
Let’s say you really want to buy something – a new leather jacket, a video game console, a vacation package, whatever. This can be illustrated by an effect known as “zero-risk bias,” a cognitive bias that makes people prefer scenarios and situations in which there is the complete elimination of all risk, such as ironclad money-back guarantees and no-obligation free trials, even if other available choices actually offer less risk, such as buying the desired item from another more established, trusted retailer for a slightly higher price.Ĭonfirmation bias is another powerful motivator that can be amplified by trust signals.

If we’ve already decided to buy something, anything that will make us feel better about our decision can be a powerful motivator, especially for big-ticket items. This type of trust signal is very broad and encompasses several different types of trust signal, each of which can help prospects feel better about doing business with you. Authenticity is key to the success of this kind of trust signal. If you’re considering using this type of trust signal, be sure that the individual’s name and identity are easily verifiable – don’t use anonymized reviews that anybody could have written, and don’t use composites of several people.


Other sites opt to include customer feedback via social media. Some sites favor industry-insider recommendations, as seen in the example from email marketing firm AWeber above. Plus, social signals can indirectly improve your SEO.

Like guarantees, social proof trust signals can be powerfully persuasive, as few things are more compelling to prospective customers than positive feedback, great reviews, and general positivity about a product or brand from “real” people. This category of trust signal includes everything from customer reviews such as those seen on sites like Yelp, to word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied customers and industry experts. Example of a “social proof” trust signal in the form of customer testimonials, as used by email marketing firm AWeber
