If you'd like to have higher sales or downloads or sign ups from your website - whatever it is - then you're asking people to take a risk on you by giving you their time, effort and money. But they'll only take that risk if you've answered their questions - voiced or otherwise - and if they've seen the right trust signals. So here are fifteen questions you need to answer on your site that will help them feel confident enough to take that risk. There might be more questions for your particular audience but these are the essentials.

1. 15 WAYS
TO BUILD TRUST ONLINE
@LeeCarnihan
Photo by Graeme Maclean https://www.flickr.com/photos/gee01/871781364/

2. IN SHORT...

3. MAKE IT QUICK
Photo by anvay nakade https://www.flickr.com/photos/anvancy/2930282653/

4. MAKE IT EASY
Photo by Steve Snodgrass https://www.flickr.com/photos/stevensnodgrass/3990957354/

5. MAKE IT SAFE
Photo by Habeebee https://www.flickr.com/photos/almodozo/4502672422/in/photostream/

6. AND ALWAYS...

7. EASE OUR FEARS
Photo by Max Sparber, https://www.flickr.com/photos/ventriloblog/

8. IT’S THAT SIMPLE in concept but it’s not so
easy to achieve in reality. Trust means different
things to different people of course and there’s
no one-size-fits-all solution. But! There is a list
of 15 things common to us all.

9. HERE THEY ARE...

10. Prior Experience Counts
1. Do I recognise your brand and have a good
association with it? Do my friends, family and peers?
2. Have I bought from you before and what was that
experience like? Has anyone else I know?

11. Understanding your Offer
3. How quickly and easily can I find and understand your offer and compare
it to similar offers, either from you or your competitors?
4. Will I gain any public / private kudos from buying from you in particular?
5. Will your offer actually solve my problem and pain? How quickly and
easily will it do that?
6. How much are you asking me to risk in time, effort, money and status?
7. Are you offering any incentives to lessen the risk or sweeten the deal?

12. Understanding your Offer Continued...
8. How quickly and easily can I get a question answered about the offer?
9. Will I be locked into any kind of contract or subscription? Will I have to
remember to cancel it?
10. How quickly and easily can I get the goods, or return them and get a
refund, repair, exchange or replacement?
11. How quickly and easily can I find out who you are and where you’re
from? Will you abide by the social customs and laws of my culture and
country?

13. The Actual Buying
12. How secure, quick and easy is it for me to pay? Do I have to create an
account or can I buy as a guest? How quickly and easily can I do that?
Will I get confirmation you received my money?
13. What are you going to do with my data? Are you going to sell it to
mysterious “third parties”? Are you going to bug me with lots of
marketing messages after I pay?
14. Am I going to have to log in to “manage my communication
preferences” or can I just unsubscribe with one click?
15. Who do I contact with questions and how quickly will I get an answer?

14. REMEMBER...

15. TRUST IS NOT EARNED OVERNIGHT
Photo by Dobi, https://www.flickr.com/photos/dobs/

16. WHICH MEANS YOU NEED TO
MEET YOUR CUSTOMERS AT
LEAST HALF WAY AND MAKE IT...

17. QUICK, EASY & SAFE
FOR THEM TO BUY INTO YOU
AND FROM YOU

18. AND IF YOU DON’T, THEY CAN
ALWAYS CLICK OFF, AND ONTO
YOUR COMPETITOR’S SITE.

19. IT’S UP TO YOU
Photo by Kathleen Conklin, https://www.flickr.com/photos/ktylerconk/

20. I’m Lee. I love digital. What do you love?
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● You might also like:
THE PRINCIPLES OF GREAT DESIGN
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WHO AM I?