Summary

Credibility is one of the eight criteria put forward by Némery & Brangier (2014), in a scientific article presenting the guidelines of persuasive interfaces.

Introduction

Credibility is related to the user’s ability to trust your product or brand. Credibility and trust are important decision factors. The success of your website depends on your credibility.

Discover in this article, how to create a more trustworthy site.

First impressions do count. Especially online. If a user doesn’t trust your website, no amount of persuasion will make that feeling go away.

The Nielsen Norman Group reports a study that users will leave your site in 10 to 20 seconds if you fail to prove your value. To gain several minutes of user attention, you must establish credibility and clearly communicate your offer.

Provide users with enough information to identify the information source as reliable, relevant, expert, and trustworthy.

Visitors tend to view sites that display relevant and engaging information as more credible. The elements to pay attention to when writing content are therefore relevance and clarity of information.

When navigating, it is not useful to overload the user with excessive information or to include overly complicated text.

A study from Stanford University in the United States examines what criteria make a Web site credible in the eyes of its visitors. According to this study, nearly half of the users find that the visual appearance of a Web site is the central element to evaluate the reliability of a company.

Good aesthetics and intuitive usability are the two basic ingredients to build trust. Indeed, good usability inspires trust, and attractive visual increases the desire to use the site or application.

To gain the trust of users, companies display their customer references on their websites. The notoriety of the customers allows gaining credibility.

Displaying customers’ opinions for marketing purposes – “Social proof” is what psychologists call this phenomenon, which is also the basis for testimonials on company websites. A website with “social proof” is more credible. 

Are you the best in your field? Then prove it! Credible companies proudly display their work. This is because potential customers want to see what you have successfully implemented so far. Social proof helps create an environment of trust. This has also been statistically proven: according to a survey conducted by IFOP, 88% of consumers consult online reviews before making a purchase.

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