You’ve spent time and money building a quality product with high-quality materials and meticulous testing, and it’s been endorsed by experts in your field. How can you use trust badges to communicate that to your potential customers? In a crowded market, it can be hard to distinguish yourself from competitors; trust badges can help.
Consider skin care brand Tower 28, which uses trust badges to signal that rigorous testing is part of the company’s brand promise. On an episode of the Shopify Masters podcast, founder Amy Liu says that endorsement badges have significant persuasive value with customers. Tower 28 features seals of acceptance from groups like the National Eczema Association on product pages and in product photography, and Amy describes them as a reason to believe in the company’s products.
Read on to learn exactly what trust badges are, and the five different types of trust badges. Discover how to use them to establish your reputation, address legitimate consumer concerns, and maintain a focus on product value.
What is a trust badge?
A trust badge (or trust seal) is a digital icon that business owners can display on ecommerce websites to increase consumer confidence and encourage purchasing decisions. Trust badges can reassure potential customers that an ecommerce store offers a secure online shopping experience. They can also help store owners validate product safety and efficacy, or highlight key information about business policies and practices.
Trust badges can signal third-party accreditation (like Tower 28’s endorsements from the National Eczema Association). They can also signify the safety of an app or payment processor (like a secure checkout), or be backed by your own store policies (money-back guarantee). Popular trust badge categories include security trust badges, payment badges, endorsement badges, media mention badges, and policy-specific badges.
Displaying a trust badge prominently on your website can boost user confidence in your brand’s security and credibility. Money-back guarantees, for example, can prompt customers to purchase without hesitation. According to National Retail Federation research, 82% of customers say free returns are important to their decision-making process when considering a product.
Benefits of adding trust badges
In addition to increasing confidence in your business, trust badges can raise conversion rates and boost sales. Here’s an overview of the benefits:
Improved customer trust
Trust badges help ecommerce store owners build trust with consumers by mitigating common online shopping fears. A Better Business Bureau endorsement badge can increase confidence among scam-wary audiences, for example. Similarly, a secure checkout trust badge can reassure shoppers hesitant to share credit card information and other sensitive personal data online.
Increased conversion rates
Security concerns are a common cause of cart abandonment. A 2025 Statista survey found that in the US, 19% of respondents had abandoned a purchase for this reason in the past three months. Trust badges that signal site security can reduce the frequency of cart abandonment and increase conversion rates. Free shipping, free returns, and money-back guarantee badges can also boost conversion rates by lowering the barrier to purchase.
Enhanced clarity
Trust badges are a clear, intuitive way to share purchasing information, such as which payment methods you accept and how you handle shipping and returns. Adding badges that highlight key business policies can increase customer understanding of purchase terms.
Streamlined store design
Trust badges fit neatly into your website design, replacing the paragraphs of text otherwise required to communicate the same information. They can help you optimize key pages—like home pages, product pages, and checkout pages—for a desired customer action. Research also shows that streamlining checkouts can increase conversions. The same Statista survey found that 18% of consumers surveyed reported abandoning a purchase because of a long or complicated checkout process in the past three months.
5 common types of trust badges
Here’s an overview of some of the most popular types of trust badges, and where to place them for maximum success:
1. Security trust badges
Website security trust badges communicate that it’s safe to shop at your online store, assuring potential customers that their sensitive personal data is secure. Safe checkout badges, secure payment badges, and secure checkout badges are common examples that can be placed on checkout and product pages. Wallet brand Ridge, for example, features a “secure checkout” badge on its product pages alongside other trust badges.
Many security badges indicate that a site has a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate. SSL is a widely used cryptographic protocol that provides secure communication over a network. AnSSL certificate confirms that a site abides by the complex web security measures required to securely handle customer data.
Businesses without SSL certificates can experience barriers to customer checkout. Most browsers warn users not to visit unencrypted sites, and they’ll display an alert icon and the words “Not secure” if a user bypasses the warning.
Some website hosting providers, including Shopify, offer free SSL certificates. If yours doesn’t, you can obtain a certificate from a reputable certificate authority (CA) like DigiCert or GlobalSign. Once the certificate is installed and authenticated, the CA will provide you with a site seal that you can display on your checkout page to provide an extra layer of reassurance.
2. Payment badges
Accepted payment trust badges are badges from payment providers that provide a visual snapshot of the payments you accept. These might include Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, Google Pay, ShopPay, and PayPal. These badges serve two functions: firstly, they provide your customers with important information about accepted payment methods. They also align your company with trusted brand names, effectively functioning as endorsements from major companies like Visa and PayPal.
For example, at the bottom of its homepage, lingerie brand Mentionables includes trust badges showing the different payment types it accepts, ranging from American Express to Shop Pay.
