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in SEO

Safe Checkout Boosts Conversions

February 5, 2023
Matt Culloty
Posted by Written By Matt Culloty

Do you run or own an eCommerce business or site? If so, you need to hear this.

Many eCommerce businesses struggle with generating the sales and conversions they’d like to have. Why? The answer is simple — shoppers don’t trust these businesses.

Trust can make or break your relationships with online buyers. For this reason, you need to prove that you’re a legit business that has dialed in its checkout game with a guaranteed safe checkout badge.

A guaranteed safe checkout badge sets you apart from many eCommerce businesses. It tells your shoppers that you’ve done everything to make checkouts and payments safe, secure, and legit.

With a guaranteed safe checkout badge on all your landing and product pages, you’ll be converting people into paying customers.

Now, you might be wondering what the badge means and what it takes to get one. This article will answer these questions and more. Stick around and keep reading.

Guaranteed Safe Checkout Badge

What the Guaranteed Safe Checkout Badge Represents

A guaranteed safe checkout SSL badge is one of several safety badges. What makes a guaranteed safe checkout badge particularly valuable is what it represents.

It’s a sign that your checkout processes are secure from hackers and other cybersecurity threats. Most importantly, it’s an indicator that you’ve passed several checks.

By passing checks complying with safety standards, your site will receive an SSL certificate. An SSL (secure socket layer) certificate proves that your site operates on a secure network that hackers can’t exploit.

In essence, the guaranteed safe checkout badge lets customers know that they can safely provide you with relevant payment information without fear of being ripped off. 

This is key for raising the conversion rate on your eCommerce site as it helps the customer develop a sense of trust in your brand. The more a consumer can trust your brand, the more likely they will be to use your products & services.

Why the Guaranteed Safe Checkout Badge is Important

There are two main reasons why the guaranteed safe checkout badge is essential. 

First of all, it protects your customer’s information.

Every day, thousands of hackers step online with one goal in mind. Steal as much information as possible. Infact, roughly 2,220 cyber attacks occur every day, that’s 1 attack every 39 seconds. 

These malevolent hackers scour the web looking for any sort of weakness that they can exploit to steal customer information. This includes the information on your website.

As business owners, it is our duty to make sure that customer information stays safe and secure. 

The best way to do this? Implementing guaranteed safe checkout. 

The second reason why the safe checkout badge is important is that it builds trust and increases conversions. 

According to the Baymard Institute, 18% of consumers abandoned their carts at checkout due to needing to feel more comfortable trusting the site with their credit card information.

Most likely, these sites either forgot to display their badge, or simply have not implemented guaranteed safe checkout on their websites. 

Eighteen percent is no small number. That is a huge portion of the potential sales on your website. So, if you have yet to implement guaranteed safe checkout, you are letting dollars slip down the drain. 

We at 7ten urge you to take the first step in building customer trust, enable guaranteed safe checkout, and start recapturing that lost revenue today!

What It Takes To Get a Guaranteed Safe Checkout Badge

The first step in acquiring a safe checkout is to make sure that you have an SSL certificate installed on your site. 

An SSL certificate secures your website from hackers and signals to both Google and consumers that your website is safe to visit.

You may have noticed that most reputable websites have the HTTPS prefix in front of their url, instead of simply HTTP. The extra S stands for secure and means that the website has an SSL certificate installed. 

As stated above, this is helpful for not only customers, but Google too!

In recent years, Google has mentioned that having your website under HTTPS instead of the boilerplate HTTP is a ranking factor, meaning that Google will provide priority ranking to websites that ensure your connection is secure. 

If two sites are entirely identical, but one employs HTTPS, the HTTPS site will rank above the non-secured website. 

Once your site has an SSL certificate installed, the next step is to find a secure payment processing company. There are many options out there, but we will provide you with the most common solutions for eCommerce websites below.

Shopify Payment Processing

Shopify 

The simplest solution for most eCommerce sites is to build out your website on the CMS Shopify. 

Shopify is the ideal eCommerce solution and offers the ability to integrate with over 100 payment gateways

If you are new to web development and want a seamless and easy process for setting up secure payments, Shopify is the way to go. 

