Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: General Tips
• Method 2 of 3: Google Service and Data Availability Report
• Method 3 of 3: Better Business Bureau
• Tips
• Warnings

In this article, you will learn how to assess the reliability of a site before you start using it. In addition to standard security measures, you can use the Google Service and Data Availability Report or the Better Business Bureau to check the legitimacy of a site if you are interested in the reliability of businesses located in the United States, Canada, or Mexico.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: General Tips

1. 1 Enter the site name into the search engine and view the search results. If the site you're looking for is dangerous (or illegal), a cursory Google check will be enough to figure it out.
   • Google collects user reviews from popular sites at the top of search results, so be sure to check them out.
   • Make sure the reviews and testimonials come from non-site users.
2. 2 Take a look at the connection type. Sites with https are generally more secure (and therefore more reliable) than sites with the more common http. This is because illegal sites do not care about getting certified for compliance with information security requirements.
   • An https site can still be unreliable, so be sure to check with other means.
   • Make sure the payment page is https.
3. 3 Check the site's security level in the address bar of your browser. As a rule, there should be a green padlock to the left of the "safe" site address.
   • Click on the lock icon to view details about the site (for example, the type of encryption used).
4. 4 Evaluate the site address. A site address consists of a connection type (http or https), a domain name (for example, wikihow), and a domain extension (.ru, .com, .net, and so on).Even after making sure that the connection is reliable, you should beware of the following signs:
   • Multiple dashes or characters in the domain name.
   • The domain name is similar to the name of an existing business (Amaz0n or NikeOutlet).
   • The site uses a template from another legitimate site (for example, visihow).
   • .Biz and .info domain extensions. As a rule, sites with such extensions are not reliable.
   • Note that while the .com and .net extensions are not unreliable, they are fairly easy to obtain. Therefore, they do not have the same level of trust as .edu (educational) and .gov (government sites).
5. 5 Pay attention to bad language. If you notice a large number of misspelled (or missing) words, poor grammar, or strange sentence structures, consider the reliability of this site.
   • Even if the site is to some extent legitimate and not fraudulent, any inaccuracies in spelling can cast doubt on the accuracy of the rest of the information, making this source unreliable.
6. 6 Beware of intrusive ads. If the selected site contains an incredibly large amount of ads that take up most of the page, or auto-play audio ads, then the site is hardly reliable. Close the site if you come across the following types of advertising:
   • full-page advertising;
   • an advertisement that requires a survey (or something else) to close;
   • advertising that redirects you to another page;
   • explicit or suggestive advertising.
7. 7 Use the "Feedback" page. Most sites have a feedback page through which users can send questions, comments, and suggestions to the site owner. Call or email the provided phone number or email address to verify that the site is legal.
   • Scroll to the bottom of the site to find the Feedback page.
   • If the site does not have a "Feedback" page, this indicates its unreliability.
8. 8 Search the WhoIs site to find out who registered the site's domain. When registering a domain, a person or company is required to provide their contact information. Such information can be found on domain registration sites or services such as https://whois.domaintools.com/. Look for the following information:
   • Private registration: A domain can be registered behind the scenes when the “private registration” service provider acts as the contact person, rather than the actual owner of the domain. If the domain uses private registration, this is a reason to be wary.
   • Contact information is suspicious: for example, if the name of the person who registered the domain is Ivan Ivanov and his email address is [email protected], this could be a sign that the person wants to hide their identity.
   • Recent registration or transfer: A recent registration or transfer of a domain may indicate that the site is unreliable.

Method 2 of 3: Google Service and Data Availability Report

1. 1 Open up Google Service and Data Availability Report. Enter your site's address into a search engine on this page to see how reliable it is as estimated by Google.
2. 2 Click on the "Specify URL" field in the middle of the page.
3. 3 Enter the site's URL, including its name (for example, wikihow) and extension (.com).
   • It is better to copy the site address from the address bar and paste it into this field.
4. 4 Click on the button with a magnifying glass.
5. 5 Review the search results. The site's rating will be as follows: "No data found", "No unsafe content found", "Partially dangerous" and so on.
   • For example, sites like wikiHow and YouTube are rated No Insecure Content, while Reddit is rated Partially Dangerous because of “Deceptive Content” (such as deceptive ads).
   • The Google Service and Data Availability Report also provides examples of how it assigns a rating so that you can determine for yourself if this interpretation of site reliability is right for you.

Method 3 of 3: Better Business Bureau

1. 1 If you would like to check the site of a business located in the United States, Canada or Mexico, go to Bureau of Better Business Practices. The bureau's website has a verification function that can be used to check the reliability of a particular site.
   • Please note that the process here aims to compare the existing business with the provided site. If you just want to check the reliability of a site, use the Google Service and Data Availability Report.
2. 2 Click on the Find a Business tab.
3. 3 Click on the Find test box.
4. 4 Enter the website address. Copy the address from the address bar and paste it into this field.
5. 5 Click on the "Near" field.
6. 6 Enter a location to narrow your search.
   • If you do not know the geographic location of the firm, skip this step.
7. 7 Click on Search.
8. 8 Review the search results. Check the reliability of the site by comparing search results on the Bureau of Better Business Practice site with the information on the site.
   • For example, if a site says it sells shoes, but the bureau states that it is earning advertising revenue, then the site is cheating on you.
   • If the information in the bureau coincides with the data on the site, then he can be trusted.

Tips

• You can also check the reliability of the sites on Wolfram Alpha.

Warnings

• User-driven sites (like eBay or Craigslist) are difficult to classify as “trustworthy” due to their dynamic nature. While you are unlikely to catch a computer virus on eBay, beware that other users might try to trick you.