A trust score is a numerical value assigned to a website to indicate its trustworthiness or legitimacy. It’s typically calculated based on various factors such as domain age, website traffic, user reviews, security measures, and presence of malware or phishing attempts.
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How a trust score can help you in knowing the legitimacy of a website?
- Establishing Credibility: A high trust score indicates that the website is likely reputable and has a history of providing valuable or safe content. Conversely, a low trust score may suggest that the website could be dubious or risky to interact with.
- Identifying Scams: Websites with low trust scores are often associated with scams, phishing attempts, or malware distribution. Trust scores help users identify potentially harmful websites and avoid falling victim to online threats.
- User Confidence: Knowing that a website has a high trust score can boost user confidence in its legitimacy. Users are more likely to engage with content, make purchases, or share personal information on websites they trust.
- Decision Making: Trust scores can influence decision-making processes, such as whether to click on a link, make a purchase, or provide sensitive information. Users can use trust scores as a quick reference to assess the reliability of a website before taking any action.
- Security Awareness: By understanding the role of trust scores, users become more aware of online security risks and the importance of verifying the legitimacy of websites before interacting with them.
However, it’s important to note that trust scores are not fool proof indicators of legitimacy. They can provide valuable insights, but users should also employ other methods such as checking for HTTPS encryption, verifying contact information, and reading user reviews to ensure the credibility of a website.
How can we know the trust score of a website?
There are several methods to determine the trust score of a website:
- Online Tools: There are various online tools and services that provide trust scores for websites. These tools often analyse multiple factors such as domain age, traffic, security, and reputation to calculate a trust score. Examples of such tools include:
- WOT (Web of Trust): WOT provides trust scores based on user ratings and community reviews.
- Google Safe Browsing: Google Safe Browsing offers a tool that checks if a website has been reported for phishing or malware.
- Norton Safe Web: Norton Safe Web provides website ratings based on security scans and user feedback.
- Browser Extensions: Some web browsers offer extensions or add-ons that display trust scores for websites directly in the browser interface. These extensions can help users quickly assess the legitimacy of a website before visiting it. Examples include WOT browser extension and McAfee Web Advisor.
- Security Software: Many antivirus and internet security suites include features that assess the trustworthiness of websites. These tools often provide real-time protection by warning users about potentially harmful websites before they visit them.
- Manual Evaluation: Users can manually evaluate the legitimacy of a website by examining various factors such as:
- Domain Age: Older domains are generally considered more trustworthy.
- Security Measures: Check if the website uses HTTPS encryption, has a valid SSL certificate, and displays trust seals from reputable security companies.
- Contact Information: Legitimate websites typically provide clear contact information, including a physical address, email address, and phone number.
- User Reviews: Look for user reviews and feedback about the website’s products, services, and reliability.
- Content Quality: Evaluate the quality and relevance of the website’s content. Legitimate websites often provide accurate and valuable information.
Combining these methods can help users make informed decisions about the trustworthiness of a website and minimize the risk of encountering online scams or security threats.
Best tool for trust score:
WOT (Web of Trust):
WOT relies on user ratings and reviews to assign trust scores to websites. It offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and other popular web browsers, allowing users to see trust scores directly in search engine results and while browsing.
McAfee Web Advisor:
McAfee Web Advisor provides safety ratings for websites based on factors such as malware detection, phishing risks, and website reputation. It’s available as a browser extension and also integrated into some antivirus software packages.
Norton Safe Web:
Norton Safe Web evaluates websites based on security scans and user feedback, assigning trust ratings to help users identify safe websites.
It offers a website rating service and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge.
Google Safe Browsing:
Google Safe Browsing helps users identify unsafe websites by checking for phishing and malware risks. It’s integrated into Google Chrome and other Google services, providing warnings when users attempt to visit potentially harmful websites.
URL Void: URL Void is an online service that scans websites for various security threats, including malware infections, phishing attempts, and suspicious activities. It provides a comprehensive report with trust scores and other relevant information.
Secure Site Check:
Secure Site Check offers a website scanning tool that checks for malware infections, blacklist status, and other security issues. While primarily focused on website security, it can also provide insights into a website’s trustworthiness.
When choosing a tool, consider factors such as ease of use, compatibility with your web browser or operating system, and the specific features or information provided.
Additionally, it’s often a good idea to use multiple tools or methods to gather a more comprehensive understanding of a website’s trustworthiness.