--- title: Navigating Your Way to Trust — and Conversions description: Deliver a simple user experience with easy conversion paths. This makes website visitors more comfortable filling out a form or completing a purchase. image: https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Simple%20navigation%20on%20website%20for%20trust.jpg --- [![Trust Signals Trademark](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%20Trademark.png?width=300&height=82&name=Trust%20Signals%20Trademark.png) ](https://www.trustsignals.com/) - [About](https://www.trustsignals.com/about) - [Book](https://book.trustsignals.com) - [Blog](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) - [Rankings](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/rankings) - [Contact](https://www.trustsignals.com/contact) [ << Back to Blog ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) [Website Design & Experience](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/website-design-experience) # Navigating Your Way to Trust — and Conversions ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ###### Scott Baradell **Published:** Oct 8, 2020 ###### Share [mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/build-website-trust-with-simple-navigation%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/build-website-trust-with-simple-navigation&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/7507638/Simple%20navigation%20on%20website%20for%20trust.jpg](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/build-website-trust-with-simple-navigation%20&body=Check%20out%20https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/build-website-trust-with-simple-navigation&media=https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/7507638/Simple%20navigation%20on%20website%20for%20trust.jpg) Sometimes when I visit a corporate website, I am so disoriented by the stiff language and confusing navigation paths that I am reminded of Jane Austen's famous line from Northanger Abbey, when Catherine apologizes to the older, more sophisticated Henry for her inability to comprehend his meaning. *"I do not understand you," *she says. *"Then we are on very unequal terms, for I understand you perfectly well," *Henry replies. *"Me? -- yes; I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligible."* Boom.  Working in B2B technology, I've dealt with my fair share of clients who have difficulty communicating what they do, and why they do it, in intelligible terms. The [language of business generally](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/ways-to-lose-trust-in-business-437-passive-aggressive-business-talk) is needlessly indirect and obtuse. But the weakness of being indirect and obtuse is not restricted to the language of websites. It's also often true of a website's navigation and conversion paths. **To Get to Conversion, Start with Trust** When marketers talk about website conversion paths, the conversation typically focuses on lead generation. But that's actually only the second most important reason your website should have simple and clean navigation. The first is trust. Visitors don't want to be confused, tricked or surprised as they navigate your site. Here's how to avoid each of those frustrating hurdles on the path to visitor trust: 1. ****Don't confuse your visitors. **** Research by the Nielsen Norman Group, as summarized by [Usability Geek](https://usabilitygeek.com/intuitive-website-design-better-conversions/), concludes that users almost always approach a new website with a  skeptical mindset. They expect to be disappointed.  The best way to earn their trust, and increase their time on your site, is to provide an intuitive experience. The word "intuitive" is so overused in design that it's become almost meaningless, but what we're really talking about is providing an experience that is not confusing. This tells the visitor you're on their wavelength.  2. ****Don't trick your visitors. ****As all marketers should know by now, popups and banners flying across your website can trigger an immediate loss of trust and increase in bounce rates. Visitors have heard enough horror stories about data breaches that they don't want to feel tricked into providing personal data. A classic example of this is the clumsy way that many ecommerce sites make "free" offers that ultimately require the entry of credit card information or other commitments. Better to be up front if you want to build visitor trust. 3. ****Don't surprise your visitors. ****Visitors should have the opportunity to convert at all the places they would expect to, so while it's natural to want your design to stand out, you still want it to feel familiar. Some of the most common ways that sites give unwelcome surprises to their visitors are non-standardized layouts and conflicting CTAs. Content that is off-topic or off in tone can also drive visitors away. When it comes to navigation, keep it simple, stupid -- if you want your visitors' trust. [![Ready to make your brand more visible and trustworthy to both human buyers and AI systems?](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/7507638/interactive-153859540751.png) ](https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/web-interactives/public/v1/track/redirect?