How To Build Trust & Increase Conversion
“It’s important to understand that trust is not a choice, but an underlying psychological state that can be influenced.”
There are small steps you can take to make sure that those who land on your site convert at the highest possible rate.
Here they are:
Who are these people?
Visitor’s have a fear of buying from a smaller business that they do not know. Physical addresses are one of the biggest proofs that you exist and are that your company actually exists. Contact information gives a strong indication that there is a real person at the other end who can be approached should anything go wrong. Your About Us page should have an image and biography of founders. A description of facilities and quality standards so they know where the product comes from and how they are made. Be sure there is more substance to the business and products. A video with all these details can really capture the trust of your potential customers. Showing not telling with a virtual tour of your process and facilities will surely build trust.
Word Of Mouth/Social Proof
Third-party endorsement in the form of a testimonial and product reviews can not only add authenticity to your existence but also provide due credibility. A BrightLocal consumer survey 2018 shows that most consumers read an average of 10 online reviews before feeling able to trust a local business. 57% of consumers will only use a business if it has 4 or more stars.
Being featured in media publications is a great way to showcase your product, and it also serves as an effective marketing tool for a launch. At the same time, it’s a great way to provide social proof—after all, you’ve been featured in a media outlet and that counts for something.
Professional Site Design
Professional appearance builds consumer confidence and conveys quality. Your navigation should be clear and easy for users to find what they are looking for. Your site should be responsive and display properly on all devices. Since images are the only way for the ecommerce purchaser to see what they are getting we recommend having high quality imagery. Good-looking photos help build trust and credibility. They should be consistent in sizing to show professionalism. Have clear imagery from multiple angles and product descriptions that outline everything a customer might want to know about the product, including care, delivery, returns, and guarantee information.
Technical Issues
Run through your site on all Devices and all Browsers as you were a user going to purchase and check to see if there are any hindrances to purchase. This could be in the form of a popup that you can't close or a broken link. Make sure your search is working and users are able to find products without an error. People tend to trust a site that is reliable.
Your store better load fast as well. Users want pages to load in 3 minutes or less or they are gone to the next site. “53% of users abandon cart when site takes more than 3 seconds to load”. (Double click 2016)
Check your Page speed at Google's Speed Insights. Google feels pagespeed is an important factor and they have added these signals to their SEO rankings called Core Web Vitals. Improving you load times by .1 second can boost conversion rates by 8% (Google/Deloitte Milliseconds Make Millions, 2019)
Customer Friendly Policies
Place return policies prominently and offer a good return policy. Remember buyers cant feel or touch your products online. So it may be a good idea to offer samples. A comprehensive and easy to understand privacy policy stating that the customers’ personal information will be safeguarded is a must.
Customer Support
A live chat icon is a massive psychological assurance to clueless customers. Access to real humans can increase trust. Users expect to gain access to helpful people through chat, email, and phone.
Overall Be Consistent with your Brand Communication and Values and you will build trust and loyalty.
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