According to a study, more than half of customers in the US and the UK trust a company more when it appears higher in their search results organically.

According to a survey conducted by Botify, the top performance marketing platform for organic search, of 4,000 consumers in the UK and the United States, more than half (51%) of people put more trust in a brand that ranks highly in natural or organic search results than one that appears as a sponsored or paid advertisement.

One of the top five characteristics identified by respondents to determine how much they trust a business is high organic search ranks, along with favorable internet reviews (60%), favorable media coverage (54%), television advertisements (42%) and radio advertisements (36%).

Brand trust is always important. But, it is more crucial than ever during economic downturns as additional financial concerns influence consumers’ purchasing decisions.

Customers are considering their purchases more carefully under these circumstances. Nonetheless, more than a quarter (28%) of UK and US consumers think they will remain loyal to a brand in all circumstances once they have developed a sense of confidence in it. Even more so during difficult economic times, brand investment and great messaging must continue in order to sustain such strong confidence.

While the most recent data on consumer spending in the UK and the US shows that consumers are cutting back on their purchases on both sides of the Atlantic, this shift emphasises the need for brands to remain relevant to customers during the early search and discovery stage and to take into account the critical role a brand’s website plays in developing trust.

The elements that people think most affect their trust when visiting a brand’s website are;

• Content accuracy and relevancy (33%)
• Easily navigable on-site (32%)
• Finding goods or services easily (25%).

According to the study, a fifth of consumers in the UK and the US will lose trust in a company after having a bad website experience. These results demonstrate that delivering content to customers at the right time and in a manner they are happy with is essential to establishing trust.

“These findings prove that online experiences greatly contribute to how brands build trust and authority among customers”, “Search visibility is a key element in creating that trust—particularly during economic challenges. As organic search can generate 3x more return than traditional advertising campaigns, it’s a strategic channel marketers should continue investing in to ensure they are found whenever customers are searching to build and maintain trust.”

Adrien Menard, Co-Founder and CEO, Botify

To Read More Marketing Related News Click Here