with a variety of different trust signals, helps reassure website users. It makes them more likely to browse your website — and more likely to do business with you.

Here at Radical, we help businesses improve their online presence, making their websites more professional, responsive, user-friendly and trustworthy.

If you want to update your website or add some trust signals, get in touch with the Radical team to chat about your project.