Can the client TRUST you?

Digital marketing consultant checks

So let's talk about trust. As you know, I'm from Poland. Here, trust is an absolutely fundamental basis of all relations — business relations as well. At the early beginning of my digital marketing path, I've seen many stories where trust went away. I've drawn my own conclusions from it.

When we are talking about TRUST, the same situation applies between your business and clients, and between your business and Google (or other algorithms). As a digital marketing consultant, I can say we have some factors that make your business worth TRUST — and it is good to know about them.

Safe surf. SSL Certificate.

I remember times when the SSL certificate was a luxury. A long time ago, there were many websites, e-commerces and online stores without HTTPS on URL lines. One day, Google announced that "every website with a form has to provide an encrypted connection between user and host". What does it mean? Simply: all URLs in which you share some data (address, card number, name, anything) should be encrypted.

Now it is easy. We have "letsencrypt" or "cloudflare" which provides free, stable and safe SSL encryption. Many hosts offer integration with "letsencrypt" for free.

Believe me, almost every website I take to my workshop desk has unsafe links without HTTPS. Sometimes it is 2%, sometimes almost 40% of total inbound links. But why?

Imagine the situation where you have some store. A client comes, picks some goods and goes to the checkout. Suddenly, they feel uncomfortable and leave your store. Never come back. Tell their friends to never come to your store. That is how it works with algorithms and your clients.

NAP data.

NAP is a shortcode for "Name, Address, Phone". It is good to show your clients, and Google, that your business is not a ghost in the clouds. It really doesn't matter whether you are offering some service or goods — your clients need to know that you are a real, credible business.

When we are talking about NAP, it is necessary to know that it is not related just to your website. Remember about Google My Business and Yellow Pages as well.

Documents.

Does your site provide documents related to GDPR policy, shipping of goods, return procedure, warranty procedure?

Yes, it should not be hidden. I prefer to do it in two ways: provide text in HTML on the website, and allow downloading documents in PDF format. It looks professional, and it is professional. This also connects to a broader compliance question — understanding your Consent Score is part of the same trust-building picture.

Awards.

Here in Poland, it is a huge problem. We are still learning to be proud of our success. Some people that offer a service — for example, a haircut — win awards like "best haircut place in the city". Why not inform clients: "hey, you are in the best place nearby"? It is very important to be the best, and to let your clients know about it.

E-A-T it.

Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is a special algorithm that is related to YMYL (Your Money Your Life). YMYL is about websites for money and health categories. But E-A-T touches all websites.

Imagine a highly professional music store. A lot of the best quality pianos, and in a special exhibition wardrobe you present the Stradivarius Violin. A client comes to your store, and the selling team knows nothing about music and instruments. They know just the product ID and price. Sounds familiar?

Is there any argument for duplicating those mistakes in your e-commerce? I don't think so. Write the blog, some info pages. Let your client believe that you are a real high authority in your field.

Social proof.

Another way to improve your authoritativeness is by collecting any kind of social proof arguments: certificates, public speech, references. It is especially worthwhile in the YMYL business (finance, law, health, medicine, money). The deeper picture of why this matters is captured in why we must not outsource trust in digital marketing — trust is not a one-time checkbox, it is a long-term strategy.

In conclusion:

It is a very short look at the trust theme in online business. I believe trust is not something to get once — it is something worth taking care of. Finally, when you get a new lead and it transforms into a relationship, it is good to thank your new business partner for the trust that has been given to you.

So thanks a lot for the trust, and for reading this text to the end. I'm sure it helped a bit to take a new look at your website and how you drive new relations in online business.