Building brand trust and credibility with your business web design should be a number one priority. Once credibility and brand trust have been built, your other business objectives will be achieved more easily.

If you have ever looked for goods or services online, checked out a website from an unknown company and quickly abandoned the page as it looked sketchy or unrepresentative of a brand's identity and ethos, you're not alone.

Now that there are more online options than ever for consumers, it is not only enough to provide the best products and services. You must also build a brand identity that stands out from the rest and lets your customers know who you are and what you stand for.

This article will cover seven top ways to build brand trust and credibility via online web design. It is so much more than just a pretty user navigation system! When you project a cohesive brand identity into the world, your customers will place more trust in you. The slightest hints of uncertainty will cost you some if not all sales. 

1. MAKE YOUR WEBSITE EASY TO NAVIGATE

Successful business web design revolves around user-friendly interfaces and simple layouts. Just like when you meet a person for the first time, they have seven seconds to make a good impression, your layout and web design will be the first thing your potential customers see.

Whether the visitor found you through a sponsored ad or a Google search, they will quickly exit a badly designed outdated website. On top of staying on trends, ensure your business web design is consistent with your advertising and marketing campaigns.​

2. UTILISE REVIEWS AND TESTIMONIALS AS CREDIBILITY INDICATORS

Many business owners make the mistake of believing their products and services will sell themselves in the digital era of retail. It is a costly assumption. When a brand-new visitor arrives on your site, they won't know you, as a brand, from Adam. The onus is on you to educate them about your brand by leaving clues to your credibility.

Testimonial galleries on your website are an effective way to build credibility. As, astonishingly, over 90% of people trust an online testimonial from a stranger as much as they would trust a recommendation from a friend. Always choose testimonials that allude to product or service quality and details of the customer experience. Tools, such as SwiftPak, can help to give your potential customers a view into third-party review sites, without the need for your customer to abandon your business web page.

3. SHOWCASE SOCIAL PROOF

If you have a strong social media following on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or Twitter, flaunt it on your web page to build brand trust. Instead of adding a button link, or asking your visitors to follow you on your socials, make your website viewers feel like they are missing out by not following you. If you have an impressive number of followers on any platform, disclose it in a statement such as "Join our 50,000 followers on Instagram".

If there is work to be done in your social proof area, when it comes to starting to amass a following, late is better than never. Always play to your niche and market. For example, if you sell highly visual products, use Instagram to build a following. If your products are best exhibited in short video clips, turn to TikTok. 

4.  USE YOUR BUSINESS WEBSITE AS A TROPHY CABINET

If you have picked up any awards, accolades or impressive partnerships since your company was established, showcase any recognition you have attained. Find the right balance between making them stand out and not showing off in a distasteful way. Many businesses opt to place industry awards, logos of brand partners and SSL certificates on the footer of the main landing page.​

5. CONTENT IS KEY

New clients and customers appreciate transparency. If you are as upfront and open as possible through well-written and error-free content, customers will feel better about sharing their personal information with you. Here are a few key things your business website should incorporate.

• An accessible and easy-to-read privacy policy.
• An about us page to cover brand history, personality, and values.
• A contact page with a phone number, address, and online contact options.

6. CUSTOMERS VALUE COHESION AND CONSISTENCY

If you can't make your business website cohesive and consistent, your potential customers will never trust you to offer quality across all your products. When creating each page on your website, keep your tone of voice, choice of fonts, colour palettes and designs consistent.

Keeping the menu and navigation buttons in the same place and format will make the customer experience more seamless and less frustrating. Whereas ensuring your logo is constantly visible and using colour palettes that reflect the logo will help to strengthen your brand identity – just by your potential customer browsing your website. 

7. AUTHENTIC IMAGES INSTEAD OF STOCK IMAGERY

Everyone knows stock imagery when they see it. It can be cold, soulless and can almost feel clinical. Image is everything, but it must be authentic. Instead of using stock images that don't tell a story, build credibility by sharing professional photos. The placement of images is just as important as the quality.

For example, for your About Us page, use group and individual images of your team. For your location page, flaunt your company culture. Spread your product images across social media and your website homepage, in addition to product pages. For the best results, hire a photographer with access to a studio setting, and make sure they fully understand your brand! 

WEB DESIGN GOLD COAST

Building trust and credibility online is an essential investment for your business and one of the most effective ways to do this is in your web design. Trust is the foundation of a positive user experience and can significantly impact user engagement, conversions, and customer loyalty.  Hopefully, through this article, we have shown you how strong bold and credible brand identity is for the success of your business in an era when online retail and digital presence is king.

Boost your online presence with our web design Gold Coast services.  We've been helping small to medium sized businesses grow online since 2009.