What are Trust Badges and Can They Increase Conversion Rates

Most experienced business owners know and use trust badges. Trust badges are the small images that look like small logos or buttons that are placed on websites to show that the sites are PCI Compliant and that the website is safe from intrusive viruses or hackers. Trust badges are what more and more consumers look for to reassure themselves that a previously unknown website is a safe place for them to shop.

Only inexperienced online business owners wonder if trust badges make a difference in the increase of consumer confidence resulting in an increase in sales.

Cyber Source, a network optimization company, recently did a study to see if Trust badges really do help business owners create a more trusted, more profitable website. They found that 85% of online shoppers look for visible signs like a trust badge to prove that the website they are thinking of buying products or services from is secure.

Users look for things such as trust seals, logos, secure check out pages, guarantees, refund policies, valid contact information, and trust badges. The study confirmed that companies who make websites more secure for users – and who make that security readily apparent to visitors – have better conversion rates and make more online sales. Companies who use trust badges, even if they aren’t well known or trusted, automatically have an increase in sales.

However, they also found that having too many trust badges can make your consumers feel uneasy, less secure and less likely to trust the website. To prove that your website is safe and secure to help comfort customers and increase your profits, all you need is 1-2 trust badges on your website. It is suggested to have one on your main front page and one near your check out page.

Trust badges have been proven to radically and consistently help online businesses increase their sales, customer trust and loyalty.