👋🏼 Hello Novel Community,

TONS of product development from the Novel squad… If you missed the latest product announcement, you can find some of our latest release features here. We have new features releasing weekly, so keep those eyes peeled.

But now for today’s post… I'm going in on all things TRUST. The top trust symbols to consider & the trust tied to your website.

It can often be overlooked, but by the end of this piece, you’ll have what you need to build trust in your audience the moment they hit your website.

Let’s dive in.

Cheers,

Grant

TL;DR

Trust is a funny thing. Every individual has their own way of establishing trust. Some establish trust in others by default (until it's broken), some believe trust must be earned.

Whether it's a new individual you've met, or a new product or service you're exploring, the trust factor plays a core role in how humans make decisions.

Trust can help you succeed, but lack of trust can be your downfall.

⬇️ Read on to learn the top 5 trust symbols to consider.

Trust Me. It can lead to higher conversion 🤑

What is a Trust Symbol?

Simply, a trust symbol is a recognized sign or badge that adds credibility to your business. In most cases, they don't need to be added to every page of your website, but rather they should reflect what is meaningful to your customer. Overdoing it with trust symbols all over your website just may make you look like…well…you can’t be trusted!

Website Appearance

While not a ‘trust symbol’ per se, the design of your website is a key factor. In one or two seconds, new visitors to your site decide if they are going to stick around. Nothing says untrustworthy more than an unprofessional site that doesn’t allow them to quickly determine who you are, what you do, and how to find what they need. Simple things like a 'contact us' function or FAQ page can impact conversion.

Outside of appearance, there are a core set of symbols you should consider to drive deeper trust & higher conversion.

Top five symbols to consider:

1. Verified Testimonials – Positive customer reviews are helpful. Make sure they are legit, and you have permission to post them on your site. Pull out just a small snippet with keywords, and don’t ramble on with long sentences no one will read. Remember to replace these frequently, so your website doesn’t seem stale.

2. Customer Logos– Do you represent other companies that people would know? These don’t have to be huge corporations, but it should illustrate that you have worked with customers that fit into your ideal customer profile (ICP). Just like testimonials, be sure to ask brand owners first if it’s okay to use them.

3. Security — On an e-commerce site, people NEED to feel comfortable their information can’t be compromised. There are many online security providers in the industry that you can apply for and get a badge if you qualify. Even more important than showing these symbols on your site is actually using these tools to protect your customers and protect your data from hackers. Security symbols can often be found at the point of conversion, typically surfacing during the payment process.

4. Business – Some people might group ‘Business’ with ‘Security’ symbols, but they are different. A business symbol tells people that an outside party has accredited you. It helps show that you are credible. The most common is the Better Business Bureau, which is a paid service. However, in recent years, logos from trusted partners have proven to resonate better with visitors (think: a badge on a site that says "Shopify Plus Partner). Ask yourself: “in my industry, what’s the leading business organization that matters?”

5. Awards – Has your company won an award? Don’t hide it, let it be known. This can show visitors that you have earned external validation, and lead to some even thinking that you’re exemplary. An award badge is especially relevant to service industries such as marketing agencies or local services. Remove outdated awards as they take up valuable space and even may go as far as saying you haven’t done anything award-winning in recent years.

The right trust symbols can help keep visitors on your site and improve conversion during checkout. Use them wisely by thinking about what’s important to your customers and the area of business you’re in. Place them effectively on your well-designed site, and you may have just found the cheapest way to boost sales with the same volume of traffic.

🏆 Trust Symbols in Action

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