Trust is everything in the digital age. Today, there are more new companies being formed every single day than is possible to count. It’s also easier than ever to build a website.

While this convenience has made entrepreneurship more accessible, with no regulations on product standards, it also means that it’s more difficult for customers to find genuine, high-quality products. 

Because the market is so crowded these days, it’s crucial to use certain trust signals – a piece of evidence that builds trust among website visitors –  to help your business stand out to consumers. These can encourage potential customers to place an order, even if they haven’t heard about your business before. 

Six of the most important trust signals for businesses in the digital age are outlined here to learn how to build customer trust and succeed as a tech-savvy entrepreneur.

1. Business Certifications

Business certifications are a fantastic way to build trust. In an age where product quality is often questioned, quality accreditations such as the ISO 9001 Quality Management certification demonstrate that your company meets certain standards. This trust signal is especially important if you sell B2B. Businesses often devote plenty of time and research to choosing partners and suppliers, and holding relevant certifications can go a long way in terms of helping you stand out from the crowd. 

Besides acting as trust signals to people visiting your website, certifications also qualify you for certain contracts from the government or overseas. If you’re looking to expand your business, securing accreditations from bodies like the ISO can open up plenty of exciting avenues and increase trust among your current consumer base. 

2. Customer Reviews

Social proof is an unrivalled way to tell new customers you’re reputable. Part of any company’s long-term strategy should be to build customer trust organically through social proof. Among the most effective ways of doing this is by collecting positive reviews and then displaying these on your website. You may already have a collection of reviews on Google, or business review sites like Trustpilot and Yelp, and you can then take screenshots of these reviews and include them on your website. Alternatively, you can use tools to add widgets that directly integrate Google reviews onto your website.

While customers should be motivated to leave a review primarily due to your fantastic products, you can also encourage them to do so. You can do this by simply asking them to, either in-person or through their email once they’ve bought a product or service. If you run a brick-and-mortar store, engaging customers in a conversation and politely asking them to rate or review you can go a long way. Another strategy is to offer some sort of incentive for leaving a review, such as a discount on a purchase or a chance to win a prize. 

3. Unique Brand Elements

As a brand, you should aim to provide value that’s independent of your products or services – like being a trusted source of information or humour relevant to your industry. If you’ve already built a strong brand that inspires loyalty among your customers, the best way to leverage it is to incorporate as many brand elements as possible into your website. These include your logo, brand colours, font, slogans and brand name. 

A characteristic the world’s most successful brands have in common is that they’re easily recognisable. Recognition in the wild often translates to comfort and trust. Among the best ways to encourage potential customers to trust you enough to make a purchase is by first building a strong brand, and then by using that brand as often as possible in your online store. 

4. Celebrity or Influencer Endorsements

Like how Michael Jordan revitalised Nike, a time-proven way of building consumer trust is by collaborating with famous people. Traditionally, brands have worked with celebrities like actors, athletes and musicians to promote their products or services.  Celebrities fall into a unique category known as the ‘aspirational reference group’, which is made up of people who your target customers are inspired by and trust. As you may already know, consumers will be more likely to buy what you sell if they see their favourite celebrities endorsing your products. 

Today, many businesses are also using influencers to connect with their audience. While influencers may also fall into the aspirational category, many of these social media personalities are part of your consumers’ ‘associative reference group.’ These are people your customers can relate to. When it comes to influencing buying decisions, this group can be just as impactful, if not more so, than traditional celebrities. 

There are many ways you can stitch celebrity or influencer endorsements into your site in, but among the most common is in the form of short videos of them either using or talking about your products. You can also post these on your social media and tag the individual, which might have the added benefit of a boost in traffic and exposure if they share it.

5. A Privacy Policy 

Cyber security is a growing concern among today’s consumers. If you’re a business that requires customers to sign up or hand over their personal information, you’ll want to assure them that they won’t be in danger of data theft or other risks. 

A strong privacy policy, and showcasing the payment security badge on your site, can instantly dissolve the security concerns of those visiting your site. Thankfully, you don’t necessarily have to write out an entire privacy policy from scratch. There are plenty of templates available online that you can edit to suit your needs, and you can include this privacy policy in the footer of every page that requires customers to provide personal data. 

6. Number of Years in Business 

Experience matters in business. If your company has been operating for a decent number of years, this is a strong trust signal and something you should highlight on your site to resolve any consumer concerns. If you head to the About Us section of any major brand, you'll likely see this strategy via a number-of-years stamped on the experience section of the page.

When potential customers see this, they know that many other customers have used your service and they’ve been buying from you long enough to keep you operating for so long. It also implies you've developed some serious experience over your years of operation. All of this makes for a major step towards trusting you and your brand.

Thanks to the amount of competition in today’s business world, consumers have more choice than ever. If your brand or website makes way for doubt on the quality or genuineness of you or your product, potential buyers can find alternatives in a matter of seconds. 

The good news is, you can soar above the lion's share of this competition by incorporating some tried-and-tested trust signals on your website and digital landscape. This is true whether you’re a small, local business or a massive multinational corporation. Incorporate the trust signals we’ve listed into your website today to boost your company’s legitimacy online.