Here's how web users decide if online content is trustworthy.

In order of importance, the trust factors for online content are:

• Content properties. Title, spelling, grammar, style, language and the presence of quick answers.
• Proof. Quotes, links, references and citations.
• Publisher reputation. Brand, website or publisher reputation.
• Author reputation. Familiarity with the author and their previous work.
• Social proof. Peer review, communities, comments and social media.
• Cross-checking. Facts are often taken as true if they appear on other sites.
• Advertising. Presence, quantity and quality of ads.
• Intuition. Some web users judge trust online by gut feeling.
• Security. Encryption, information safety, authenticity and a virus-free environment.
• Bias. Evidence of objective, bias-free information.
• Date. Presence of a publishing date, and content age.
• Visual. Aesthetics, design, function, formatting and structure.
• Pictures. Presence of visual media, including photos and graphics.

In 2015 we explained how users read online, and a follow-up study in 2016 revealed what people think of web links. This time we explore the trust factors for online content, or in other words, the clues web users rely on to decide whether online content is trustworthy.

Data collection was an open-ended survey of 1,000 web users. Each was asked to describe what quality signs they look for when evaluating online content. We used custom-built software to surface the top concepts by grouping similar themes, so "brand", "ABC", "gov", "URL" and "paper" all fall under "Publisher". A single respondent could contribute to several concepts in one answer. For instance "corroboration, quality of ads, correct grammar and spelling" contributed to two themes, "Content Properties" and "Presence of Ads".

Content Properties

Content quality is the primary factor in building trust online, though this category is a cluster of sub-themes:

• Basics. Spelling and grammar.
• Language. Tone, skill and style of writing.
• Answers. Clear answers, particularly in the first paragraph.
• Title. Quality of the title and the presence of clickbait.
• Usefulness. Overall satisfaction with the quality of the information.
• Facts. Factual, research-based writing.

Proof

Our study of what web users think of content links found that most see links as a marketing and revenue system. The second most common reason was to supply relevance, context and detail, with only 3% of respondents mentioning "proof and reference".

Here is the twist. Despite the negative sentiment towards links on the web, links are a major trust factor when users decide whether to believe a statement made online. The key to successful link placement is context.

Publisher

The third most important factor is website reputation. That includes strong brand familiarity, a track record of quality content, or being an academic or government resource. Facing an unfamiliar publisher for the first time, users look up its credentials by visiting the "about us" and "contact us" pages, or searching for it.

Other Signals

Survey Summary Table

Nonsensical answers were grouped and removed from the table.

Related concepts

• E-E-A-T
• Source Authority
• Citation