30 Factors That Influence Website Credibility

Let’s jump into our list of the top 30 website credibility factors to care about:

#1. No Technical Glitches

Technical errors on your website are a sure way to scare visitors away to competitor sites. Not only are glitches and bugs frustrating for the user experience, but they also affect their confidence in your website, business, blog or store. This could result in a drop in traffic, sales and engagement.

Here are some common technical errors you should avoid:

• Broken links
• Slow-loading pages and images
• Unreliable hosting
• Mobile incompatibility

#2. HTTPS

If your site lacks HTTPS, people will be warned that your website isn’t secure, which could result in a loss of traffic and sales. So, what makes a website credible to new visitors? Get an SSL certificate, also known as a Secure Sockets Layer. This works by encrypting information passing between your website and visitors, meaning personal details will be protected.

How can you get an SSL certificate?

Thankfully, most major website builders, such as Wix and Squarespace, include a free SSL certificate as part of your plan. Based on our 2025 testing, all five of our top-rated website builders received perfect scores for their security features.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

#3. Professional and Consistent Design

When designing your website, your choices should be consistent with your branding and any existing assets you have. You don’t want your logo design to look completely unrelated to your site’s pages or vice versa.

According to Hostinger, your website design has an impact on 94% of first impressions and 75% of these website visitors believe a site is more trustworthy if it looks good.

#4. Attractive Color Scheme

A poorly chosen color scheme will make your website look amateur and unprofessional, so be mindful when choosing the right colors for your site. Here are some top tips:

• Use the right colors to inspire emotions
• Stick to three to five colors in your palette
• Make sure your colors are accessible for all
• Avoid clashing colors
• Choose a core color for your brand identity

#5. Readable Fonts

Fonts can be overlooked, but they play an important role when it comes to the credibility of a website. The key thing about fonts is that they must be easy to read – if your font is too complex, small or stylized, people won’t bother to read your content at all.

Some of the most popular font types for websites in 2025 include Inter, Josefin Sans, Roboto, Open Sans and Rubik.

#6. High-Quality Images

Low-quality or grainy images can really damage your website credibility. Nothing screams “amateur” like a poorly-lit product photo or low resolution image on your homepage.

You can use stock imagery or generate images with AI, but I recommend taking your own unique photos to help your website stand out. Just remember to optimize your images by adding alt text and compressing the file size.

#7. Professional Logo

Just like images, you need a high-quality logo to use across your website, social media channels and newsletters. This will help with your brand consistency too! You can use online logo makers, such as those offered by Canva or Adobe, or use AI-powered logo makers, such as Wix’s Logo Maker, to create your logo from scratch.

#8. Clear Navigation

If a website visitor or potential customer can’t find what they’re looking for, you’re in danger of losing traffic, sales and repeat visits. As part of your website credibility checklist, make sure you:

• Keep your navigation visible at all times
• Label your pages clearly
• Focus on simplicity (don’t cause confusion with a large menu!)

#9. Relevant and Accurate Content

If you open a blog post related to your search, but it’s hasn’t been updated in the last few years, are you likely to continue reading? No. And, if that blog post about house plants sits on a website that mostly publishes content about the latest fashion trends, are you likely to trust it? No, again.

Any content on your website must be up-to-date and relevant to your niche. If you let old blog posts gather dust or product information become inaccurate, your website credibility will plummet. Thankfully, you can avoid this by regularly updating existing content, running audits to check for errors and publishing fresh content that suits your niche and target audience.

The importance of EEAT...

Your content should be the place where you can show off your expertise and authority on a subject or topic. Demonstrating experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EEAT) is a huge ranking factor for Google, and providing proof to readers that you know what you’re talking about can really help you earn trust.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

#10. Good Spelling and Grammar

A surefire way to improve your website credibility is to rid your website of typos or errors. If a reader is constantly faced with obvious mistakes, they won’t think your website is professional. So, to avoid this situation, make sure you proofread your website copy, especially if you’re using AI for content creation.

#11. Up to Date Contact Information

If a visitor or customer has no way to get in contact with you or your business, it’s unlikely they’ll trust you enough to shop or hand over personal information, such as credit card details. Equally, if they encounter an issue, they’ll have no one to turn to.

As part of your website credibility checklist, make sure people can easily find your Contact Us page or contact information in your footer. Include details such as a business email address, phone number, opening hours and store location.

