7 Ways to Build a More Trustworthy Website
Every business should want their website to establish trust with their customers because people don’t buy from businesses they don’t trust.
The truth of the matter is, the most beautiful site design, clear call-to-action buttons, and a site that loads quickly will not convert someone to be a paying customer like the power of showing you’re a trusted business. If people have any doubt that your business is trustworthy based on what they see (or don’t see) on your website, then they’ll quickly click away, and you won’t be seeing them again.
People buy from businesses they trust.
Your website is one of, if not THE most important place to show your customers that (1) you are an expert in your industry, and (2) they can confidently purchase what you’re offering.
That’s why it’s absolutely essential that your website shows and builds trust in your brand.
So, how exactly do you do that?
Keep reading to learn about seven changes you can make right away to have a more trustworthy website and boost your sales. 👇
1. Showcase reviews from happy customers.
People need to know that other people have had good experiences with what you’re selling.
If you don’t have many reviews yet, no worries. Use what you have and grab our free guide to getting great Google reviews. It even includes email and text templates to send to your previous customers to ask for them!
There are two main ways you can do this.
1. Hand-pick testimonials to add to your website.
We like this option because you can choose your best, most informative reviews to add to your website, plus you can control the design of how this looks on your website much more.
🔥 Pro Tip: Request photos of clients and customers who’ve left you glowing reviews and include their photo alongside their testimonial on your website. People love to see the faces of real people, just like them, who happily purchased your services.
Consider value propositions (aka: benefits of your product or service) that are most important to your customers, and choose reviews that highlight those qualities.
For example, if you own a roofing company, you know that reliability, price transparency, and quality of workmanship are of the utmost importance to your customers. People may have been burned by companies in the past that didn’t provide these things, so they want to know that your company is different. Look for reviews that not only praise your business broadly, but also ones that highlight specific details you know your ideal clients value – how reliable and timely your crew was, how accurate your estimate was, and how high-quality their new roof is.
Here’s an example from our website:
2. Use a plugin to display your Google reviews on your website.
If you have several great Google reviews, displaying them straight from Google can add an extra layer of credibility. With a plugin like this one from Elfsight, you can pull reviews from your Google Business profile and display them on your website. You have less flexibility with integrating this into the design and style of your website, yet for some brands this is a great solution.
2. Add an “As Seen In” or “Press & Publications” section.
If you’ve been featured in well-known publications or on popular websites, show that off on your website!
This can be a simple section with a headline that says – “Featured On” or “As Seen In” – and the logos of the publications linked to the online article or post where your business was featured.
🔥 Pro Tip: Don’t forget to set the link to open in a new tab so you don’t drive traffic off of your website.
Your homepage and your about page are great spots for this section.
Here’s an example from a website we made for Emily Rubenstein Law, which continuously scrolls through numerous logos where her firm has been featured:
Here’s an example from a website we made for Hoopla! For Business (new website launching soon!), which also continuously scrolls through various logos where they’ve been featured:
3. Add logos of clients you’ve worked with.
Show logos of the reputable, trustworthy brands you’ve worked with. Potential customers want to see and know that other businesses and people, like themselves, have trusted your business and purchased your products and services.
Here’s an example of how we’ve done this on our own website:
We’ve worked with a lot of small businesses, and that’s a point of credibility for us. So, on our homepage, we include a few of the clients who have hired and trusted us – specifically brands that are recognizable in Oceanside and the San Diego area – and ones that show the variety of industries we work with. Then we added a button that links to an entire page of logos that showcases many of the clients we’ve worked with over the years so potential customers can see the breadth of clientele who have trusted us with their business strategy, marketing, and finance needs.
4. Show off your most impressive business stats.
When we’re working with a client on a new website project, we always ask them a series of questions to gather any helpful data and stats that potential customers might find impressive. We then take these stats and show them off on the website to build trust and show credibilty.
Example from a website we made for Conicella Group, a residential construction company in Pennsylvania:
Example from our website on our About page:
Here are some examples of what we ask our clients for:
The number of years you’ve been in business
The number of years of experience you have in your industry (or the years of experience of your team members combined)
The number of people/clients you’ve helped
The number of products you’ve sold
The number of people who have taken your course
The number of team members you have
The number of 5-star reviews you have on Google, Yelp, etc.
The amount of money you’ve helped people save
Use this list to help spur ideas for your own stats and data section on your website.
If your business is on the newer side, and you don’t feel like your stats are impressive enough, don’t worry! You can use our other tips for building trust on your site until you’re ready to show off some of your stats. 😉 Yet, you’d be surprised how creative we are at pulling out some compelling stats to use for just about any business! So if you’re stuck, ask us.
5. Talk about and show your credentials, honors, and awards.
If you’ve got a PhD or special certification in your field, mention that on your website. If you were named one of the best divorce lawyers in your area, talk about it. If you’ve been voted a top wedding venue by brides in your state, proudly display that award.
Trust us, people care about these things! Simply displaying these awards, honors, certifications, and any applicable memberships on your website give you authority as a brand, allowing you to position your business as a trustworthy guide to your customers.
There are a variety of ways you can incorporate this information. Sometimes it’s by writing it in a headline on your website. Sometimes you can use graphic logos, awards, or badges to a section dedicated to this on your homepage, applicable services page, or even add to your website footer.
Here’s an example from the website we made for Legacy Hill Farm, a wedding and event venue in Minnesota:
Here’s an example from the website we made for Grunt Works Construction, a construction and handyman company in Oceanside, CA:
Here’s an example from the homepage of our website:
6. Create content that establishes your brand as a thought leader in your industry.
You don’t need 20+ years of experience under your belt or a portfolio of big-name clients to demonstrate authority. You can start using your website to build trust immediately by creating and publishing content that establishes you as a person that knows a whole lot about what you do.
Whether it’s a blog, YouTube videos, or podcast, pick the content strategy that appeals to you and go for it!
🔥Pro Tip: Be sure to transcribe your videos and podcasts so you can repurpose them as blogs to get the most out of your content (and get the SEO benefit)!
As you know (since you’re reading this), we have a blog that has become an incredible library of information for our clients, as well as a great way to show potential clients we’re trustworthy and know what we’re doing. 🤙
If you’re wondering if blogging is really that helpful or necessary, read why your website needs a blog and how to get started with a solid content strategy.
Bottom Line: Share what you know!
7. Show your face on your website.
You might feel like it’s not necessary to post your photo on your website, but the reality is people want to know that there’s a real human (or humans) behind your brand. Showing your face on your website goes a long way when it comes to building trust with your customers.
You can display your headshot on your homepage and/or your about page along with a bit of information about yourself, show your team members and names, or even better – film a video of yourself talking about what you do and how you make your customer’s lives better (aka: the problem you solve for people).
🔥Pro Tip: For more best practices for photos and videos on your website, read The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Images for Your Website, and you may also like to read about how to create a better about page using the StoryBrand Framework.
Trust is Key to a High-Converting Website
If your website isn’t positioning your brand as an authority, this is your sign to implement some of the above tips right away.
Do your best to integrate as many of the action items on this list as you can, but remember, even if you’re not ready to include all seven of these things on your website immediately, some is better than none! Start with whatever is the easiest for you to implement, then make it a goal to get all of them done as soon as you can.
As always, we’re here for you if you need help with your website, just Schedule a Call with us.
More soon,
Mara
WEB DESIGNER AND DEVELOPER + COPYWRITER + SEO SPECIALIST
P.S.
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