If you have an e-commerce website or you’re looking to get one so you can sell digital or physical products or services, the easiest way for it to grow and become successful is to make a website that’s secure and easy to use but, more importantly, trustworthy.
If you plan to start from scratch and want to know the basics, you’ve come to the right place. Here is everything you need to know about creating a trustworthy e-commerce website in 2024.
Top tips for creating a trustworthy e-commerce website
Anyone considering creating an e-commerce website that sells a range of legally permitted digital or physical products or services should consider using these valuable tips.
Each tip is designed to help increase trust in your brand, maximise customer loyalty, enhance transparency in your legitimacy, and boost revenue:
- Start by choosing a trustworthy, sensible, and catchy brand and domain name (one that’s easy to remember, fun, and creative)
- Develop a secure website and get it verified by the appropriate accredited authority/agency or commission. For example, if you launch a Casino Online, you want to make sure it’s fully licensed and regulated and has the seal of approval from a trusted online casino testing agency, such as eCOGRA
- Similarly, show that your business is trustworthy, honest, and transparent by getting it vetted and accredited by a globally renowned non-profit organisation that specialises in vetting businesses, like the BBB (Better Business Bureau)
- Enhance website security by obtaining a 128-bit or higher SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption certificate
- Use only secure and well-known payment processing gateways (e.g., PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, etc.), and don’t forget to display their logos so people know how they can purchase things on your website
- Enhance trustworthiness by having a reliable returns policy and money-back guarantee policy and displaying these badges on your website
Doing all of this can help enhance transparency in your e-commerce website and foster a sense of trust in your brand. It will give your customers more confidence to complete the purchase.
Customers who have easily found the items/services they were looking for and managed to purchase easily in a secure environment are more likely to return to your website in the future or tell others about your website.
What else can I do when creating a trustworthy e-commerce website?
You may also want to think about displaying ‘social proof’ on your website. In other words, include as much proof of previous sales as possible.
Examples include displaying UGC (user-generated content), reviews, feedback, videos, images/photos, and ratings. It can help build a positive reputation for your business and give potential customers more confidence to purchase from your website.
Another important thing you also need to consider is to provide friendly, responsive, and professionally trained customer support, where your support agents are on standby 24/7 via email, toll-free telephone or live chat to answer any questions they may have about their account, the website or your products/services.
They must demonstrate high levels of customer service and be able to resolve any technical issues they may be encountering at any point during their experience on your website.
Try to respond to negative and positive reviews and use testimonials that can give your customers an unbiased view of your brand/website to boost credibility.
Final thoughts
There is an art to creating and maintaining a trustworthy e-commerce website, and it’s essential that you get everything right to stay one step ahead of your competition.
Finally, don’t forget that the terms and conditions (the legal agreement between your customers and your business) and general policies you display on your website must be written clearly and concisely.
Your Ts and Cs mustn’t be confusing. They will provide them with all the important information they need about purchasing from your website, returns policies, copyright information, payment methods, data privacy laws, restrictions/limitations, delivery timeframes, and more.
Also, don’t forget to provide a reliable ‘contact us’ page and ‘about us’ page to give your customers a better insight into your business and build their trust so they feel more secure and have the confidence to spend money on your website.