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We write about many kinds of website trust signals on this site, and some of the most important are logos from third-party organizations that serve to endorse or validate your brand. These can include the logos of your top customers, partner logos, association logos, and logos from organizations that verify your legitimacy as a business or the security of your website.
So, which third-party logos carry the most weight with buyers?The answer is different for every brand and industry, but there are some heavyweight trust logos that stand out. Based on research by RepTrak, Baymard Institute, Morning Consult, and The Harris Poll, here are eight logos that would be powerful trust signals to add to your website as forms of third-party validation.
In addition to being the most trafficked site in the world, Google is highly respected as a brand that helps us find the information we need—often multiple times a day. That's why it ranks first on Morning Consult's Most Trusted Brands 2021 list. Morning Consult rates brands based on surveys on more than 4,000 brands and products. Earning a Google partner badge, certification badge or landing Google as a customer carries enormous weight with your buyers and other website visitors.
The Visa logo provides payment and security assurance to visitors to your ecommerce site's checkout page, making visitors more comfortable completing a transaction. Visa is the most widely recognized financial services brand in the world. It also ranked higher than any other financial brand in the 2021 Global RepTrak 100, an annual survey of brand reputation conducted by Boston-based RepTrak. At No. 26 on the list, Visa ranked eight spots higher than financial runner-up PayPal.
Research by the Baymard Institute has consistently shown that the Norton seal is the most influential website trust badge. Baymard has run five trust badge surveys over the past decade—in 2013, 2016, 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Norton seal has been ranked the most trusted in each of the surveys—and in fact has improved its performance over time. The ubiquitous badge is estimated to be viewed by website visitors 100 million times per day worldwide.
The BBB seal follows closely behind the Norton seal in recognition and influence, according to Baymard's research. Whereas the Norton badge vouches for your website's security, the BBB badge endorses the legitimacy of your business. That's why the Better Business Bureau's tagline is "Start with Trust."
Microsoft has steadily improved its global reputation as other tech giants have taken PR hits. Whether highlighting Microsoft as a partner or customer or earning its certifications, placing the Microsoft logo on your website lends a halo suggesting your company knows its stuff. Microsoft was the only tech company to make RepTrak's top 10, ranked No. 3 in Morning Consult's Most Trusted Brands, and landed the third spot on Fortune's Most Admired Companies list as well.
Despite the growing influence of B2B tech review sites, Gartner remains the most trusted industry analyst, ranking highly among Fortune's Most Admired Companies of 2021. Fortune's rankings are based on a poll of 3,800 corporate executives, directors, and analysts. The use of Gartner's logo and words is carefully guarded, however, even for its clients, so make sure you follow its IP guidelines for use of its logo, Gartner Cool Vendor badge, Gartner Peer Insights badge or other recognition.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital won nonprofit Brand of the Year, Most Trusted Brand and Most Loved Brand in the Harris Poll’s 2021 EquiTrend Study. EquiTrend rated the Memphis, Tenn., hospital for critically ill children on three factors: familiarity, likelihood to donate, and quality. The 2021 study was based on feedback from more than 39,000 U.S. consumers. St. Jude's high level of name recognition and respect makes it a powerful partner for social purpose and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs. St. Jude generally discourages use of its logo on donor websites except in the context of PSA ads, but has a corporate partnership program with significant promotional benefits.
If you are lucky enough to win LEGO as a customer, you won't find a more popular—and trusted—brand logo to add to your website. The Danish toymaker ranked No. 1 in the RepTrak 100, based on responses from more than 80,000 people across 15 countries. LEGO is known for having a strong sense of social purpose, associating you with a brand that does well by doing good. (Image source)