#12. A Helpful “About Us” Page

Boost your website credibility by giving visitors an insight into your team and how things work behind-the-scenes. In an age of AI-this and AI-that, people want to know that there are real humans in charge of their favorite business and an About Us page can remove anonymity and inject personality into your site.

Here are a few things you can include to get started:

• Headshots or a team photo
• A brief bio of each team member
• Your favorite product from your business

#13. Social Media Links

Featuring social media links on your website, whether that’s icons or integrated feeds, can be a great way to boost credibility. It’s almost suspicious if a business isn’t active on social media, since no activity can make your brand appear outdated or out-of-touch.

Adding your social profiles to your website can:

• Send trust signals to visitors
• Provide proof of community engagement
• Shows responsiveness to feedback
• Improve your site’s SEO
• Boost brand awareness and followers

#14. Total Transparency

Hiding information, whether intentional or not, can really damage your site’s credibility and trust. It’s best to be completely transparent and upfront about everything right away, and make this information easy to find. For example, this can include your company’s returns policy, your review site’s editorial code or how your brand uses AI.

#15. Non-Intrusive Ads

Too many ads can impact your website credibility. Not only can they annoy visitors, but they can make your site look unprofessional, slow down your pages and block the content visitors have actually come to see. If you have to place ads to make money from your website, keep them to a minimum and avoid spamming users with lots of pop-ups.

#16. No Jargon

Use simple, easy-to-understand language to avoid alienating your readers. If your content is too complex or readers are faced with a huge wall of text, it’s likely they’ll look elsewhere for a snappy answer.

There are easy ways to keep your content jargon-free and digestible:

• Add headings
• Speak to all skill levels
• Front-load key information
• Consider scannability
• Use unique elements, like bullet points

#17. Reliable Links

Adding source links for statistics, facts, case studies and examples provides context for your readers. If one of your blog posts includes an interesting figure with no link, readers will question the accuracy and credibility of the entire site.

Just remember to always check the links you want to use before adding them to your site. Are they broken? Do they make sense for the user journey? Is the source itself credible? Is there a way you can keep your visitor on your site instead?

#18. FAQs

Your FAQ page can help your business get ahead of regular queries, whether that’s product-related questions or policy-related questions. It’s the perfect place to be upfront and transparent with your visitors, as well as handle both positive and negative reactions.

To improve your website credibility, consider adding questions like this to your FAQ page:

• How can I contact you for support or feedback?
• Can I get my money back?
• Why should I trust your research?
• How does your website make money?
• What is your privacy policy?

#19. Brand Visibility

If your website ranks highly in search results, people will assume your page is relevant, trusted and high-quality, because it’s positioned above others. The good news is that a lot of website credibility factors I’ve shared will also help your website rank well, such as producing fresh content and ensuring your site runs smoothly across all devices.

Google values trustworthy, high-quality websites that are relevant and useful to searchers, so improving your site’s credibility and covering the SEO basics will make your site more attractive to search engines and users.

What about AI Overviews?

Google rolled out AI Overviews (a summarized answer which appears at the top of search results) in May 2024. Unfortunately, various studies have shown that AI Overviews are reducing clicks and traffic, with searchers getting what they need from the search engine results pages (SERPs) directly. That’s why it’s so important to make your website as trustworthy and credible as possible, to boost your chances of appearing in the SERPs, especially now that websites and businesses have to compete with Google’s AI Mode and AI Overviews.

Emma Ryan Lead Writer

#20. Reviews and Testimonials

Reviews and testimonials are an important way to boost website credibility, especially with first-time visitors or potential customers. Good reviews show that you provide a great product or service, while bad reviews can be a useful tool to show that your business can handle feedback professionally and timely.

Just remember to monitor and review any feedback you get online regularly. Don’t remove any genuine comments, good or bad, but I recommend deleting any spam or reviews with suspicious links. Not only can it put your credibility at risk, but you could put visitors in harm’s way if they end up clicking on a malicious link.

#21. Trust Seals

Trust seals from unbiased, authoritative third-parties can influence your website’s credibility by association. After all, if a well-known and trusted brand or body approves your website, it must be trustworthy, right? You can use these trust seals to show visitors your website is secure, that your products are legitimate and that your business meets specific industry requirements.

#22. Awards

If your business has won (or even been shortlisted) for any awards, shout about it on your website. Be selective, though – don’t enter competitions randomly just for the sake of displaying an award on your homepage. You want to be associated with reputable and relevant awards for your industry, if you want to use them to improve your website credibility.

