Competition website design is often the deciding factor of a prize draw even before it goes live.
Visitors decide whether or not they trust a website in milliseconds. The moment that trust is lost, visitors click away. And that’s a problem if the whole point of the site is to get them to enter their details and participate.
The good news is that earning trust through secure competition website design is simple. It just has to be done well.
What you’ll discover in this article:
- Why trust matters for competition websites
- Essential security features every competition site needs
- Design elements that build visitor confidence
- Common mistakes that destroy trust
- How to test your competition website security
- Wrapping it all up
Why Trust Matters for Competition Websites
Competition websites ask visitors to give up their personal information.
Names, emails, phone numbers. In some cases, even payment details for premium entries are requested.
Visitors have to be willing to give that up for a competition website to have a chance of success. If they don’t trust the site, they won’t do it.
According to WebFX, 75% of users now judge credibility from design alone. If a competition site looks sketchy, that’s exactly how participants will view the prize draw. They’ll assume it’s not a legitimate competition and click away.
This is where professional competition web design helps set up that bedrock of trust needed to convert visitors into participants. Without it, even the most legitimate competition has a hard time taking off.
Trust is especially critical in today’s landscape, where buyers have more choice and information than ever before. HubSpot research found that 76% of consumers now won’t purchase from a website they don’t trust. The same applies to competitions. No trust, no participation.
Essential Security Features Every Competition Site Needs
Security is the baseline from which all other competition website design builds. Without these essential features, visitors won’t trust anything else you do.
Here are the security basics that every competition website must have:
- SSL certificate. The little padlock in the browser bar. It’s a simple indicator to visitors that their data is secure and being sent over an encrypted connection. Over 85% of all websites now use SSL/TLS security connections. Competition sites without an SSL certificate stick out like a sore thumb.
- Secure payment processing. If your competition has paid entries, make sure any online payments are handled by a trusted gateway provider. Stripe, PayPal, and other services specialise in secure payment processing. They never store sensitive card details on the competition website.
- Privacy policy. A clear privacy policy that spells out exactly what happens with any information visitors give. Not only is this a best practice in security, but it’s also now often a legal requirement.
- Data protection compliance. Regulations like GDPR and CCPA govern the collection of any personal data through competition websites. These laws need to be followed to the letter to avoid massive fines and reputational damage.
But one thing most competition organisers overlook…
Security features need to be visible to the visitors to their website. Competition websites should display trust badges and security icons wherever visitors will easily notice them, in addition to having them installed and working in the background.
Design Elements That Build Visitor Confidence
Beyond just security certificates and privacy policies, the visual design of a competition website itself is a signal of trustworthiness.
Users form a first impression of a website in 50 milliseconds or less. That’s less time than it takes to blink. Every element on the page within that crucial half second determines whether visitors stay or bounce.
The following design elements boost visitor confidence:
Professional layout. Clean, organised pages with lots of white space send a signal of legitimacy. Scams and dodgy competitions, on the other hand, are usually very busy with lots of page elements competing for visitors’ attention.
Consistent branding. Uniform use of colours, fonts, and imagery across the competition website conveys professionalism. Messy, inconsistent branding in contrast leaves visitors wondering if the website is even real.
Clear contact information. Legitimate competitions have legitimate companies running them. Displaying company contact details, physical addresses, and methods of contact reassures visitors of the business’s authenticity.
Social proof. Testimonials from previous winners, embedded social media feeds showing real interaction, and mentions by press outlets all lend credibility. Word of mouth validation from others creates trust.
Mobile responsiveness. Competition websites that don’t work properly on mobile devices lose trust immediately. Broken functionality on a smartphone signals the whole operation is shoddily run.
Consistency is key. Every page of the competition website should feel like it was created with the same level of care and quality.
Common Mistakes That Destroy Trust
Trust can also be accidentally undermined through poor competition website design choices.
Stock photos of ‘winners’. Fake testimonials don’t fool anyone. If the “winner photos” look like generic images you could buy online, credibility is lost.
Hidden terms and conditions. Terms and conditions that are tucked away in hard-to-find places make visitors suspicious. Nothing should be hidden if everything is above board.
Too many pop-ups. Bombarding visitors with pop-ups the moment they land on the site screams “untrustworthy.” A single tasteful prompt to enter is one thing; multiple overlapping pop-ups is the opposite.
Broken links and errors. Technical glitches on the site make visitors question its legitimacy. A broken payment page or an error message during entry can destroy trust instantly.
Unclear winner announcement process. Legitimate competitions are clear about when and how winners will be contacted. Vague timelines without specific processes raise red flags.
Avoiding these mistakes is just as crucial as implementing security features. Trust is easily damaged and difficult to rebuild.
How to Test Your Competition Website Security
Launching a competition website is a high-stakes game, so a thorough security testing regime is a must.
Here’s a simple security checklist to follow:
- Check SSL status. Visit the competition website and verify the browser padlock icon is present and valid.
- Test entry forms. Complete test entries to ensure information is captured and confirmation emails are sent.
- Verify payment processing. Run test transactions through payment gateways and confirm that receipts are generated without error.
- Review on multiple devices. View the competition website on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Entry paths should work on all.
- Scan for vulnerabilities. Use security scanning tools to proactively identify weaknesses before launch. Remediate any issues.
Ongoing testing should be performed throughout the life of the competition. Security is a moving target, and a safe site today may not be tomorrow.
Wrapping It All Up
The keys to winning trust with secure competition website design boil down to three elements. They are:
- Genuinely implemented security measures
- Professional and consistent visual design
- Avoidance of common mistakes that can destroy trust
Competition websites have one job, and it’s to convert visitors into participants. That isn’t possible without first establishing trust within milliseconds of a visitor landing on the page.
Here’s a quick recap of those key points:
- Implement the essential security features of SSL and secure payment processing
- Ensure design is professional and consistent throughout
- Put trust signals where visitors can easily see them
- Don’t make the common mistakes that will undermine credibility
- Test, test, and test again before and during the competition
The winning competition website design isn’t always the flashiest. It’s the one that makes visitors feel safe enough to participate.
That’s the building block every successful prize draw is built on.