Introduction
In this article, I will be explaining the top 10 ways to build trust with your website visitors in 2025. In this digital world, reputation is everything. Your website is like a shop window, and it’s often the first impression people will get of your business.
At Angelo Web Design we’ve built websites for hundreds of small businesses! We make sure their websites build trust and credibility, using the 10 methods below.
1) An SSL certificate
Your website must have an SSL certificate to build trust with website visitors, and ensure that your website is fully secure. SSL is short for “Secure Sockets Layer”. This is an encryption-based security protocol for your website that was first established in 1995. Basically, it encrypts the connection between your website, and your website visitors. Any data that customers enter on your website is encrypted by SSL, this is absolutely vital for online stores where people are entering payment information.
If your website doesn’t have an SSL installed, it will be marked as “Not Secure” in web browsers like Google Chrome. Comodo found that 51% of users say they would leave a website marked “Not Secure” immediately [1]. Having an unsecure website makes your business appear suspicious and can damage its reputation.
2) Customer Reviews
People are constantly searching Google to find the best deals for products and services, and online reviews can be the deciding factor. Research by BrightLocal discovered that up to 98% of consumers read reviews before making a purchase [2].
Your website should show reviews that meet the following requirements:
– Recently published reviews, ideally less than 12 months old.
– Use reviews from reputable platforms, like Google Reviews.
– Only show genuine reviews from your real customers. Showing any fake reviews may damage your brand’s image.
– For online stores, you should allow customers to upload reviews with images. Images of them using your product can help build social proof with potential customers.
Alongside your reviews, you should include a button where people can click to view all of your reviews on the original platform. E.g. they can click to view all of your Google Reviews. This helps people verify that your website’s reviews are real.
3) Photos of your staff
People buy from people. Having high quality photography of your staff will enhance your website and build trust with visitors. Seeing a friendly face puts people at ease, and lets them know who they’ll be dealing with if they purchase your products or services. Many modern websites rely on fancy graphics and illustrations, with no real people or faces to be seen. This creates a “faceless” feel on your website, and makes it lack identity.
With AI being shoved in everyone’s faces, using real photography makes your business stand out and look authentic. Research by AdLib found that adverts with human faces perform better than those without [3]. Showing staff photos will make your website more memorable and create a stronger connection.
4) Contact information
Your company’s contact information needs to be clearly visible on your website. You should include a “contact us” page, and also include contact details in your website header and footer. Showing accurate contact information builds trust, because people can see you’re a real business and they can get in touch if they require support.
Many websites use AI chatbots for customer service, which can frustrate your website visitors and lead to bad reviews. Research from Five9 found that 75% of consumers prefer talking to actual humans for customer service [4]. Showing your phone number and email address allows people to easily contact you, without talking to a pesky chatbot.
5) Industry Accreditations
You should show any industry accreditations or certifications your business has. For example, care companies should show if they’re CQC approved and gas engineers should show they’re Gas Safe registered. All accreditations you show should be up to date and fully accurate.
An article published by Venuez stated that International Standards like ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 enhance brand trust and prestige [5]. If your business has any relevant accreditations or certifications, show them off! The issuer of the accreditation will often have logos you can download and use on your own website.
6) A clearly visible logo
Your brand’s logo is often imprinted in people’s memory. Iconic graphics like the Nike tick flash into your mind when the name is mentioned. Linearity reported that 75% of customers recognize a brand by its logo alone [6].Having your logo on your website builds trust and can help people recall positive memories of your business. It also reassures them they’re on the correct website and not a fake one.
7) Areas you cover
Many customers prefer to shop local and support local businesses. A poll by DJS Research found that 63% of shoppers prefer shopping locally [7]. Make sure you take advantage of this on your business website.
Your website should show where your business is based, along with the towns and cities you operate in. This means website visitors can instantly see if you’re a local business and if you cover their area.
8) Recently published content and seasonal offers
When I’m browsing the web, I often see ancient websites with their last blog post being published over 5 years ago. This suggests that the business hasn’t updated their website in many years, and they may no longer be trading. Not updating your website can destroy trust and cause you to lose out on potential sales.
You should regularly publish new content and articles on your website, along with seasonal offers throughout the year. Events like Christmas are the perfect time to promote special offers on your website, and boost your sales. Forbes reported that the average lifespan of a website is just 2 years and 7 months [8]. You shouldn’t just launch your website and never update it again. Learn how to update your website yourself, or work with a web design agency who provide Website Maintenance services.
9) Fast loading times
We’ve all been on slow and clunky websites that take forever to load. It makes you feel frustrated and creates an uneasy feeling. Your website should load quickly across all devices, this will help build credibility and keep people on your website. 47% of people expect an average site to load in under 2 seconds [9]. To make your website load faster, you should compress your images and avoid having large video files which autoplay.
A professional web design agency like ourselves can help boost your website’s page speed, and ensure it’s running at maximum efficiency.
10) An “About Us” page
There is a story behind every business – your website needs to tell yours. You should add a detailed About Us page, with a description of your company and its history. It’s also useful to include profiles for your staff members, so people can get to know your team. Having a good about us page is fantastic for building trust and making your business look authentic. When someone lands on your website for the first time, they often know nothing about your company. People like to thoroughly research a business before committing to a purchase, and this vital page can boost your probability of making a sale.
Conclusion
Those are our top 10 ways of building trust with your website visitors. They are simple and effective, and we’ve found they increase conversions on our clients’ websites and help them generate revenue. There are many other factors to consider when building your website, to ensure it shows your business in a positive light. If you’re looking for a new website for your business, feel free to contact us for a chat and get a free no-obligation quote.
Thanks for reading!
References
[1] 51% Of Users Say They Would Leave A Website Marked “Not Secure” Immediately – https://comodosslstore.com/resources/51-of-users-say-they-would-leave-a-website-marked-not-secure-immediately/
[2] How Reviews And Ratings Affect Clients’ Buying Decisions – https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2024/07/11/how-reviews-and-ratings-affect-clients-buying-decisions/
[3] Why Do Faces Make The Ad More Successful? – https://www.ad-lib.io/resources/why-do-faces-make-the-ad-more-successful
[4] 75% of consumers prefer talking to actual humans for customer service – https://contactcentresummit.co.uk/briefing/75-of-consumers-prefer-talking-to-actual-humans-for-customer-service/
[5] The Role of Certifications in Enhancing Brand Credibility – https://www.venuez.dk/the-role-of-certifications-in-enhancing-brand-credibility/
[6] 130 logo statistics: design trends, influence, and business success – https://www.linearity.io/blog/logo-statistics/
[7] 63% of shoppers prefer shopping locally, according to poll – https://www.djsresearch.co.uk/RetailMarketResearchInsightsAndFindings/article/63percent-of-shoppers-prefer-shopping-locally-according-to-poll-04878
[8] Your Website’s Life Span May Be Shorter Than You Think – https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesagencycouncil/2021/03/01/your-websites-life-span-may-be-shorter-than-you-think/
[9] Website Speed Statistics: Top Picks – https://www.sitebuilderreport.com/website-speed-statistics