| Guideline
(Stanford
Guidelines) |
Additional
Comments (Web Site
Credibility) |
|
| 1. |
Make
it easy to verify the accuracy
of the information on your
site. |
|
You
can build Web Site credibility by providing
third-party support (citations, references,
source material) for information you
present, especially if you link to
this evidence. Even if people don't
follow these links, you've shown confidence
in your material. |
|
| 2. |
Show
that there's a real organization
behind your site. Web Credibility? |
|
Showing
that your Web Site is for a legitimate
organization will boost the site's
credibility. The easiest way to do
this is by listing a physical address.
Other features can also help, such
as posting a photo of your offices
or listing a membership with the chamber
of commerce. |
|
| 3. |
Highlight
the expertise in your organization
and in the content and services
you provide. |
|
Do
you have experts on your team? Are
your contributors or service providers
authorities? Be sure to give their
credentials. Are you affiliated with
a respected organization? Make that
clear. Conversely, don't link to outside
sites that are not credible. Your site
becomes less credible by association. |
|
| 4. |
Show
that honest and trustworthy
people stand behind your
site. Web Credibility? |
|
The
first part of this guideline is to
show there are real people behind the
site and in the organization. Next,
find a way to convey their trustworthiness
through images or text. For example,
some sites post employee bios that
tell about family or hobbies. |
|
| 5. |
Make
it easy to contact you. |
|
A
simple way to boost your site's credibility
is by making your contact information
clear: phone number, physical address,
and email address. |
|
| 6. |
Design
your site so it looks professional
(or is appropriate for your
purpose). |
|
We
find that people quickly evaluate a
site by visual design alone. When designing
your site, pay attention to layout,
typography, images, consistency issues,
and more. Of course, not all sites
gain credibility by looking like IBM.com.
The visual design should match the
site's purpose. |
|
| 7. |
Make
your site easy to use --
and useful. |
|
We're
squeezing two guidelines into one here.
Our research shows that sites win credibility
points by being both easy to use and
useful. Some site operators forget
about users when they cater to their
own company's ego or try to show the
dazzling things they can do with web
technology. |
|
| 8. |
Update
your site's content often
(at least show it's been
reviewed recently). |
|
People
assign more credibility to sites that
show they have been recently updated
or reviewed. |
|
| 9. |
Use
restraint with any promotional
content (e.g., ads, offers). |
|
If
possible, avoid having ads on your
site. If you must have ads, clearly
distinguish the sponsored content from
your own. Avoid pop-up ads, unless
you don't mind annoying users and losing
credibility. As for writing style,
try to be clear, direct, and sincere. |
|
| 10. |
Avoid
errors of all types, no matter
how small they seem. |
|
Typographical
errors and broken links hurt a site's
credibility more than most people imagine.
It's also important to keep your site
up and running. |
|
