The word Website appears first in the title of this article because, especially in the
home based business and network marketing industries, you will often be dealing
with an individual Webpage or Website as opposed to a large company. That Website
might be the independent representative page of a representative, or it could be an
independently developed page operated by an entrepreneur.
Even if you are looking at a Webpage that is owned by a company, often you will
have to go no further in the evaluation process to rule out a particular Website or
opportunity. Then, only if the Website passes your tests, do you go on to evaluate
the company and opportunity.
Please realize, also, that this article does not really address the issues involved in
evaluating the opportunity side of a company, or fully evaluating the company and
opportunity combined. On the Homepage of ABCIncome.com appears a 13-point
criteria developed out of two decades of experience with evaluating business
opportunities. The version on the Homepage is only an overview, but a more
complete version of what to look for will appear soon in the form of a new article.
One other point before we really get started, is that this article is not concerned with
aesthetic issues. Granted, there are certain, “generally accepted Web design
practices,” some of which will be talked about here. However, just because a
Website uses a certain type of graphics, or perhaps a wild color scheme (or a boring
one), doesn’t mean that it can’t offer good content or opportunities. There are just
too many factors having to do with personal preference for these to be considered a
major factor for the purpose of this article.
Ok, with that said, here are some of the things that you should be looking for when
evaluating a Website or a company:
1. Is the MAIN Website directly accessible via a URL (Web address) that reasonably
makes sense?
Some Websites, most notably those that are questionable, will
occasionally set up even their main URL so that it isn’t very intuitive or accessible for
the general public. For instance, normally a Website name might look something like
this:
[evaluateawebsite.com]
Or [evaluateawebsite.com/index.htm]
Or [evaluateawebsite.com/main.asp]
On the other hand, if something isn’t quite right it might look something like this:
[evaluateawebsite.com/prelaunch/]
Or [evaluateawebsite.com/comingsoon/]
Or [evaluateawebsite.com/invitationonly/]
Let me immediately point out that simply because a URL ends with a name similar to
one of the examples above that doesn’t mean that the Website isn’t legitimate. If,
for instance, you are reading this article directly on the Website of ABCIncome.com
instead of in my email newsletter, then it ends with a name that is tacked onto the
main Web address of ABCIncome.com. It’s pretty standard practice in the industry to
add forward slashes and additional directories, folders, and/or page names to the
right of the main URL.
However, IF you cannot erase those extra characters to the right and directly access
the Website with just the portion that ends in .com, or .net, or .biz, or .ws, etc., that
may be cause for concern. Many Websites direct visitors to pages that aren’t the
main Homepage. However, if you can’t get to the Website’s main Homepage, again,
that may be cause for suspicion. business.educationeasy.net Business Websites are all about marketing a
product or service, so any normal Website owner would typically want to make sure
that their Homepage is accessible to any and all visitors.
2. What kind of contact options are provided? Email, Contact Form, telephone
number, etc.?
If there are no contact options, unless there is a VERY good reason, such as that the
site is undergoing construction or maintenance, consider it to be a big RED Flag!
If the site offers a way for you to purchase something, but there are no contact
options (until after purchase, you hope), then absolutely consider it a BIG RED Flag!
In general, the more contact options, the better. I would feel the most comfortable,
for instance, dealing with Website where an email address or contact form, and a
phone number, and a street address are provided. I would feel least comfortable
with a Website where only an email address and nothing else is provided.
Remember also that you can, or should, view Websites owned by individuals slightly
differently than Websites owned by a company. Any legitimate, reputable company,
for instance, should offer at least some contact information, again, the more the
better. However, it is not uncommon for Websites owned and managed by
individuals to feature less contact information. Especially if it is owned by a home
based business person; he or she might not be comfortable publishing their home
street address or phone number on the Web, for instance.
In rare cases with certain types of replicating Websites (where many representatives
have the same type of Website) the user may not have the option of providing more
contact details. But, again, that’s rare. These days even most Websites aimed at
individual users allow the user to add and update their contact information.
Even a P.O. Box is better than no address at all. Here again, whether dealing with a
giant company or an individual, it is not uncommon for companies or individuals to
use P.O. Boxes to more efficiently handle their mail.
True, some unscrupulous operators hide behind P.O. Boxes. However, they are a
much smaller percentage in comparison to legitimate users. The main reason is
that, especially after 9/11, in order to apply for and use a P.O. Box or address
service the applicant has to provide various kinds of information, including a real
street address, and proof of identity, etc.
