McAfee Trust Seals vs Norton Trust Badges for eCommerce


3 Comments
  1. I split tested the Norton and McAfee trust seals on an e-commerce site in 2012. McAfee was their default trust seal, but it cost more than Norton.

    Was the McAfee seal worth the extra cost?

    The result: no statistically significant difference in ecommerce conversion rate. The client did not renew with McAfee and saved themselves money by switching to Norton.

    Seven years of experience later, I can’t rule out that placement and overall visibility played a role in the test result. The test should have included a “no trust seal” variation like your example.

    • Thanks for that insight Mike. We test trust badges often and you always have to factor in the cost of the badge to get the true ROI. The badges cost different amounts for different websites which means the calculations are different for everyone.

      Results have varied client by client which is why we always test this. Factors like familiarity with the brand, look and feel of the site, and repeat purchaser rate all impact the amount of focus you need to put on trust badges as we mention in the post, so the only way to know what works for you is to try it out. We have definitely seen instances, as you mention, where the badges don’t drive ROI, but most tests have shown this being worthwhile.

      • Looks like macafee costs are significant and there is no unlimited visitor options so cost keeps increasing. I would be roughly 300 or 400$ a month just to start, that is significant revenue increase to break even. Hard pass for me.

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A photograph of Keith Hagen next to a bike on a road next to a river.

Keith Hagen (Alumni)

Keith Hagen comes from the web optimization world, and has been gaining insights into what is and isn’t working with websites since 2002.

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