10 Simple Ways to Build Trust as a New Online Business

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As you prepare to jump-start your new enterprise, you’ve probably considered the many benefits that an effective website can have on your ability to succeed. A professional website has the power to attract potential customers and increase your sales conversion rate. The best way to legitimize your online presence is to provide an abundance of security indicators to improve the customer’s perception of your business.

1. Put Faces to Your Company’s Name

Customers feel more confident doing business face-to-face with professionals they can trust. Unfortunately, doing business this way is not always an option, especially for companies that operate online or over the phone. To help reassure your customers, add an “about us” or “team” page, like EpicLaunch does, to your website that profiles the professionals with whom your customers will be working.

2. Increase your SEO

The higher your website ranks for important keyword searches, the more legitimate your business will seem to potential customers. We all know that when we search a certain word or phrase online we tend to click one of the top results. Clients want to work with reputable businesses that search engines like Google value. Maximizing your search engine optimization can really pay off when it comes to marketing your company.

3. Cite Industry Regulations

Whenever the occasion arises, be sure to reference industry regulations and government resources that can back you up. No matter what industry you work in, you can link to specific government mandates that will help your customers better understand the reasoning behind certain laws. For example, regulations surrounding contractor license bonds can be especially confusing for new professionals working in construction.

4. Take Advantage of CNN’s iReport

By developing a news story about relevant topics in your industry, your company can be featured on CNN’s iReport. To pull this off successfully, you’ll need to present your view on a hot news topic related to your field. You’ll want to assign this project to an employee who has some basic video editing skills. To present the topic as newsworthy, be sure to interview stakeholders outside of your company.

5. Interview Experts in Your Industry

If you’re able to make valid connections with experienced experts, show your customers that established professionals have elected to be associated with your work. See if some of your colleagues will offer some sort of statement of trust that you can post on your website.

6. Build Relationships with Local Businesses

Never doubt the effectiveness of word-of-mouth advertising. Additionally, establishing a relationship with a professional that maintains a high quality website can allow you to work together to reinforce each other as legitimate enterprises.

7. Join Professional Organizations

Although paying membership fees may seem like a waste of money, keep in mind how potential consumers will appreciate the increased legitimacy of your business. Being listed as a member of an organization like the Better Business Bureau can help boost your professional reputation, even though paying membership fees might seem unnecessary.

8. Share Positive Feedback

Create a page for testimonials where you can post feedback from past customers who appreciate your services. This provides new customers with an access to your past track record and reassures them that you will produce quality work.

9. Get Privacy Certification

Various programs certify websites after examining them for privacy and customer protection. Such services provide a security logo for you to post to ensure customers that you maintain a secure site. This can be an especially valuable tool since conversion tests have consistently shown that placing security and trust symbols in close proximity to the point of purchase (or “submit” button) increases your conversion rate.

10. Provide a Guarantee—and Back it Up

Ensure potential customers that your business is committed to the highest standards in customer service. Let them know that you measure your success by one standard: total customer satisfaction. If you’re not confident in providing your customers with a 100% guarantee, you might want to rethink whether you should really be using a website to attract customers in the first place.

How do you ensure your business is trusted?