Acquiring it is impossible through purchase, coercion, or demands. You can possess it, but holding onto it is futile. Gaining it might take years, yet losing it can happen in an instant. It reigns supreme as the most critical factor in any business deal or interpersonal connection.
What is it that I’m referring to? Trust.
Despite technological advances and evolving business practices simplifying buying and selling with reduced fear of deceit (or offering some form of redress if it occurs), trust remains the foundation for most daily transactions.
Numerous websites and online retailers employ trust signals to instill confidence in potential customers. But what exactly are trust signals? How do they operate? What makes them so effective? And most importantly, how and when should you utilize them?
These are precisely the questions we aim to address in today’s article.
Defining Trust Signals
Trust signals are elements commonly displayed on websites and at physical points of sale in conventional businesses. Their purpose is to enhance customer confidence in their decision to patronize a particular business or purchase a specific product or service.
While some trust signals are simply logos assuring that a retailer or website belongs to a particular trade association, others serve as evidence of a business’s ethical conduct and reliability. Trust signals can take various forms, but their fundamental function remains consistent: to make potential customers feel more at ease when transacting with a company. Consequently, trust signals are an integral component of conversion rate optimization.
Exploring Different Types of Trust Signals
Certain trust signals are immediately recognizable, while others operate more subtly. The specific type of business, its industry or sector, and various other factors influence the appropriate trust signals. Given this diversity, numerous types of trust signals exist.
Guarantee Trust Signals
Guarantees stand out as one of the most prevalent types of trust signals.
These signals hold immense power (and are even expected in some industries) because they provide consumers with peace of mind. They assure potential customers that their money or investment is protected, should a retailer or website prove untrustworthy, or if the customer experiences a change of heart or dissatisfaction with their purchase. This can range from something tailored to your business, like a specific refund or return policy, to displaying the Visa or MasterCard logo on your website.
Guarantee trust signals are ubiquitous in the financial services industry, and for a good reason. They are among the most widely recognized symbols globally, primarily due to our constant exposure to them. In fact, their prevalence is such that their absence often appears more jarring and suspicious.
Social Proof Trust Signals
The meteoric rise of social media brought about numerous changes, including the exponential growth of “social proof” as a trust signal.
An illustration of a “social proof” trust signal in the form of customer testimonials, as utilized by the email marketing company AWeber._
This category of trust signals encompasses everything from customer reviews on platforms like Yelp to word-of-mouth endorsements from satisfied customers and industry leaders.
Similar to guarantees, social proof trust signals can be highly persuasive. Few things are more compelling to potential customers than positive feedback, glowing reviews, and an overall sense of positivity about a product or brand from “real” individuals. As a bonus, social signals can indirectly enhance your search engine optimization (SEO).
Some websites prioritize recommendations from industry insiders, as demonstrated by the example from email marketing firm AWeber above. Others choose to showcase customer feedback collected through social media channels. If you’re considering incorporating this type of trust signal, ensure that the individual’s name and identity are easily verifiable. Refrain from using anonymous reviews that could have been written by anyone, or composites compiled from multiple individuals. Authenticity is paramount for the effectiveness of this trust signal.
Trust by Association Trust Signals
This category of trust signals is quite broad, encompassing several subtypes that can collectively contribute to potential customers’ comfort in doing business with you.
The client list, as exemplified above, is likely the first “trust by association” signal you’ve encountered. Many businesses strategically display the logos of well-known brands on their websites as an implicit indicator of their trustworthiness. The underlying logic of this trust signal relies on the implication that securing a client with household-name brand recognition signifies trustworthiness.
Similarly, media mentions can also serve as a trust signal. Some companies (including nexus-security) strategically leverage their media coverage for this purpose:
Media mentions utilized as a trust signal on the nexus-security homepage.
This practice is particularly common among startups and emerging tech companies still in their growth phase. Their association with well-known media outlets functions as an implicit trust signal, aiming to assure potential customers that they are making a sound choice.
Membership Trust Signals
While closely related to the “trust by association” signals discussed earlier, membership trust signals warrant their own mention.
Membership in professional organizations is frequently leveraged as a trust signal. In the United States, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) exemplifies this concept, with its logo prominently displayed by countless businesses nationwide.
This category of trust signals also encompasses memberships in local chambers of commerce, labor unions, artisan guilds, and other professional associations.
Deconstructing the Effectiveness of Trust Signals
Understandably, most analyses of trust signals emphasize the comfort and familiarity associated with commonly encountered ones. However, another crucial yet often overlooked factor contributing to their power is our inherent desire to seek and believe in them.
Trust Signals and Cognitive Biases
We’ve previously touched upon cognitive biases, but their influence on our behavior concerning transactions and trust is particularly intriguing.
Image courtesy of Kris Straub/Chainsawsuit_
When we’ve already decided to make a purchase, any factor that reinforces our decision can be a powerful motivator, especially for high-priced items. This phenomenon is illustrated by the “zero-risk bias,” a cognitive bias that drives individuals to favor scenarios offering complete risk elimination. Examples include ironclad money-back guarantees and no-obligation free trials, even when alternative options might present lower overall risk, such as purchasing the same item from a more established and trusted retailer at a marginally higher price.
Confirmation bias is another potent motivator that trust signals can amplify. Let’s say you’ve set your heart on purchasing something—a stylish leather jacket, a cutting-edge video game console, a relaxing vacation package—the possibilities are endless. These purchases often come with a significant price tag, potentially leading to hesitation before committing to such a substantial investment.
