25 Ways to Increase Trust in Your Site

Formal elements of trust

This type includes elements that can be used to check the professional activities of the company, as well as guarantees of fulfillment of their obligations.

1. Registration data

The data of the PSRN, TIN and KPP can sometimes be found on the website and check the data on the website of the tax service.

2. Licenses and certificates

Here we are talking about companies that need to obtain a license to carry out their activities — insurance, media, banks. Certificates can serve as a guarantor of professionalism or competence in a particular field.

3. Contact details or list of management and top managers

Many large organizations publish lists of individuals who have control over the organization's activities. Such employees have the right to make strategic management decisions.

4. Official reporting

The reports on the activities of the organization certified by the audit service are the guarantor of legal capacity.

5. Privacy policy

Usually, in this case, the rules for the processing of personal data are considered. But in some areas, companies are introducing additional guarantees of anonymity.

6. Official ratings

Participation in ratings and rankings of government bodies and independent agencies will be an advantage. Among the big players, this element is very valuable. Global ratings agencies downgraded Lehman Brothers in September 2008, a few hours before the bankruptcy filing was published.

7. Partners

It is credible if the company is a partner of a large organization.

8. Official status

You can find information about a specific product or service on many sites, but you are more likely to trust the official resource.

Trust technical elements

Techniques like these are not new and are widely used in the website industry. However, pay attention to them.

10. Connection

Each site can obtain a certificate of reliability of the connection (SSL). After receiving such a certificate, your site will receive the “Reliable” status and will rank better in search engines.

11. Virus-free guarantee

On some sites, you can see information about scanning and the absence of viruses on the resource. The confirmation element can be obtained by activating the plugin in the CMS system and checking the site for viruses. This function is also available to users of 1C-Bitrix.

12. Links to applications in the App Store and Google Play

There are two factors of trust here. Firstly, the presence of applications shows that you have the resources to create it, and secondly, applications are always tested before being published in marketplaces.

13. Beautiful design

Developing a beautiful design is a difficult and time-consuming process. And scammers are unlikely to invest money in it.

14. Complex functionality

If your site has elements of complex development, such as calculators, a personal account, and more, then the trust in it is higher.

15. Detailed snippet in search results.

A snippet is a description of a site on a search page. The extended snippet allows you to get more information. If it turns out to be valuable, then the trust in such a resource is higher.

Social elements of trust

The social factors of trust include elements that confirm the decency of the owners, the professionalism of the employees and the reliability of the resource.

16. Reviews are the guarantors of the quality of performance of obligations.

Just be careful, because the review can be easily faked. Pay attention to the design of the review. The correct review must be drawn up on the letterhead of the organization, have a seal and signature.

17. Confirmation of qualifications

Each employee in one way or another testifies to the activities of the organization. Therefore, knowledge of their competence increases the credibility of the entire company.

18. Information about victories in independent nominations and receiving awards = performance and industry leadership assessments.

Marketing credibility elements

Advertising techniques and tools that can convince the user of the reliability of the resource and confirm his competence.

19. Free trial version

The seller offers a free period of using a product with limited functionality. Thus, it enables the user to make sure of the quality of the product without risk and independently decide on the purchase.

20. Loyalty program

This program includes a model of accumulating discounts for regular customers. Thus, the company is trying to build a long-term relationship with the client, which shows its serious intentions.

21. Free help

When it comes to services, it can be free shipping, warranty service or round-the-clock technical support.

22. Refunds

You can often find a reception when companies promise to refund money in case of dishonest performance of their duties or a defect in the product.

Off-site trust elements

The site is not the only source of information about the company. In social networks, special platforms, local discussions and blogs, you can also find out whether a company is trustworthy or not.

23. Social networks

Here we are talking about the size of the group, the quality of its design, the activity of users and the regularity of publications. Users can express their opinion in the comments or in special discussions.

24. Reviews on independent resources

These include the popular TripAdvisor and Yelp. In this case, it is important to pay attention to the reliability of the site itself. Little-known resources can poorly moderate reviews and publish customized ones.

25. Forum discussion

Read the information on separate thematic forums. The dissemination of negative information on such resources is difficult to control, and, therefore, you can find independent reviews about the company there.