Saturday, June 6, 2009

Website Privacy Seals - Do They Work?

It is already been proven, time and time again, that website privacy seals work effectively and always produce concrete results. As opposed to a website with no displayed seal on their website, companies who do use website seals generally do get a dramatic increase in their email signups or sales (unless there is something very wrong with their website) simply because a third party has "approved" their website and allowed them to display certified seal.

How and why do website privacy seals work to improve your general conversions? It really is quite simple. It offers a solution to the undying problem that crops up for businesses that sell goods or services online - cautious customers. A useful purpose for privacy seals is adding them to a page where you want users to sign up to your newsletter, or hand over private information. A Privacy seal immediately tells them you aren't out to scam them and do not intend on ever handing over their information to anyone. In other words - instant credibility.

In the online world, customers find it harder to spend their money on a transaction than when in a physical shop. Why? They don't see the business proprietor, or even just a smiling and assuring cashier manning the store. What they see is a very impersonal and unresponsive webpage chockfull of sales pitches. It can even be oppressive and discouraging for some to read. Whenever you try and direct visitors to an order page or a page where they need to enter in private details, there's always that fear that their money or information is going somewhere where they can't see and might be spread around the Internet or lost forever. They fear that the website they are dealing with might be nothing more than a fraudulent website that won't keep their end of the deal. And with loads of scammers out and about online, buyer cannot really be too sure about their own online buying security.

Statistically, many businesses lose their customers right before they are about to sell something. It's that blank email field or order button that invites them to hand over their information which strikes a bad chord. Customers are inputting very sensitive information after all, and on an order page for example, that key "I want to buy" decision can change even at the last minute. This problem of security and privacy is certainly a big cause of concern for online shoppers.

The solution to get these buyers on your team is to build up buyer confidence in your website. If they believe that you will keep your end of your deal and that you will not give their personal information to other corporations or agencies, then there will be a bigger chance that they will do business with you or hand over their information. That is the simple solution offered by companies that award web privacy and security seals.

But how do you go about it getting one?

Firstly, you have to apply for certification. Now caution is required here. There are only a few good certified seal providers - the rest are ignored by knowledgeable customers and can even have a detrimental affect on your sales or signups because it can look like you using a cheap knock off that does no certification but is "good enough" for your customers. Once you find a good certified seal provider (one provided below), they'll test your site for any kinks or holes in security if you are applying for security seal, or for any indiscretions in how you handle user data, if applying for a privacy seal. A good, reputable web seal company will do a thorough scan of your website and award you with the seal you applied for generally within two days.

People generally want feedback from others who have tried a product they themselves are considering to buy in order to know if it's worth their money. Testimonials exist for this reason, but web certification seals are a step above from commonly faked testimonials - which buyers have caught onto. Website seals come from neutral third-party companies that have the sole goal of providing web users assurances of which web site they should trust and buy from. Your business, in turn, benefits from their credibility boosting endorsement as they don't offer it to anyone, hence it builds trust and will help make your website become a success!

Want the best website seal on the Market for your website? Proven to boost sales? Start your 14 day FREE Website Seal trial today!

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