Now, imagine visiting a website selling the coveted item and discovering a Verified by Visa trust signal on the checkout page (a critical point where many online shopping carts are abandoned). The Verified by Visa logo simply indicates that one of the world’s largest financial services providers protects the transaction from fraud. However, this seemingly minor reassurance can be surprisingly compelling for someone already contemplating spending a considerable sum on a luxury item.
Demographic Variations in Consumer Trust
When analyzing the effectiveness of trust signals, it’s vital to consider demographic factors.
According to data from Nielsen, millennial consumers tend to exhibit significantly higher levels of trust in brands compared to other age groups. (Surprisingly, this trust extends, for the most part, to traditional media outlets like television and newspapers.)
Image/data courtesy of Nielsen.
Given that millennials constitute a substantial portion of the workforce, it’s unsurprising that the most trusting demographic significantly influences the importance of trust in modern transactions. This partly explains why “social proof” and earned media have become indispensable tools for brands and marketers.
Mastering the Use of Trust Signals
Having explored the definition of trust signals, examined common types, and delved into the factors driving their effectiveness, let’s address the crux of the matter: how trust signals can elevate your conversion rates and when to deploy them strategically.
Prioritizing Customer Reassurance
As established earlier, one of the primary motivations for incorporating trust signals on your website is to instill confidence in potential customers about their purchasing decision. Often, this translates directly to assuring customers that their financial transactions are secure and that they will receive the product or service as promised. Trust signals provide the necessary peace of mind for prospects to overcome hesitation and convert.
The specific trust signals that best suit your business will vary significantly. If you operate an e-commerce site, consider joining the Verified by Visa program to safeguard your customers’ credit card transactions. For companies offering software downloads or similar products, implementing encryption protocols (such as HTTPS for secure web connections) or integrating brand-name virus protection could be beneficial.
Strategic Placement of Security and Guarantee Trust Signals
Security emblems, transaction protection symbols, and similar trust signals should be prominently displayed on web pages requiring users to provide sensitive information, such as credit card details, or on checkout pages. Strategically placing these signals on product pages is also advisable, especially if your company offers software or online services where user data integrity and privacy are paramount.
A Note on Google Trusted Stores
If you’ve ever made an online purchase, you’ve likely encountered the “Google Trusted Store” trust signal on transactional pages or websites, especially among Google Shopping results.
If you were considering registering for Google Trusted Stores, be aware that Google plans to retire this program soon. Google Customer Reviews will replace/merge with Google Trusted Stores. While most aspects of the program will remain unchanged, a significant difference is that Google Customer Reviews, unlike Trusted Stores, will not provide purchase protection coverage to consumers. Refer to the official Google documentation for further details on both programs.
Embracing Transparency with User Reviews and Customer Feedback
Incorporating positive feedback from satisfied customers, such as reviews, on your website is an excellent way to build trust in your brand.
Conversely, attempting to deceive potential customers is the fastest way to erode trust and credibility.
Inevitably, someone will have a negative experience with your company or you and will express their dissatisfaction, either on your website or a third-party platform. There’s no way to prevent such situations entirely. Trying to “bury” a bad review is unethical and ineffective.
Instead of dreading negative feedback or reviews, view them as opportunities to demonstrate exceptional customer service. Reflect honestly: Does the dissatisfied customer have a valid point? Could you have handled the situation better? Was it your fault? Regardless of the circumstances, address the issue promptly, honestly, and transparently. This might involve responding to a poorly written comment on a Facebook post or sharing your perspective with a third-party website or organization like the Better Business Bureau.
Openness and transparency function similarly to trust signals, making people feel more comfortable doing business with you. This means refraining from purchasing fake reviews—always. This includes “sponsored reviews” or any other misleading terms used to disguise them. The same applies to semi-anonymous testimonials from individuals like “Jon S. of Tucson, AZ,” which are as credible as a Ponzi scheme.
If people cannot trust the reviews on your website, they cannot trust you—period.
Optimizing Placement of Customer Testimonials and Social Review Trust Signals
One of the advantages of customer testimonials and social media recommendations is their versatility in website placement, even on your homepage. You can feature them in a dedicated “What Our Customers Love About Us” section on your homepage, integrate them alongside product feature information or specification pages, or incorporate them into special offers.
Exercising Restraint with Trust Signals
Incorporating trust signals can undoubtedly boost conversion rates. However, like most things in life, moderation is key.
In simpler terms, avoid overloading your website with so many logos that it resembles a NASCAR driver’s suit.
Select one or two prominent and recognizable trust signals to feature on your website, and refrain from going overboard. Don’t clutter your website with an excessive number of logos, potentially confusing potential customers and hindering conversions.
Remember to conduct A/B testing on your signal placement to ensure it positively impacts your conversion rates. After all, assumptions can be misleading!
Trust: A Foundational Principle
Trust signals are a powerful tool for reassuring website visitors and, ideally, driving conversion rates. However, while impactful, they cannot replace excellent customer service, a commitment to ethical business practices, and offering high-quality products or services at competitive prices. Keep in mind that what yields remarkable results for one business might not work for another. Therefore, test the implementation of trust signals to understand their actual impact on your visitors’ behavior, rather than relying solely on assumptions.
What has your experience been with using trust signals? We welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions below!