Trust seals.... questions?

9 replies
I'm wondering about the various "trust seals" out there. Such as lets say: truste, macafee, norton, bbb etc etc.

1) I know that in the past a lot of sites would have these plastered all over them. Now, I don't see that quite as much. Is it still recommended?

2) What ones should you use as the really high end brand ones basically can cost a fortune. Are there any lower end trust seals that still hold some weight but are cheap or free???

3) What if a customer (not a IMer) goes to a site and see's trust seals that are not clickable. Would that:
A: Completely turn them off
B: they'd be indifferent depending if they like your site content .... or
C: Not even bother trying to click on them in most cases, but get reassurance anyway by just seeing them.
#questions #seals #trust
  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    This is the only one I use:



    I link it to the explanation of "verified" on Paypal's site.

    Brent
    Signature
    Get Off The Warrior Forum Now & Don't Come Back If You Want To Succeed!
    All The Real Marketers Are Gone. There's Nothing Left But Weak, Sniveling Wanna-Bees!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11197400].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Nina Petrov
      great idea. Just curious though.... what do you say in this "explaination?" If you want just pm me on that if you don't care to post it public. And does that help you think? Do people actually need to click on it to get an idea of what it is? I suppose there's still new people to like online shopping and maybe they don't know or something.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11197441].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
        Originally Posted by Nina Petrov View Post

        Just curious though.... what do you say in this "explaination?"
        PayPal says it:

        Verification of identity increases customer trust because it creates a higher level of confidence that a person is who they say they are. When other PayPal users see that you are a Verified User, they know you have taken the steps to provide additional evidence of your identity. This creates confidence and a willingness to do business with you.
        https://www.paypal.com/us/selfhelp/a...Q1014#personal
        Very few people click it.

        Brent
        Signature
        Get Off The Warrior Forum Now & Don't Come Back If You Want To Succeed!
        All The Real Marketers Are Gone. There's Nothing Left But Weak, Sniveling Wanna-Bees!
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11197446].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Steve B
    Originally Posted by Nina Petrov View Post

    I'm wondering about the various "trust seals" out there.

    Nina,

    To me, this question deserves one of those "it all depends" answers. If the customer is unsure about online financial transactions in general, or is brand new to online commerce, a trust seal may help somewhat.

    But seals are not present on many top selling web sites and they seem to do just fine without them.

    Obviously, there are design elements at every web site that help to build trust which may actually be more important than a seal:
    • Easily accessible address, phone number, support email, etc
    • Professional looking graphics and layout
    • Easy and straightforward navigation
    • Presence of a solid guarantee
    • Previous customer testimonials
    • Endorsements by known experts in the field
    • Very few typos and broken links
    Past or long-time customers to a site could probably care less about a trust seal.

    Something else that builds trust is the recommendation of the business from a family member or close friend.

    You should also understand that trust seals, much like income statements, can be forged or stolen by unscrupulous sellers so the mere presence of a seal is a guarantee of nothing.

    Good luck to you,

    Steve
    Signature

    Steve Browne, online business strategies, tips, guidance, and resources
    SteveBrowneDirect

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11197471].message }}
  • I review a lot of ecommerce sites and I definitely see these seals more than I dont see them. They are often placed in the footer and on the final checkout page where credit card details need to be entered. I definitely think they help but as always just split test it to see what it does with your visitors. Ive seen split test results that showed an increase in conversions when removed so every website is different.

    The other trust elements that Steve B mentions should be followed as they can all really help.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11197923].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mysterious Robin
    If you're referring to ecomm websites..

    Maybe trust seals could be go below the check out button...and in the footer...

    For email collection, below the submit/subscribe button

    No need plaster it all over tho imo
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11198207].message }}
  • {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11198376].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author sbentson
    Our company works with e-commerce sites selling age-restricted products/content. Since these sales are restricted by law, we've created a 'Verified by Veratad' logo after a potential customer has completed our Age or Identity Verification process. The id verification service is not intrusive but is critical to have in place.

    Aside from specific circumstances like this, my confidence in a site increases with good design/user experience and a payment processor that I'm familiar with. Stripe checkout forms can be quite minimal in design yet still convey a significant amount of confidence.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[11254422].message }}

Trending Topics