According to Forbes, 65 percent of people see online search as the most trusted source of information about people and companies. If your website isn’t reflective of trust and credibility, your audience won’t think twice about going elsewhere. So how can you build website trust in 2018? Here are our six proven methods you can start implementing immediately:

1. Personalized visual elements

  • Videos – Include videos on your home page panels or slides. This lets your audience see you’re keeping up with the latest marketing trends.
  • Imagery – Select imagery that speaks directly to your audience versus generic stock photos which come off as impersonal. When your imagery reflects the problems your audience is facing and solutions you offer, you’re more likely to have them engage with your site. “39% of people will stop engaging with a website if images won’t load or take too long to load.” – Adobe
  • Leadership team
    • Include photos of your leadership team along with their bios to humanize your site.
    • This gives your audience a better picture of your organizational culture as well.

2.  Accessible and relevant content

  • Establish your organization as a thought leader by having a rich Resource Center.
  • Facilitate and improve your user experience by providing Search & Filter functionality.
  • Create a blog where you can publish periodic and relevant content geared towards your target demographic establishing you as a thought leader in the industry while building brand recognition. 53% of marketers say blog content creation is their top inbound marketing priority.  -Hubspot
  • Whenever possible, abandon pop-up ads and include the CTA directly on the page using embedded forms.

3. Responsive, mobile-friendly design

 4. Highlight company reputation

  • Feature your previous and current customers, as well as partners, to build credibility and website trust.
    • Add a layer for client logos on your home page
    • Include testimonials
  • Add sections to discuss your “Company History” and “Years of Experience”.
  • Implement a customizable/interactive “Timeline”

5. Meet the latest security standards

  • Make sure you have an SSL certificate for your site and that any and all references to “http” links are changed to “https”.
    • These measures will prevent browsers from labeling your site as “unsecure”
    • SSL is also required for PCI Compliance
  • Include a Privacy Policy
    • Consult with your legal team on the specifics, but inform users on what, if anything, will be done with their data.
    • If you’re impacted by GDPR, emphasize your compliancy with the regulation.

6. Updated copyright date 

Keep the copyright date on your site footer updated and current at all times to reinforce website trust and to keep your site from looking outdated.