If you do choose to use Shopify as your eCommerce payment processing solution, follow the video below for the easiest way to add guaranteed safe checkout badges to your site.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z9CFMOEnW4
PayPal Payment Processing

PayPal

Paypal is one of the most commonly used payment gateways for eCommerce websites. It is available in 203 countries, accepts almost all major credit cards, and has a small processing fee of 3.49% + $0.49 (fixed)

Stripe Checkout

Stripe

Stripe is a relatively new payment processing platform, but has risen to popularity for ease of use, especially for those who use Facebook Market Place and WooCommerce. Additionally, it supports all major credit cards and boasts a lower processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30.

However, it is only available in 47 countries and is mainly used in North America and the UK. So, if your target market is outside this geographic area it may be best to go with a different platform. 

Google Checkout

Google Checkout

This platform offers a seamless and convenient experience for online shoppers in the Western region, as many individuals in the US and Europe utilize Google Wallet for their monetary needs. 

Its checkout option is not only speedy compared to other eCommerce gateways, but it is also known for its reliability. Additionally, Google Checkout deducts the lowest amount of fees as it functions as a bank account as well.

Apple Pay

Apple Pay

As a professional and user-friendly payment option, Apple Pay is a popular choice among many customers for its ease of use. This contactless payment platform accepts a variety of major credit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Union Pay, QUICPay, and Suica, making it a versatile and accessible solution for your dropshipping store. 

Please note that a payment processing fee of 1.5% plus a range of $0.25 to $15 may apply, depending on the transaction amount.

The Trust Factor

A guaranteed safe checkout badge appears on your site’s online purchase pages. These pages may be your checkout page or even your landing page. You can even front-load and let it be the first thing your online users see when they visit your site.

When users see this, they will think of several things.

First, your shoppers will recognize your business’s willingness to provide a positive buying experience. With the badge present on your landing and product pages, your online users will recognize your business as a legitimate one.

Second, your shoppers will be more comfortable buying something from your site. The presence of your guaranteed safe checkout badge will indicate safe and secure online payments. Also, because you had to earn the badge by having a secure network, your shoppers won’t worry about you potentially leaking their credit card details.

In short, the guaranteed safe checkout badge promotes better trust between your eCommerce business and online shoppers. With more trust comes less buyer friction. As we all know, the less buyer friction, the more purchases you’re likely to see.

Other Safety Badges Besides the Guaranteed Safe Checkout Badge

Having the guaranteed safe checkout badge can go a long way in promoting trust and converting prospective buyers into actual ones. However, you can maximize your chances of buyer trust and sales by having a few other SSL badges alongside your safe checkout badge.

Here are some that you may want to consider having for maximum trust and conversions.

100% Money-Back Guarantee

As the name suggests, this is a certificate or badge that tells your online shoppers that you offer refunds. Of course, you may want to turn this badge into a clickable element that redirects your shoppers to the terms and conditions for refunds.

Free Shipping and Returns

Here’s an excellent addition to your money-back guarantee badge. However, you’ll want to add terms and conditions that make shoppers eligible for free returns.

Shopify Secure

This badge is a great one to have if you built your eCommerce site using Shopify. The Shopify Secure badge tells your customers that you have a range of payment options available — all of which are secure.

Key Takeaway: Conversions in eCommerce Are All About Promoting Trust

At the end of the day, having a guaranteed checkout badge is absolutely necessary for eCommerce business owners.

Not only is it our duty to make sure that customers personal information is kept secure, but developing trust is imperative to convert more customers and drive revenue to your site.

If you are a eCommerce business owner looking for ways to increase traffic to your site, boost conversion rates, and create a stable business that will last for years, please reach out to us at 7ten today.

Matt Culloty Headshot

Matt Culloty VP, Growth & Partnerships

Matt is a web designer, developer, and inbound lead generation expert. His primary role at 7ten is consulting and sales. Matt has spoken on topics like local SEO, web design trends, and other emerging digital marketing tactics at conferences and associations like the Better Business Bureau.

Read More About Matt

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