#23. Media Exposure

If your blog, business, or products receive press coverage, that’s a huge credibility boost. Think about it… if you’re thinking about buying a product from an unknown small business, you’re more likely to make the purchase if you see it’s been endorsed or mentioned by a media outlet you trust.

To increase your chances of media exposure, you should build your connections, produce engaging content, pitch your business, promote your brand across social media channels, and collaborate with other businesses and creators in your niche.

Advice from an expert...

Gaining highly relevant, industry-specific press coverage for your business is key to boosting its authority within the sector, and can improve its chances of being seen by your target audience.

Coverage in national publications is always a good thing, but one of the best ways to boost credibility and attract new customers is to ensure your brand is seen by the right audience.

When devising your PR plan, be sure to research the latest industry trends, then figure out what your business has to say on the matter. Offering journalists a unique comment in reaction to popular industry topics can elevate your brand as a trusted authority in its space.

Jess Repetti Senior Campaign Executive, MVF

#24. Relatability

With the growth of AI, customers and visitors want to know there are humans working behind the website. If you can personally speak to a customer’s pain points or share a relatable story in your blog, you’re more likely to see a positive influence on your website credibility. Other factors I’ve mentioned, such as adding an About Us page or social media links to your site, can contribute to your brand’s relatability as well.

#25. Influencer Marketing

Your business should collaborate with influencers to improve your website’s credibility, if they’re relevant to your customers and niche. Influencers possess an engaged community which you can tap into to promote your products and build brand awareness, but you need to make sure this content seems genuine or you’ll risk coming across as fake or salesy.

Think of influencers as a bridge between your business and your target audience. These creators have a close connection with their followers, so building effective influencer marketing strategies can be a great way to target a key demographic.

#26. Customer Service Options

Having good customer service can help you foster credibility and trust with your online community. You can provide this positive user experience in a variety of ways. For example, a pop-up AI-powered chatbot can deliver answers and solve problems instantly. It’s a good idea to offer multiple customer service options, such as a contact form, email or phone number, so visitors have a choice when reaching out to your business.

#27. Memorable Branding

Think of the brands and websites you visit often. You can probably recall what the logo looks like or name an associated color or two. For example, I think of the color red with Coca-Cola or the famous swoosh of Nike’s logo. All of your design choices when building your website should consider the long-lasting impact, because a memorable brand will seem more credible to visitors.

#28. Detailed Product Information

If you run an online business, customers want to know what they’re buying, and a lack of detailed product information can reduce sales and damage your website credibility. After all, you wouldn’t want to buy a product called “Product 1” – it doesn’t paint a great picture of the item for sale.

To avoid this, make sure you provide clear product titles, product descriptions and tags to help search engines and customers understand the product. It’s also a good idea to share additional details about variants, such as colors and sizing, and materials or ingredients used.

#29. No Forced Registrations

No one wants to be forced into a sign-up form when they’re just looking to visit your site for some information or to buy a product. A poorly-placed pop-up or limited access to content without registering can make visitors feel like they have no control over the experience. As a result, customers could be put off and never return again.

#30. Multi-Platform Advertising

If you make your brand visible across multiple platforms, you can expand your reach, build awareness and increase engagement with your target audience. With a strong brand identity and personality, you can promote your products and spread the word about an upcoming sale by placing ads on social media, Google or even with posts in your local area.

There are four main types of website credibility to consider when building or updating your website:

• Presumed
• Reputed
• Surface
• Earned

Each one describes a different way that you can earn credibility online, but you want to make sure you’re covering all four angles to ensure your credibility doesn’t fall short in one area. Here’s a quick summary of what each of these terms means:

You might think you’re ticking some of the boxes on your website credibility checklist, but how can you be sure? If you want to check the credibility of a website, use a tool. There are plenty of free options, including:

• IONOS Website Checker
• Ryte Website Checker
• Experte Page Experience Check

These tools can run checks across your website and provide suggestions for improvements. For example, the Website Checker tool from IONOS looks at four key areas: presentation, accessibility via search engines, security and website speed. Alternatively, you can use a free page speed testing tool to review your site’s performance specifically.

As you can see from this list, there are plenty of ways to improve your website credibility, from quick fixes and updates to more long-term strategies. You don’t need to implement all of these to see success, but it’s a good idea to keep them in mind when rolling out updates or running audits of your site.

Most importantly, you need to earn your website credibility. It won’t be secured with a click of your fingers, so invest some time into showcasing your expertise, collaborating with others in your niche and adding trust signals to your site.