In the last decade, we have witnessed the internet turn into the most powerful social medium the world has ever seen. With more players and more information each and every second, it is very difficult for new websites to gain attention and more difficult for old websites to stay on top. Back in the old days, the most respected man in the room was the man you wanted to hang out with. The internet isn’t drastically different in that sense. The websites that have the highest reputation tend to attract the most visitors.
What Makes a Website Reputable?
The simple answer is websites are no different than what makes a person reputable. The number one key factor in establishing a strong reputation is to get referenced by others with strong reputations. Endorsements still carry weight online. I am not just talking about other websites giving backlinks to your website, but more about social media accounts linking to your website. Think how much traffic you would get if the president of the United States tweeted about your website? Obviously that is quite unlikely, but you can see the idea. If some respected person in your website’s niche shares your content for you, your website’s reputation immediately strengthens.
However, it isn’t just about that one big share from a highly respected person. It is arguably more useful to have a bunch of less respected people that share your website’s content. Think how much traffic you would have if 200 people with a few thousand connections each tweeted/shared your website’s content once a week. Reputation isn’t just about one big reference, it’s about developing solid content that makes people want to share your content. It’s about content that is so good that people can’t resist telling others.
Another important part of reputation outside of people sharing your content is how long you have been providing solid content. The history of your website isn’t as important as it used to be, but definitely still gives you points over other websites in search results. Think about it from a search engine perspective for a second. Would you want to show brand new websites in your search results that have a high probability of shutting down within a year? Absolutely not! You want those websites that have been around for years because it shows their dedication and commitment to serving the web. Well, that is the short lesson on the importance of a website’s reputation. Reputation is a strong motivating power in bringing users to your website.
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