Below are seven trust symbols you can use on your site to encourage customer trust and boost conversion rates.
Security Symbols
The most obvious form of trust symbol is a security badge or seal, indicating that your check-out process is secure and has been verified by a trusted third party. You can purchase security badges from companies like Verisign and McAfee (provided, naturally, that you meet the requirements). Place these badges on your check-out pages to show customers their private data is safe. If your site uses SSL, you'll also need an SSL certificate.
Customer Logos
Have well-known customers? Show them off by displaying their logos on your site. A high-profile client acts as a vote of confidence in your products or services.
Testimonials
Testimonials go a step beyond customer logos and show prospects what clients really think of your products. Key quotes can be displayed next to logos to demonstrate customer satisfaction.
Award Badges
If you win any kind of industry award, by all means take advantage of it and place a winner's badge on your site. A corporate website is no place to be humble!
Membership Badges
If you belong to any industry organizations, look for badges you can display on your site. This is another way of showing your business is vetted by authorities in your industry. If you don't belong to relevant organizations, investigate what's available in your space. (For example, WordStream displays a SEMPO badge.)
Certification Badges
Though they require time and money, certifications are worthwhile in many service, consulting, and technical industries. If this is relevant to your business, pursue getting members of your team certified and then display badges so visitors will know your employees are up to snuff.
Transparent Policies
Be transparent about your privacy policies, return or refund policies, subscription policies, satisfaction guarantees, cancellation fees, and any other policies of this nature. Clear language in these areas shows you have nothing to hide and instills trust in prospective customers.
Free Trial
A free trial button is an indication that you stand behind your product and trust that people who try it will want to buy. Not all products lend themselves to this, but many software products are natural candidates for a free trial offer.
Press Mentions
Like testimonials, positive coverage by the media shows your web visitors that you're worthy of attention. If your products, your website or your blog is mentioned by a popular news source, consider using their logo on your site as another trust symbol.