“If people like you they will listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.”—Zig Ziglar

I’m sure that most of us have heard of the know, like, trust factor which is all about how you build a relationship with your community.

To want to work with you, potential clients need to KNOW who you are. They also need to feel a connection and LIKE you. But the most important part of this equation is TRUST.

For someone to take the plunge and spend money to work with you, they need to trust you. They need to trust that you are who you say you are and that you can do what you say you can do.

They need to trust and believe that you genuinely care about their success and aren’t just in it for the money. This is especially true if you offer high-ticket services as your potential clients view the risk factor as greater.

By the way, I’m not saying that there is anything wrong with making money, we are in business after all! But no client wants to feel like when you’re looking at them all you see is dollar signs!

Your website can help you build that Know, Like, and TRUST relationship.

Imagine potential clients being ready to work with you even before they hop on a sales or discovery call with you! You can have this by creating a website that builds trust, which will help do more of the selling for you.

Let’s dive into my four-part framework for building trust with your ideal clients!

Step 1 – Show Your Authority – Start with the About Page

The About page is one of the most visited pages on any website because people want to know who they are working with. There are some key things that you should include on your About page that can really help build trust.

Your Expertise – Mention your years of experience, degrees, or certifications in your field. (They aren’t required to be considered an expert in your field but if you have them show them off!) Your story can also show why you’re qualified to teach and speak in your chosen niche. This post How to Show Your Expertise on Your Website digs into this deeper.

Your Trustworthiness – Display testimonials but not just any kind! Aim to get testimonials from your clients that really focus on the transformation they experience when working with you. Include reviews from reputable platforms like Google, Facebook, or Yelp.

Your Authority – Showcase where you’ve been featured, such as articles on authority websites, guest posts, and podcast interviews. Including these things shows that your peers see you as an authority in your niche.

You! – Include headshots and a section about your values. People want to see who they’ll be working with. Headshots also show that you are a real person and create a connection. Including your values also helps create a connection with your audience and can help you attract like-minded clients who resonate with your mission and vision.

Step 2 – Social Proof

First off, why does social proof matter? 85% of customers trust online reviews and testimonials as much as personal recommendations – that’s why! Including various forms of social proof on your website can significantly increase trust.

You can learn more about social proof and the different types of it, in my post Why you need Social Proof for your Coaching Website, and How to Get it.

Where to Include Testimonials

Everywhere! While some people will say to have a page on your website dedicated to testimonials, I recommend sprinkling your testimonials throughout your website. Especially on your main pages like Home, About, Work With Me, and Contact pages.

You also want to include testimonials on landing pages for your free offers and on your sales pages for your services or digital products.

Step 3: Security and Accessibility

88% of online consumers are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience. So we want to ensure your visitors feel secure and have a good experience on your site.

Make Your Potential Clients Feel More Secure in Working With You

• Be sure you have an SSL Certificate – Check for a padlock icon next to your URL. If it’s missing, contact your host to get an SSL certificate.
• Research to Determine which Policies you need for your website -These would include privacy policies, cookie policy, terms of conditions, and refund policies. Consider using Rocket Lawyer for templates.
• Guarantees – This isn’t a must but consider offering money-back guarantees on your high-ticket courses. This can reduce the risk factor for potential clients. A trial period for services can also work as the client will only be out what they paid for the trial if they decide your services aren’t a good fit for them.
• Security Plugins – If you’re on WordPress, definitely install a security plugin. WordFence has a great free option. I also really like the premium version of Malcare if you need more than what the free version of WordFence provides.

Get Started with Accessibility

Accessibility means making sure that everyone, including people with disabilities like hearing or vision impairments or mobility impairments, can use and benefit from your content, services, or products.

As someone whose values are rooted in faith, I know you value compassion, respect, and community too. When you make accessibility a priority, you are demonstrating those values for your community.

And by making your content accessible, you can reach a broader audience. People who might have been excluded due to disabilities are now able to benefit from your coaching!

Keep in mind that in many places, there are laws requiring accessibility in online and physical spaces. Making your offerings accessible fulfills these legal obligations and demonstrates a commitment to ethical business practices.

Be sure to read this guest post from Emily Davison as it will help you get started with accessibility.

Step 4: Strategic Web Design

75% of people say that a website’s credibility is influenced by its design. It takes just 2.6 seconds for a user to decide whether they like or dislike a website based on its landing page. So you can see how important good design is to your website’s success.

But before the beautiful design comes the website strategy.

A strategic web design looks at your business goals and uses design to help you meet those goals. It dives into your current website issues and solves those problems. And it takes everything we’ve talked about – showcasing your authority, social proof, security, and accessibility and turns it into a cohesive design.

There is a lot that goes into a website strategy, but this post about maximizing your website’s potential to book more clients is a good place to start.

I hope you’ve learned how essential building trust is to attracting and retaining your dream clients. Get started by implementing these steps, and let your website do more of the work for you!