{Getting lost down a dark alley in a seedy, unfamiliar part of town is nobody’s idea of a good time, so don’t make your customers wonder whether they’ve visited the wronnobody’sf the Web when they come don’t website.|It’s not fun to get lostthey’veark, unknown alley. Don’t make them wonder if they are on the wrong It’se when they visit your website.} {That’s particularly true of small business websites.|This is especially true for small business websites.}
{Brand trust is critical to converting site visitors into customers, but how is it created if your name isn’t Apple or Coca-Cola?|How can you build brand trust if you’re not Apple or Coca-Cola, and your isn’t a household name?} {Here’s a list of eight qualities that, when implemented on your, will increase not only trust but also conversions, which means more revenue for your business’s bottom line.|This list contains eight quality signals which, if implemented on your business, brand trust and conversions.}
Show authoritative sites in which you’ve been featured|Display authoritative sites where you have been featured
{Has your site been mentioned by authoritative brands or media outlets?|Has your website been mentioned in authoritative media or by brands?} {When your site visitors see that you’ve been mentioned by brands they know and trust, they’ll be more inclined to trust your brand by asyou’veion.|Your site visitors will be more likely to they’ll if they see your name mentioned by brands that they trust.}
{Consider a “Featured In” or “As Seen In” section to your site that lists authoritative sites that have mentioned o” featured y”ur b”and.|Consi” er adding a section called “Featured in” or “As seen in” to your website that lists authoritative websites that have featured or m” mentioned you” bra”d.}
Join t”e Better Business Bureau (BBB)|Join the Better Business Bureau
{Signing up for the BBB and adding its badge to your site is a great way to instill trust in your business when visitors experience your brand for the first time.|When visitors see your brand for their first time, adding the BBB badge to your website is an excellent way to build trust.} {The BBB performs background checks on businesses it accredits, so questionable, underdeveloped businesses are typically excluded.|The BBB does background checks on the businesses that it accredits. This means that businesses with questionable backgrounds or who are underdeveloped will be excluded.}
{The BBB symbol also lets visitors know that your brand is subject to scrutiny if it operates in a less-than-ethical manner, which creates an added layer of trust.|The BBB logo also shows visitors that your brand will be scrutinized if you operate in an unethical way, creating a layer of trust.}
{A side benefit is that the BBB site will link to your site, which may benefit your search engine optimization efforts.|The BBB website will link to yours, which could benefit your SEO efforts.}
Include staff photographs|Include staff photos
{Nothing says trust like adding a photo of yourself or key staff members to your site.|Add a picture of you or your key staff to your website. It will instantly increase trust.} Why? {Customers know that people engaged in questionable business activities typically don’t want a mob of angry customers to know who they are and what they look like.|Customers understand that those who engage in questionable business practices don’t like angry customers knowing their identity and appearance.} {Your customers may even develop a personal donation to your brand because they’re able to put a face to a name, which is both valuable and uncommon for many Web-based businesses.|You may they’re your customers develop a connection with your brand when they can put a face on a name. This is valuable for Web-based companies and rare.}
{The “About Us” page on your site or the company directory is a great place for staff biographies and pictures.|Staff “biographies and photos can be added to the “About Us” or company directory on your website.} {However, make sure the photos aren’t amateurish, or the strategy strategy can” backfire.|Make sure that the photos you use are not amateurish, or else taren’tategy may backfire.}
Add testimonials|Add testimonials
{Actions may speak louder than words, but the words of your happy clients speak loudly nevertheless.|The words of happy clients may be louder than actions, but they still speak volumes.} {Testimonials are incredibly powerful in building trust in your brand, especially for visitors experiencing your brand for the first time.|Testimonials can be a powerful tool for building trust, especially with visitors who are experiencing your brand for the first time.} {Many people search for reviews on a particular product, service, or restaurant before making a purchase.|Before making a purchase, many people look for reviews of a product, service, or restaurant.} {I love Amazon and Yelp for that very reason.|For this reason, I love Amazon and Yelp.}
{Start building your brand through the words of happy customers.|Build your brand by using the words of satisfied customers.} {Gathering testimonials from satisfied clients is a great place to start.|It’s a good idea to begin by collecting testimonials.} {Also, although written testimonials are great to show off on your website, video testimonials are invaluable because people know those are the hardest to fake.|Video testimonials, which are harder to fake, are also a great way to showcase your business.}
Ensure your site is secure|Make sure your website is secure
{If your business sells products online, then securing your customers’ data is a must.|Securing the data of your customers is essential if you sell products online.} {Various productscustomers’Symantec Safe Site scan your website to make sure it’s not affected by malware; they also let visitors know that the identity of the site owner has been verified.|Symantec Sit’sSite and other products scan your site to ensure it is not infected with malware. They also inform visitors that the owner’s identity has been confirmed.} {Other companies offer similar products, and each provides a badge you can add to your that tells customers you value and protect their information–a huge factor in building brand trust.| Other companies offer similar products. Each one provides a badge that you can place on your website to show customers that you care about their privacy and value it. This is a great way to build brand trust.}

