Technology

How to Know if You Can Trust a Website: Guidelines for Online Shoppers

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Do you enjoy shopping online? Well, what’s not to love about it – it is convenient since you can access anytime and anywhere, more choices that limited-edition items that are no longer or not yet available in stores can be found online, and most of the times, prices are even cheaper due to promos and discounts. With all these, it is no longer surprising why more and more people are shopping online.

  1. It should have SSL certificate – first thing to check is if the website has secured connection. Since you will be putting in personal details as well as your credit card details, you must double check that the website has ssl certificate. This allows secure connections from a web server to browser keeping all data secured. To know if the website has ssl certificate, you must check the URL and you should see it as https and it has padlock in the address bar.
  2. Check the product details – next, you should check the products that they offer. It is important to check the details including description about the product as well as photos. You should check everything from size, colour and others.
  3. Comprehensive Contact Us page – it is also advisable to check out the Contact Us page. A reliable website must have complete contact information from email address, office address, phone number or mobile number so users can easily contact them. Of course, you should check out if the numbers are working and the address is legit.
  4. They should respond to queries within 24-hour period – next, it is best to test if they respond to their customers’ queries. The response should be within 24-hour period to know that they are attentive. You must know for sure that in case something happens that you can contact their support team and you will receive a response.
  5. See testimonials from other customers –it is also recommendable to read reviews or testimonials from past and present costumers. This way, you will get ideas about the website.
  6. Read their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy – you should know your rights as consumer so be sure to take time and read their Privacy Policy and Terms of Service pages. It is advisable to save a copy in case you need it in the future.
  7. Read FAQ section – since you are new to the site, be sure to read Frequently Asked Questions and see the answers that might be helpful for your own experience in the website.

It is fun and convenient to shop online but since you are using real money on your purchases, and you are entering personal and billing details, you must be extra careful to know who to trust. There is nothing wrong in supporting new websites but make sure that they are reliable by checking the things that we discussed here. Online shopping is a lot more fun if you are confident about the website that you are using.