Are Secure "Seals" Worth Getting? (e.g. McAfee, Norton, Truste, Thawte, BBB, etc...)

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e-Hustler
Dec 5, 2009
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Are Secure "Seals" Worth Getting? (e.g. McAfee, Norton, Truste, Thawte, BBB, etc...)

Do you guys bother with getting secure seals on your sites, even if you're just capturing leads and not 'selling' anything? Also, which ones do you recommend? I would rather not have to pay hundreds of dollars for a seal unless there is some serious conversion increase that comes with it...

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Yes, there is conversion increases. There are seals out there that are pretty cheap... Trustguard, etc...

I would fake it at first to test and the add as you see fit. Hell, even a 128Bit Logo or make up your own "DigitalHackerProof" seal should do the trick.

Obviosuly the ones with brand recognition will work the best.
 
I don't think that it is ever a bad thing that a trust indicator is present on a page. You have made the page for a reason, so why not try to create a higher level of trust with your visitors.

The only way to know is to test, so as mentioned above run a quick test with some on there even as an image of a trust seal to see if there is any positive increase.

Many of these seals boast that they will raise your conversion level, so for you just determine the KPI you want to raise and see if it is positively affected. Many of the ones in the image above have refund or risk free trials:

https://www.verasafe.com/noriskguarantee is one i found a minute
 
In the long run its probably cheaper to build a website based on a template and have boatburner design a custom seal.

As long as it looks nice. I'm surprised no one has come up with a "seo excellence" website seal.
 
I've read more than once that once that trust seals can increase conversions by a couple of percentage points (which is huge.) Brand recognition of trust seal definitely helps.

With that said, use your damn brain and split test before buying. No one ever clicks on the things anyway.
 
I think I have 2 or so McAfee seals unused with 1 year left if you're interested.. they're def. the most $$ in that group, I think I can change sites quickly too so you could just test if you wanted...
 
It does make a difference... a very small one.

BBB Logo - $199
VeriSign Logo - $399 for SSL

I tested this maybe 5 years ago. It resulted in <5% CVR increase.

Is $600 worth a 5% bump in CVR?

I recommend testing each seal first then deciding if it's worth buying. Prominent of the seal is key.
 
The only time that I could see it not being good is if you went with a BBB logo, then people were clicking which is just leakage.

However, if your site has done its job and they are clicking to find out about your reputation ( assuming you have a good rating ) then their secondary research into you or your sites product (or whatever) would have them further down the funnel.
 
No thanks.

BBB logo, + A+ rating photoshoped in, lol. not paying $x,xxx to get "accredited" by a scam itself..

SSL cert, worth it. $150/year basic one to help secure driver's lic, SS #, etc. Must have. Mostly just to "attempt" to protect the consumer, so we don't get sued.

Tempted to split test my own logos. Secured by, "WFT Cone Certification". "Protecting your private information deep inside the web".
 
Stop being a broke ass and just by the damn seal. It will increase your conversions. If you can't afford the real thing then create a fake one. Why do you think all of the top offers use it... because it doesn't work?

Fuck I'm sick of these threads.
 
Brand names (ie products like SONY, MICROSOFT etc)
Press (ie Featured in New York Times, CNN etc)
Awards (ie INC 500, etc)
Security seals etc...

...put them DIRECTLY by your registration form or whatever action they are to complete on the page. That is my advice to you. Nobody looks at the bottom of landing pages, so don't bury them in the footer like most do. They also don't 'stick' in consumers minds, meaning top of landing page is no good either because they forget about it once they read something else. Don't remember the study but it said put it right by your form to increase trust at the point where they are deciding to give you information.
 
Its not exactly a trust signal but has anyone tested the effects of setting the facebook like button verb to "recommend" then buying a bunch of likes and placing it near forms?
 
BBB+ and Mcafee are the only ones that ever worked for me. For a trust seal to have any noticeable impact on conversion it needs to be a brand that lots of people recognize and trust.
 
This is probably one of the most secure seals you're going to find. Not sure what it costs though.

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