After all, data breaches and hacking incidents are becoming an all too regrettable occurrence for numerous high-profile companies in recent years. For this reason, more and more online consumers want reassurances that the websites they buy from won’t compromise their personal details. So, with this in mind, how can you make your brand more trustworthy online?
Certifications
The safeguard most consumers look for when purchasing products online will be the letter 's' after 'http' on the site’s URL. This means that the site uses a Secure Socket Layer, which encrypts buyer information. Any reputable hosting solution, such as 100TB Cloud Servers, will feature this security measure.
Another certification that can boost consumer confidence is displaying a shield or badge from security companies such as VeriSign, GeoTrust, and Thawte. These organisations offer full authentication and encryption between 40-bit and 128-bit, but be aware that 256-bit certificates are now becoming the norm.
PCI Compliance
In order for your website to even accept credit cards as a payment method, it must pass Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance testing. The PCI attempts to reassure online consumers that everything is being done to protect their personal details.
Complying with the PCI Data Security Standard is somewhat essential if you want to compete online. However you can work with third-party processing sites to make sales easier, although this could cause additional security stumbling blocks.
Payment options
With several companies unable to keep the credit and debit card details of their customers safe over the past year or so, an increasing number of consumers want to purchase products online using alternative payment options.
Therefore, it is well worth adopting services like PayPal, which enables customers to shop at multiple sites without having to enter and share their credit or debit card details every single time.
Redirects
Whenever a SSL certificate expires, which then delivers a notification to the consumer informing them that their information could be at risk if they proceed with the purchase, you could lose out on a valuable sale.
The same can be said for redirects too, as another warning will appear from the SSL certificate authority. Unfortunately, consumers can get spooked if they need to leave your site to complete a purchase, even if it is due to a third-party’s processing site, so avoid redirects when possible.
Content
Along with the aforementioned security measures, you can also make your website appear more trustworthy through content. A coherent yet captivating layout will let visitors know that you are professional and proficient from the get-go.
You should also be certain that product, delivery, and contact information are all up to date. If not, some customers might think that you stopped caring or trading a long time ago and won’t end up making a purchase.