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLICw8PcBcsYLk6IU86PbUJVD4ht0ARlOHe5qwlBTbNVhg9HY8LTg8DdECQ2XlW4vycH4chdyZQHjjTFKxXdLRTxZWpkBLwu6RN4A9rVuBksXRMsSWl26aqBL6a%2FT8%2F3AroNkKaaV8J1AL2s7ePK%2BVQSZkEI4r7aWgaRKnv56Au6GqVfN5Vbw%3D%3D&webInteractiveContentId=153859540751&portalId=7507638) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) #### Scott Baradell Scott is founder and CEO of Idea Grove, one of the most forward-looking public relations agencies in the United States. Idea Grove focuses on helping technology companies reach media and buyers, with clients ranging from venture-backed startups to Fortune 100 companies. ###### Blog posts ## Related Articles [Reputation Management](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/reputation-management) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ##### Scott Baradell ### [How to Prevent Losing Trust Online in 2025: Top Strategies & Tips](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/how-to-prevent-losing-trust-online-top-strategies-tips) Why do businesses lose trust online, and what can be done to stop it? Trust is the foundation of... [ Read more ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/how-to-prevent-losing-trust-online-top-strategies-tips) [Website Design & Experience](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/tag/website-design-experience) ![Image of Scott Baradell](https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Images/scott-banner.jpeg) ##### Scott Baradell ### [Free Download: 72 Trust Badges to Increase E-Commerce Conversions](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/trust-badges-examples) ["Trust badges"](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/what-is-a-trust-badge) are symbols or seals added to your website to visually communicate to visitors that... [ Read more ](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/trust-badges-examples) [![Trust Signals, a Registered Trademark of Idea Grove LLC](https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%2c%20a%20Registered%20Trademark%20of%20Idea%20Grove%20LLC.png?width=300&height=82&name=Trust%20Signals%2c%20a%20Registered%20Trademark%20of%20Idea%20Grove%20LLC.png) ](https://www.trustsignals.com/?hsLang=en) - [Latest Articles](https://www.trustsignals.com/blog) - [Must-Reads](https://www.trustsignals.com/must-reads) - [Contact](https://www.trustsignals.com/contact) [Privacy Policy](https://www.ideagrove.com/privacy-policy/)  |  [Terms of Use](https://www.ideagrove.com/terms-of-use)  |  All Rights Reserved. © 2024 Idea Grove LLC [Follow us on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/trust-signals) [Follow us on Twitter ](https://twitter.com/Trust_Signals) [Follow us on Instagram ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAZE-jawJu0kizmRKCb7A0w) [Follow us on Quora ](https://www.quora.com/profile/Scott-Baradell) [Idea Grove Website ](https://www.ideagrove.com/) [Follow us on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/DallasSEO/) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Scott Baradell", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/author/scott-baradell" }, "dateModified" : "2020-10-09T01:34:17.445Z", "datePublished" : "2020-10-09T00:57:44.000Z", "headline" : "Navigating Your Way to Trust — and Conversions", "image" : [ "https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Simple%20navigation%20on%20website%20for%20trust.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/blog/build-website-trust-with-simple-navigation", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/hubfs/Trust%20Signals%20-%20Phase%201%20Redesign/trust-signals-logo-1.svg" }, "name" : "Media Orchard LLC" } } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "US", "addressLocality" : "Dallas", "addressRegion" : "TX" }, "alternateName" : [ "TrustSignals", "Trust Signals Marketing" ], "description" : "Trust Signals is a B2B PR and AI visibility agency founded by Scott Baradell, creator of the Trust Signals® framework. Idea Grove helps B2B brands build authority and get recommended by AI through its LLM Visibility Services.", "founder" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Scott Baradell", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/baradell", "https://x.com/DallasInbound" ], "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/about" }, "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Images/trust-signals-logo-small.jpg?width=275&name=trust-signals-logo-small.jpg", "width" : 275 }, "name" : "Trust Signals", "parentOrganization" : { "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "Idea Grove", "url" : "https://www.ideagrove.com" }, "sameAs" : [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/trust-signals/" ], "url" : "https://www.trustsignals.com" } ```