Website visitors form an opinion about your website (whether they like it or dislike it, whether they’ll leave or stay) in just 50 milliseconds, according to one source.
Some sources claim you have 15 seconds to build trust with website visitors. Others claim you have 10 seconds.
Whatever the case – 10 seconds, 15 seconds, or 50 milliseconds – you don’t have much time to build trust with the people who arrive on your website.
They click, they look, and they leave just as fast…
Or they stay, they browse, and they buy (maybe).
That millisecond decision all comes down to whether your website is set up to build trust or not. So here are three dead-simple ways to build immediate trust on your website.
1. Add a credibility bar
A credibility bar is a quick, at-a-glance way to build trust with your website visitors.
But what should you put on the credibility bar?
Well, it’s really up to you and what your business has accomplished. On the high road, you can use logos of publications your company has been featured on or market-familiar businesses you’ve worked with. If you’re a new business with fewer achievements under your belt, then you can use accreditation, review badges, or other certifications – similar to what Nexus Homebuyers does on their website for instance.
Credibility bars don’t just work on B2C or B2B websites. They work on all kinds of websites. Here’s even an example of one in action for BalingWireDirect, a blue-collar company that sells baling wire.
This is a quick-and-easy way to add credibility to any website. Regardless of how old your business is or how much experience you have, you can create a credibility bar that builds trust and keeps visitors right where you want them – on your website.
2. Spotlight a video testimonial
Video marketers drive 64% more qualified leads than their video-less counterparts and 94% of businesses see video as an effective tool.
Businesses love video and so do those businesses’ customers and clients.
You’re probably already familiar with the power of compelling testimonials on your website, so why not combine the power of video and customer testimonials and create a video testimonial to put on your website?
That’s what ReadyForZero does, for instance, on their Who It Helps page.
You can do the same thing. Just choose a happy customer you’ve worked with and either do an interview-style testimonial video or have them record a testimonial on their own and send it over to you. The quality of the video doesn’t really matter (big-budget or small). What matters is that someone that your website visitors can relate to is vouching for your business.
3. Say something impressive
This strategy is for those of you who have a few wins under your belt. You’ve built a successful business and the market loves your product. And you have something impressive to talk about.
Look, one of the fastest ways to build trust with website visitors immediately is to impress them. How do I know? Because if I see someone’s Facebook profile picture and in it, they’re giving Tony Robbins a hug, I immediately think they’re an expert at whatever they do.
Heck, they know Tony Robbins, they must be an expert (or so the thinking goes).
Consulting.com, for instance, uses the fact that they’ve helped 24 people become millionaires, 453 people get to 6 figures, and 3,751 people quit their jobs to build immediate trust on their website.
And Carrot (the company I work for) uses the fact that they’ve generated more than one million leads for real estate professionals do the talking.
The point is, saying something impressive builds trust with visitors faster than almost anything else. It proves that your product works and that people can count on you to do what you say you’re going to do – the very thing that ultimately decides whether people are going to trust you… or leave your website.
Guest author: Lover of all things communication – speaking, writing, and listening – Mike helps businesses create significant, consistent and valuable pieces of content. You can join his email list for entrepreneurs at Booktrep.