Could this Simple Change Build Website Visitor Trust?

A recent study conducted by BrightLocal set out to find if images are a powerful trust factor on local business websites. Take a minute to stop and consider BrightLocal’s reasoning:

Consumers arriving at a website may not be actively looking for photos of a business, but a picture speaks a 1,000 words and images convey a lot about a business and the people who run it and work there.

In order to find out if images do in fact build trust BrightLocal showed participants a series of 3 screenshots that resembled local business websites. Each website was identical except for the image used on it. The image options were:

1. Genuine photo of a business owner
2. Generic product or office photo
3. No photo or image

The results found that nearly 80% of participants trusted the website with a photo of the staff, generic product or office location more than the website without any photos.

The Simple Change for Your Website

Add a photo of yourself, your staff, your office or some of your services to instill more trust and confidence in your website visitors.

Other Key Insights About Website Images and Trust

• Different types of businesses see varying results from the types of images they place on their websites.
• If your customers come to your place of business then a picture of your office or site can build trust.
• If your office isn’t particularly attractive, consider using  staff photos and generic images.
• If you are a service-based business, such as a dentist or plumber, where your staff plays a big role in providing a good experience consider adding pictures of your employees.
• A generic picture of your services (such as a faucet for a plumber or toothbrush for a dentist) can instill trust by instantly sending the message that you do indeed offer what they are looking for.

If you do decide to add some images to your website don’t forget about proper image optimization for SEO! Ask us more about how to do this by emailing us  or calling us at 1-888-262-6687.

If you’re interested in seeing our team’s faces visit our Meet the Team page!

Carissa Krause

Carissa Krause is a Digital Marketing and Project Specialist at 1st on the List. Over the last 12+ years she has worked in our Abbotsford office with clients on a wide range of projects that include areas like local SEO, project reporting, backlink profile review, content development, strategic planning, and more. Whatever the project may be Carissa focuses on achieving greater efficiencies and putting plans into action. When away from her desk you’ll likely find her drinking all the coffee while sitting on the floor driving cars with her two young boys. Learn more about Carissa.

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