Building Trust Signals for Search Users in Fintech

Joshua Lee | 22 January, 2026 | 6 minute read | Blog

We’ve partnered with some great fintech brands and led them through one of the biggest challenges we often see as the main barrier to meaningful growth. Trust signals and reputation in search. 

Your ICP will be doing a lot of research in the lead up to making a final decision. They’re often cautious, anxious or comparing different brands very quickly. 

Asking questions like:

1. “Is this company legitimate?”
2. “Will my money be safe?”
3. “Are they regulated?”

So, even if your marketing performance is strong, if there’s any doubt in whether you are trustworthy, your traffic is unlikely to convert. 

Demonstrating credibility immediately on a website like yours is great. 

But there are other ways to do this at various stages of the customer journey, not just visually. Using content, compliance cues and genuine proof that your business is reliable is that next step in unlocking quality conversions. 

In simple terms, implementing trust signals with more than just words leads to a simple result: higher conversion confidence. 

What ‘Trust Signals’ Actually Mean

Trust signals come in many forms, with the express purpose of satisfying the unanswered questions that give your customers a feeling of potential risk. 

In fintech specifically, the perceived ‘risks’ we see frequently are:

• Financial loss
• Data/security concerns
• Regulatory fear
• Unclear terms and or hidden fees
• Scam awareness
• Complex product and misunderstandings

Trust signals help users feel safe enough to take the next steps. Whether that’s signing up, applying, enquiring, booking a call or moving their money to your solution.  

Why Fintech Needs Stronger Signals Than Most

Generally speaking, plenty of sectors just need a polished website and good reviews. That’s often enough for the next step or for a commercial action to take place. 

Fintech is different, because the user is often making one of these decisions:

• Sharing personal information and data
• Connecting to a bank account
• Committing to payments, fees or borrowing
• Trusting you will be compliant with compliance-heavy processes

So, when assessing fintech performance in search, trust must be as obvious as your pricing plans, and consistent across multiple touchpoints. 

This is where E-E-A-T and compliance signals become a massive competitive advantage. 

Using E-E-A-T and Compliance Signals

Google’s E-E-A-T framework (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is especially relevant in fintech because it sits in a category where trust and reliability matter. 

Think of it like this, if you write a piece of experience-led content that explains a real-world example of how you’ve helped an existing customer with legislative compliance, and another customer in the same situation reads this you’re demonstrating your credibility, accountability and ability to be compliant. 

In practice:

• Writing with E-E-AT in mind supports how Google evaluates your site.
• Compliance signals support how users evaluate your brand. 

Together, they increase trust and reduce any friction with perceived risks at the point of conversion. 

How to Build Trust For Search in Fintech

Below are a few actions that you can take away from this post to help you build trust and provide signals to your potential customers. 

Prove Legitimacy Quickly

Search users decide quickly, you should ensure that you remove doubt not within the first few minutes of their discovery but the first few seconds. 

Ensure your website has the following trust signals:

1. Consistent and clear company name and exactly what you do or provide
2. Real contact options (Not just a three page long form)
3. Location and company registration details
4. Transparent fees and product terms and conditions
5. Trust badges, accreditations and awards that have actual meaning 

This isn’t about overwhelming the page, it’s about removing uncertainty and perceived risks. 

Show Compliance in Simple Terms

Your users don’t want legal jargon, but they do want proof. High-impact compliance signals can come in the form of:

1. “Authorised and regulated by…” statements, where applicable.
2. Links to regulatory registration pages when possible
3. Clear risk disclosures (visible, not hidden)
4. Policy pages that look maintained and current (privacy, security, complaints)

The key is clarity: users should understand what your compliance means for them. 

Expert-led Content, Not Generic Marketing Jargon

Fintech sites will often lose immediately when it sounds like it was written to impress or to rank but not to actually help their customers.

To build upon trust signals and confidence in your ICP, your website content should:

1. Explain financial concepts simply and accurately
2. Demonstrate real-world experience examples
3. Avoid exaggerated claims
4. Include clear definitions and practical next steps

If you’ve written a new service page, or refreshed your website copy and you’re not sure about it, ask yourself “Would a cautious user feel safer after reading this?”.

If yes, it’s a clear trust signal. 

Make Your Authority Visible

If your content will affect financial decisions, your customers will want to know who is behind the advice. 

Strong trust elements here include:

1. Named authors with real credentials
2. “Reviewed by” lines
3. Author pages that show experience and background
4. Editorial policy pages (how content is produced and reviewed)
5. Dates that are meaningful (published + last reviewed)

Even if users don’t click the author, the presence of those cues increases confidence.

Build Proof Signals That Match The User’s Risk Level

Not all trust signals have equal weight in fintech. The strongest proof signals tend to be:

1. Testimonials that reference real outcomes (not just “great service”)
2. Case studies with measurable results
3. Third-party reviews (Trustpilot etc., where appropriate)
4. Press mentions, partnerships, accreditations
5. Security statements (and what you do to protect users)

If the user is about to apply, connect accounts, or move money, they need proof that you’re safe.

Reduce Fear and Friction at the Conversion Point

A lot of fintech sites build trust through content but lose it at the final most crucial point. 

Review your conversion pages and ensure they:

1. Provide clear application steps (“What happens next”)
2. Include eligibility requirements up front
3. Show time expectations (how long it takes)
4. What documents are needed
5. What real support options are available (chat, phone, email)
6. Provide reassurance around security and data use

Conversion confidence comes from knowing what to expect.

Final Thoughts: 

Trust signals help you create the kind of confidence that leads to a conversion. In fintech, search visibility only gets you so far, trust is what gets you chosen. 

Building on existing trust signals for your search users means combining:

• E-E-A-T-driven content credibility
• Compliance and reassurance signals
• Transparent, user-first conversion experiences

That combination reduces perceived risk and creates the outcome that matters most:

Higher conversion confidence. 

If you want fintech content that ranks and builds credibility, we can help you create a trust-led content framework that supports users from first click to conversion. Book your free discovery call with ROAR.