The trust bar under your hero: what goes in it

Key takeaways

A trust bar on a website is a single strip directly under the hero with three to five short proof points: a review score with a count, a recognised accreditation, a years or jobs figure and perhaps a client type. It answers 'are you real and any good?' before the visitor scrolls, and it works best when every item is specific and checkable.

• 3 to 5 items in one strip, directly under the hero.
• Lead with a review score and count, such as 4.8 from 212 reviews.
• Only accreditations buyers recognise or must check.
• Every item specific, current and checkable.

What is a trust bar?

A trust bar is a narrow band of short proof points placed straight after the homepage hero. It gives visitors a quick reason to believe the headline before they decide whether to scroll. Think of it as the compressed version of your trust signals, with the fuller evidence further down the page and on inner pages.

• Why your homepage is not converting visitors into customers
• Website trust signals that make visitors enquire

What should go in a trust bar?

Pick the three to five that matter most to your buyers, in this rough order of strength.

• Review score with a count and source: '4.8 on Google from 212 reviews'.
• A required or recognised accreditation: Gas Safe, CQC rating, SRA, ICAEW.
• A volume figure you can prove: '1,400 boilers fitted since 2012'.
• A promise you keep: 'Fixed price in writing' or 'Reply within 2 hours'.
• Client type or named clients, with permission.

• Showing Google reviews on your website, the right way
• Accreditation badges on your website: which to show
• Client logos on your website: permission and placement

What should stay out of a trust bar?

Leave out badges buyers do not recognise, paid directory logos, 'secure site' padlocks on a service site, awards with no context and vague claims like '100% satisfaction'. Each takes space and some look like padding, which weakens the real items around them.

• Awards on your website: when they help and when they hurt
• Checkout trust seals: do payment badges reassure buyers?

How should a trust bar look on mobile?

On a phone, a trust bar with five logos often shrinks into an unreadable row. Use two or three items in text, such as '4.8 from 212 Google reviews · Gas Safe registered', and let the rest appear further down. Text is readable, accessible and quick to load.

• Should the mobile homepage show less than desktop?

When can a trust bar backfire?

It backfires when figures are out of date, reviews are cherry-picked or a badge has lapsed. Buyers who check and find a mismatch trust you less than if the bar were empty. Fake or misleadingly presented reviews are also banned under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Review the bar every quarter.

• How often should you update your homepage?

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see: a firm has excellent Google reviews but shows them only on a Testimonials page. Adding one line under the hero with the score, count and a link to the reviews often does more for enquiries than a whole new testimonials section.

• See client work
• Website Design & Development for UK businesses

Trust bar checklist

• Place it directly under the hero.
• Use 3 to 5 items, fewer on mobile.
• Lead with a review score, count and source.
• Include only accreditations buyers recognise.
• Check every figure is current each quarter.

• A homepage for a service buyers do not understand yet
• Case study teasers that pull visitors deeper

Next step

List every piece of proof you have, then cross out anything a buyer would not recognise or could not check. The top three left are your trust bar.