What Makes You Trust a Website?

[Crabcake Johnny]

I always see it as a HUGE red flag (let's just say that I'm Astonished) when I see a business stuffing the SERPs for "their domain + sucks", "their domain + complaints", and "their domain + reviews". Makes me think they are trying really hard to hide something.

+1. It's crazy when I pull up complaints that are actually fake reviews:

"At first I really thought ABC company was a scam, but their products and services have been fantastic."

MLMs play this game really well. Before launch they post on all the scam sites in order to rank for everything. Then it becomes very hard to find legit complaints.

 

[JohnWalker]

I always see it as a HUGE red flag (let's just say that I'm Astonished) when I see a business stuffing the SERPs for "their domain + sucks", "their domain + complaints", and "their domain + reviews". Makes me think they are trying really hard to hide something.

There is always a black hat way to do things. What I'm referring to is filling your branded SERPs with things like your companies social media profiles, business listings, and reviews. For instance if you google "your company", it could display:

1. Your site
2. Your sites Yelp
3. Your sites Twitter
4. Your sites Facebook
5. Your sites Google+
6. A YouTube video you made
7. Your sites YP listing
8. Your sites BBB listing
9. Your sites Linkedin
10. A press release or article about your site

It would definitely look suspicious if all you had was your website and 9 other 5-star review sites. I personally use the layout I listed above. This way prospects can really get to know my brand.

 

[atung9801]

I think that for a website to be trusted, it HAS to be shown on the first 3 pages of a google search.

 

[CHUMPS FROM OXFORD]

So much for my $699 special of getting you to Page 7. Maybe I better drop the price to $649.

 

[donamese]

Where it shows up on google helps. A clean, professional look is huge for me personally. If it looks like a cookie cutter wordpress site then I am out.

 

[Sherd]

I check the contact page. If there is not a physical address and a phone number, then I'm off to another site.

sherd

 

[itrustme]

Good fresh content and a Great Web Address.

 

[pcbinsurance]

"We have been programming computers/web sites for over 30 yrs. Tim"
******************************
Why did you go from programming to spamming?

 

[KS Agent]

What's the cost for this?

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I see 700 but is that right?

 

[Artash]

Another two important factrs:

Site Design – This can be very subjective, but a well-designed site can be an indication of more reliable information. Good design helps make information more easily accessible.
Writing Style – Poor spelling and grammar are an indication that the site may not be credible. In an effort to make the information presented easy to understand, credible sites watch writing style closely.