Design

Building Trust Into a Website

Real people, easy contact and open fees. What makes a website easier to trust, for the businesses people trust with their money or their home.

By Marcus Vallance, Founder, On The Ground Productions · 3 min read · 2 November 2026

Building Trust Into a Website, OTG Journal

In short

Show the real people behind the business.
Make contact one tap away on every page.
Be open about fees, and help people work out where they stand.
Keep the design calm and clear.

Some businesses ask people for a lot of trust. A mortgage adviser. A letting agent. Anyone deciding who to hand their savings or their home to.

A website can’t create that trust on its own. It can make it much easier to give, and that comes down to specifics.

Here’s what we focus on.

Show the real people

Stock photos of smiling strangers don’t tell you anything. Real faces do.

Put the people visitors will actually speak to near the top of the homepage, with genuine reviews beside them. Visitors can see who they’ll be dealing with before they scroll.

A financial adviser’s homepage with the advisers and a Google reviews panel — Real advisers and real reviews, before you scroll.

Make contact effortless

When someone is ready to talk, nothing should get in the way. Call, message and booking buttons should be one tap away on every page, especially on a phone.

For an adviser, that might be a call or WhatsApp button that’s always there. For a letting agent, a “Book a valuation” button that follows landlords down the page.

An adviser’s homepage on a phone with a Speak to an adviser bar and WhatsApp and call buttons at the bottom — Speak to an adviser and Book a free valuation, always at the bottom of the screen.

A letting agent’s homepage on a phone with a Book a free valuation bar at the bottom — Speak to an adviser and Book a free valuation, always at the bottom of the screen.

Be open about the details

Fees are where a lot of people get nervous. Where you can, put them on the page, with no hidden costs. People can see what they’ll pay before they pick up the phone.

A fees section headed Transparent pricing, no hidden costs, with three service levels and their prices — Every fee on the page.

Help people work out where they stand

Most people arrive with a question, and they’re not always sure which one. A simple finder or a calculator lets visitors get their bearings first, before they speak to anyone.

An assistant that answers questions from the site’s own content can help too, for anyone who’d rather ask than browse.

A How can we help? finder with options such as First-Time Buyer, Moving House and Remortgage — A “How can we help?” finder.

A mortgage calculator with property price, deposit, interest rate and term — A mortgage calculator.

Keep it calm

Design does a lot of the work here. A restrained palette, real photography and a clear route into each service. Money and home decisions matter, so the site should feel calm and clear.

We couldn’t be happier with the new website Marcus built for us. His attention to detail is phenomenal, and the finished site is way beyond what we originally expected.
Neil Hudson, Director, Quantock Financial

Frequently asked questions

What makes a website trustworthy?

Real people, easy contact, open information and a calm, clear design. Visitors should know who they’re dealing with and how to reach them without having to look.

Should we put our fees on our website?

Where you can, we’d recommend it. Open fees mean people know what they’ll pay before they get in touch, and the enquiries you get are better informed.

Do we need photos of our team?

Real photos of your real team are worth having, because they show people who they’ll be dealing with. If you need them, we produce photography in-house.

OTG is a brand and web studio. We build the whole brand: strategy and positioning, design, hand-coded websites and care after launch, with film and photography produced in-house. See our work, or if you’re building something, get in touch.