TrustSignalCritical [rule] v1.0.0

Never fabricate social proof numbers, and never place trust badges on every section. These are the two highest-severity mistakes in trust signal design.

Applies To

• Social proof numbers (user counts, uptime SLAs, revenue figures)
• Trust badge rows (security, compliance, reliability badges)
• All testimonials and review counts

TrustSignalCritical [rule] v1.0.0

Never fabricate social proof numbers, and never place trust badges on every section. These are the two highest-severity mistakes in trust signal design.

Applies To

• Social proof numbers (user counts, uptime SLAs, revenue figures)
• Trust badge rows (security, compliance, reliability badges)
• All testimonials and review counts

Examples

• BAD: '100,000+ happy customers' when actual users are under 500
• BAD: Trust badge row in hero, features, pricing, and footer
• GOOD: Real, auditable user count with '+' suffix to indicate minimum floor
• GOOD: One badge row placement — directly below the primary CTA

Rationale

Fabricated metrics (made-up user counts, invented uptime stats) destroy trust the instant any visitor does verification — the discovered lie causes more distrust than no claim at all, plus creates legal liability. Over-repeated badges lose their meaning through signal fatigue: a badge on every section communicates nothing.

Applies To

• Social proof numbers (user counts, uptime SLAs, revenue figures)
• Trust badge rows (security, compliance, reliability badges)
• All testimonials and review counts