Boosting Website Trust: 5 Essential Action Items

Posted by Laura Bergells

November 3, 2006

Developing trust online can be tough. Your shoppers and surfers don’t get to meet you personally…so they don’t get to talk to you, see your body language, or get a “gut feel” about you.

And although Internet shopping can be safe, there are also way too many predators flocking to the internet. Your shoppers can easily become suspicious.

So how do you show your visitors that you’re one of the good guys?

Here are five easy to implement practices that can make a big difference in your online conversion rate.

Five Easy to Implement, On-site trust factors:

1. Privacy policy - This is your pledge that you will not abuse a visitor’s information and that you respect their privacy. Here are some key privacy statement bullet points for you to include:

No renting or selling information - clearly state that you do not rent or sell personal information under any condition.
Secure transaction assurance - Your shopping cart system probably provides this security, but you should make your keenly shoppers aware of it.

2. Recognizable credit card logos - These are brand symbols that shoppers recognize. Recognition helps increase trust.

3. Real physical address and phone number - Put these on every page. Shoppers want to know that they can easily locate a phone number if they have a question.

4. Add your “About Us” - Tell shoppers your story. Show them your face(s). Demonstrate that you are in business for the long haul, and that you are a business with community roots who will stick around through thick and thin.

5. Testimonials - Get them. Use them. It’s one thing for you to say how wonderful you are: but nothing is better than a third-party telling someone that how great doing business with you can be!

How many of these items are on your website? If you are missing one or two, make sure you implement them in time for the holiday online shopping season. Remember, these items do not represent a major site overhaul: these are mild tweaks that can make an enormous impact on your online sales conversion rate.

Now, show your shoppers that you’re an online business they can trust!