Accepted payment logos are typically free, as payment providers have something to gain from validating a site, and many provide free badge assets and usage guides. You can also access payment logo badges by installing a trust badge app. Shopify store owners can choose which credit card icons to display in theme settings.
Look for free trust badges for every payment method you accept. Ecommerce sites typically display accepted payment trust badges on their home page and checkout pages near credit card detail forms or other payment fields.
3. Endorsement badges
Endorsement badges are granted by third parties as a recognition and approval of your business. The Google Verified Customer Reviews badge and the Better Business Bureau Accredited Business badge are two popular third-party endorsement badge options.
To earn these types of trust badges, you typically need to submit an application to the endorsing entity and wait for review and approval. Once approved, you’ll receive an HTML code snippet to place the relevant trust seal on your website.
Sarah Vachon, founder of olive oil brand Citizens of Soil, uses the B Corp certification badge to inspire consumer confidence and validate that her business is operating ethically. B Corp’s rigorous vetting process is familiar to business owners, and Sarah notes that the certification also instills B2B confidence.
“It gives some confidence that we’re doing things right,” she says on an episode of Shopify Masters.
Optimal endorsement badge placement depends on the role an endorsement plays in your marketing strategy. Because they signal a wholesale approval of a business, many companies place these badges in website footers or on product pages, instead of reserving them for checkout.
Eugene Ravitsky of power equipment business FactoryPure finds that an endorsement badge from the Better Business Bureau is especially valuable to older customers when making expensive purchases.
“A lot of customers are pretty wary of online shopping,” Eugene says on an episode of Shopify Masters. “They’re scared of being defrauded. Having these badges and being able to prominently show your reviews up top is very important.”
4. Policy-specific badges
Policy-specific trust badges can include free shipping badges, free return badges, and money-back guarantee badges.
Policy badges are free, and because they represent claims that you can reliably make about your own business, they don’t require third-party verification. You can use a trust badge app to easily add trust badges of this type to your own website. Many businesses display policy badges on checkout pages or product pages.
For example, sleep device brand Hatch’s product pages include policy badges for a warranty, free shipping, and a 30-day trial. These policy badges can be particularly useful for expensive products that customers may research, compare, and consider carefully before buying.
5. Media mention badges
Media mention badges include “As seen on” and “Featured in” badge types. These trust badges can do the heavy lifting of associating your business and products with a well-known media brand.
On an episode of Shopify Masters, beauty brand Underlining’s founder, Razvan Romanescu, says that trust badges are key when building landing pages. Razvan suggests using elements like “Featured in” logos to validate a new brand. “It can give the customer a bit more confidence in buying your product,” he adds. Underlining’s website prominently features media coverage for its two sub-brands—Nailboo and Freewill—with a running ticker, pull quotes, and links to featured articles, all on the homepage.
Many PR companies offer media mention trust badges as part of paid packages that promise coverage in a certain number of outlets and access to the relevant badges.
Where to get trust badges
The process of obtaining a trust badge varies by badge provider and badge type. Here’s an overview of three main approaches:
Certificate authorities
Certificate authorities (CAs) are entities that issue digital certificates, which are encrypted files that validate the authenticity of a claim, such as “Secure checkout.” You’ll need a digital certificate to display some security trust badge types. GoDaddy and Global Sign are both well-known certificate authorities.
To obtain a digital certificate, research CAs and sign up with a reputable provider. You’ll then complete the verification process for your digital certificate, request the relevant badge code, and add the generated code to your website’s HTML.
Third-party accreditors
Third-party accreditors like the Better Business Bureau and McAfee issue endorsement badges, including some media mention badges and security endorsements. To obtain a trust badge from an accreditor, apply on their site and request a site seal or badge code. Many accreditor seals provide ongoing real-time confirmation of your accreditation when users click the badge.
Free trust badge providers
You can get free trust badges—like policy badges and payment badges—through a trust badge app or by developing your own using graphic design software. For Shopify stores, apps like Essential Trust Badges & Icons and Badgezilla allow you to easily add badges like “Free shipping,” “Easy returns,” and “Secure checkout” to your site.
Trust badges FAQ
What is the trust badge icon on a website?
A trust badge icon is a website graphic that validates a claim about your business. It may also advertise specific policies or services, such as payment types accepted or a money-back guarantee.
Are all trust badges equally effective in building trust?
No—trust badges depend on brand recognition. Generally, the more widely recognized a trust badge, the more likely it is to help increase customer trust.
Where should trust badges be placed on a website for maximum impact?
Ideal trust badge placement depends on the badge type. Trust badges for your entire business—like B Corp certification or an accreditation by the Better Business Bureau—might be effective on homepages and other high-traffic pages. Product certifications can be most effective on product pages. Payment badges are often placed on checkout pages, and policy badges—like free shipping or a money-back guarantee—can be useful near the Add to Cart button.
