5 Simple Tips to Create a Trustworthy E-Commerce Website

Trust is the basis of any good relationship, even between shopper and website. The moment a customer loses trust in your site – whether it’s due to substandard customer service, bad links, malware or overall security – is the moment you may lose their interest … not to mention a transaction.

Establish customer trust by creating a reliable looking website that shows you care about quality and are committed to customer protection. Here are five tips to get you started.

Tip 1: Pay attention to site design and personality. A well-designed website tells shoppers you care about providing a pleasurable and efficient shopping experience. Good design is also a sign of being trustworthy. If your storefront is cluttered with banner ads, pop-ups, hard-to-read fonts and substandard photography, your customers may well click away to find a different site that they find more aesthetically pleasing. Place special care in choosing images and typography, and keep the overall layout simple and easy to navigate. Infuse your site with easy-to-find information about you and your selling philosophy; your personal touch means a lot to shoppers!

Tip 2: Stay up-to-date. Review your site frequently to check for bad links, out-of-stock products, current pricing and load speed issues. If you have a press page, update it frequently; if your last product review isn’t current, reach out to customers to generate fresh feedback. Use your email list and social media to alert customers to new content and features, too.

Tip 3: Certify your site’s trustworthiness with secure badges. Savvy shoppers look for proof that they are browsing and paying securely. Some sites automatically display a security notice; if yours doesn’t, make a point of showcasing your SSL certificate symbol, or include prominent language about security on your home and checkout pages.

Tip 4: Stay active online. Use social media to advertise promotions, showcase products and engage with shoppers. Offer exclusive discounts to your social media followers, and encourage them to share your site with their friends. Write a blog – and keep it current – to provide in-depth information to your shoppers that you can update on a regular basis. Keep a close eye on the emergence of social commerce, which allows customers to buy directly via your social media accounts.

Tip 5: Make yourself easily accessible. Shoppers appreciate being able to contact businesses and receive a timely response. Set up a contact form to keep it simple for users, and be sure to publish your store’s phone number and an email address elsewhere on your site so those with questions have multiple options for getting in touch with you. Of course, it’s important to promptly reply to any inquiries, positive and negative, and communicate that you value feedback and suggestions.

The Bottom Line
Being trustworthy should be at the top of your business objective priority list; luckily, showing and proving your store’s integrity is pretty simple and intuitive. Use these tips to encourage shoppers to stay on your site, make purchases and share their good experiences with others.