6 tips to build trust online

How you can nurture a customer relationship that will last?

Building a trusting relationship between your business and its customers takes time and effort – and can be a real challenge when the opportunities for face-to-face contact are limited to brief interactions. The good news is that you can use online communication, and your website, in particular, to create and grow trust.

Your website gives you a great platform from which to showcase your brand's personality, demonstrating that you’re a trustworthy, reputable company.

To ensure you aren’t missing out on customers and potential revenue, we’ve put together six top tips that will help you gain trust from your visitors.

Testimonials

Word of mouth is one of the most powerful ways to become a well-known, respected business within your industry. Adding testimonials to your website will build credibility and humanise your business so that visitors can empathise with your existing customers and feel more at ease communicating with you.

A frequently updated blog and authoritative content

You don’t need to worry if your business doesn’t take transactions online – you can still set up a website and start blogging on a regular basis. This will show that your website is well-managed and current – maintaining a good brand reputation. Most importantly, it also demonstrates that your business is still trading! Don’t just post for posting's sake, though, as this won’t work in your favour, and could damage your business’s credibility, potentially. Share great quality content that’s authoritative and trustworthy. This way, you’re bound to see an increase in returning customers and, ultimately, revenue.

Contact information

Easily accessible contact information might be a bit of a given, but you’d be surprised at how many websites only offer generic company email addresses – which can make visitors feel a little hesitant about getting in touch. Streamline the networking process between your business and its customers by providing names of employees and consider linking to Twitter or LinkedIn accounts, too. You could also place contact information on your social media accounts which typically have a ‘Bio’ or ‘About Us’ section.

Create an About Us page on your website

Customers are interested in who you are and where your business has come from. Set up a comprehensive About Us page so you can tell your customers a little more about your company’s history and culture. A brief description of who you are and what kind of products and services you offer, including any kinds of awards or accomplishments, will be sufficient. It’s a good idea to have a few images of your team on there, too, as customers are more likely to trust the people behind the brand, rather than a faceless organisation. If you don’t have a website, make use of the social media accounts that you have and place contact information there.

Secure payment process/checkout

Perceived security of a transaction on your website is a hugely influential factor when it comes to customers being able to trust you as a business. Choose a third party payment vendor that is reliable, convenient and using the latest security technology, such as Payzone’s  payment gateway which is securely hosted and has been verified by visa (3D Secure). Consider adding icons such as a padlock or a brief section of text at the checkout area – this will reassure your customer that the transaction is safe and secure.

Privacy policy

Letting your customers know that their data will remain safe and secure should be a mandatory step. Create a privacy policy and provide a brief section of text that states that you won’t pass on any private information – name, email address, financial records and so on – to a third party. This serves two purposes: firstly, it will give customers peace of mind, making them more likely to purchase and give you repeat business. Secondly, Google looks for privacy policies as part of its quality evaluations – tick this box and it will assist your search engine ranking.

Interested in getting your business online? At Payzone, we have a range of online payments.