Every day, billions of people access websites they know absolutely nothing about. A search engine query, a link in an email message, or a recommendation from a friend are all possible ways to access a website that appears to be professional but is not necessarily so. In an era where online scams are getting more and more sophisticated, being able to check a website before you trust it is perhaps one of the most important online skills you can master.
For instance, one of the first things that smart internet users check is to perform a Whois domain lookup to see who owns a website, when it was created, and when it is due to expire. Such basic transparency can actually give you a lot to say about whether or not a website is old enough to be considered legitimate or was recently created by an individual with dubious motives.
The rest of this article aims to show you the most practical ways to check a website to see if it can be trusted.
We have never lived in a time when information is so easily accessible. But at the same time, this has also made it easier to spread fake websites. Phishing websites, fake online stores, and misinformation websites are all created with the intention of looking legitimate. They may look similar to legitimate websites and may also have an SSL certificate installed. This is indicated by the padlock in the browser.
However, the truth is that appearances don’t necessarily mean anything. Anyone can easily set up a legitimate-looking website in an afternoon. What’s more important is to understand the indicators that show a website is legitimate.
The history of a website’s domain name may be one of the most underutilized yet informative pieces of information available to the average user. Businesses that have been around for a while, especially reputable organizations, will have domain names that have been registered for several years. A website that was obviously put together within a matter of weeks or even days, especially if it’s making outlandish claims, should be treated with a healthy dose of skepticism.
Domain registration details are publicly available and can be retrieved with minimal fuss. When one searches for domain registration details, it’s possible to see the registrar, registration dates, and even expiry dates. If a website that claims to be a legitimate business turns out to have registered its domain name three weeks ago, this should be a cause for concern.
Any modern browser will show a padlock icon if a site is using HTTPS. This is a basic requirement for any legitimate site that is going to deal with personal information. That a site is using plain HTTP is already a red flag.
The problem is that HTTPS does not guarantee that a site is legitimate – it simply ensures that the connection is secure. Scam sites will use HTTPS too. It is one box to tick, not the only one.
Legitimate websites almost always have a sense of transparency when it comes to their identity and how to contact them. Look for a site with a substantial "About Us" page, a physical address, a functioning phone number or email address, and the names of the people or organization behind the site.
Watch out for websites that are unclear about their identity. While the "About Us" page may contain generic statements with little in the way of specifics, the "Contact Us" page should have something besides a form to fill in. Transparency is a key element in any online business or organization.
One of the fastest reality checks you can make on a given website involves searching the name of the website accompanied by terms such as "review," "scam," or "legit." Legitimate businesses will generally have an "online footprint," which may include mentions of the company within news articles, customer review sites, social media accounts, or business directories.
If a website appears to have zero external mentions or if there are several mentions of suspicious activity, this could be an important piece of information to take into consideration. Scam-tracking communities can be an important resource.
Most established businesses and creators have social media accounts. Having social media accounts does not necessarily mean that a company or creator is legitimate, but not having social media accounts or having accounts with low followers that have little to no activity may be a red flag.
Check the dates of the social media accounts, the frequency of posting, and the overall activity. A company with tens of thousands of followers but little to no likes or comments on recent posts may be artificially inflating their followers.
Well-funded organizations tend to invest in clean and functional website designs. While not all legitimate websites are going to have fantastic designs, there are some red flags that can give away low-quality websites. These include too many pop-ups, broken links, grammar mistakes, image inconsistencies, and content that appears to be geared towards getting you to click ads rather than offering any value.
The content should also be carefully read. Ambiguous claims, pressure tactics like countdown timers, and language that appears to be attempting to pressure you into a quick decision are all warning signs.
There are a number of free resources available to help you quickly check the safety of a website. For example, Google has a "Safe Browsing" checker, while browser extensions like uBlock Origin are also very helpful. Additionally, some browsers are quite secure, and they have inbuilt alerts to warn you if you're about to visit a site known to have malware or phishing issues.
While these resources are not perfect, they're an added layer of protection, even if you're not particularly tech-savvy.
It doesn't take any special knowledge to use the internet safely; it just takes awareness. The more you practice checking out a website before trusting it, the faster it becomes. A quick check of the domain name, a review of the reviews, and checking out the contact information can take less than five minutes, saving you a whole lot of grief or financial loss.
The internet is an amazing tool. A little due diligence is all it takes to make sure your experience with it continues to be a positive one.
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
Supriyo Khan
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