Some Websites provide only an instant chat username as a means of contact. Here
also, usually to be considered a red flag.
Because scam artists know that providing a means of contact considerably increases
the credibility of a Website, one of the cleverest tactics to watch out for is a site that
provides a “Live Chat” or “Live Support” or “Live Customer Service” option, etc., but
it is never really staffed!
The above tactic is often combined with the additional tactic of the site claiming to
be located in a part of the World that just happens not to be open for business
during regular business hours in busy parts of the World such as the USA and
Canada.
I saw that tactic employed by a scam Website claiming to be located in the UK. It
offered, “Live Support,” but noted that they operated according to UK time, which,
conveniently, meant that by the time that most people in the USA and Canada got
out of work and visited their Website, it was too late to make contact due to it being
after hours in the UK. In reality, the site’s “Live Support” option was never staffed,
but most visitors never caught on due to the cleverness of the scheme.
3. After checking the items above I usually look for an “About Page.”
Here again a
Website run by an individual might not have one. However, the best companies,
whether large or small, will almost always have at least one page if not more
devoted to information about the company. Sometimes information about the
company’s management is provided as well.
These pages also go by names such as, “Company info.,” “Our Company,” or just,
“Company,” etc.
The About page can often tell you a lot about a company, including how long they
claim to have been in business. In general, the longer the better!
4. Does the Website feature any certifications, affiliations, or rankings, backed by
reputable and unbiased 3rd party organizations such as The Better Business Bureau,
Chamber of Commerce, Dun & Bradstreet, TRUSTe, Alexa, DSA (Direct Selling
Association), etc.?
Though none of the above organizations endorse or guarantee companies,
membership in and/or certification by a respected 3rd party organization can go a
long way toward giving you greater peace of mind that a company or individual is
legitimate and trustworthy.
Something that people don’t commonly know about the Better Business Bureau is
that they can establish a file and keep records on ANY company or individual
whether they are a member or not. The difference is, however, that a company who
is not a member has not agreed to the terms of the Better Business Bureau, cannot
display their logos, and has no way to really showcase a good record if they have
one.
However, even if a company is not listed with the BBB, IF they’ve been around for a
while and you can verify that fact, at least the BBB may have on file any negative
complaints that have been filed.
I must stress, however, this really applies only if the company that you are doing
business with has been around for a considerable length of time, and you can verify
it. That’s because a common tactic of scam artists is to start a new company, take
people’s money, and then simply close their doors, start another new company, and
repeat the process all over again. Thus, if they are not a BBB member, they may very
well have taken advantage of many unsuspecting victims, but simply haven’t been
around long enough for complaints to have reached the BBB yet. That’s why it is a
requirement that when a business or individual applies for membership they must
have been in business for at least 6 months to a year, and, further, the BBB goes as
far back as 3 years in their files to see if there have been any past complaints before
granting membership.
Unscrupulous companies that try to evade detection by closing their doors and then
opening up again under a new name are often detected in the BBB’s database. So, if
you know that a company previously operated under a different name it would be a
good idea to check to see if any complaints were filed against the company under
its previous name(s).
5. WHOIS and Alexa are tools that you can use in combination to further develop a
profile and picture of what a Website is all about.
Alexa ( alexa.com alexa.com/ ) allows you to track various data about a Website’s
activity, perhaps how long the site has been around, and maybe who owns it.
Alexa can be a great tool, but you have to be very careful if you aren’t familiar with
what all of the various pieces of information mean. For instance, just because a
Website has a high Alexa rating doesn’t mean it’s credible.
There are enough people who love money enough to jump onboard any scheme or
scam even if it seems too good to be true that unscrupulous Websites have often
been able to achieve high Alexa ratings. The thing to watch for is most of the traffic
being generated by the people who are jumping onboard the scheme and
advertising the site, as opposed to the Website climbing up in the rankings on its
own merits.
Again, it may take you a while before you are able to interpret and read the data to
be able to discern such things. However, one potential clue that “might” be a tip off
is when you see a Website appear out of the blue and all of a sudden it has a high
Alexa rating. Maybe it’s ranked at #77,000, for instance, but it’s only been on the
charts for a few weeks or months. Not always, but, especially if you are utilizing the
other methods discussed here, you may be able to determine that such a brief and
rapid change in ranking is a red flag for that particular Website.
You also have to realize that Websites and the companies and individuals behind
them are separate entities. For instance, Sears Roebuck had obviously already been
around a long, long time before they ever had a Website. And even companies or
individuals that have a Website sometimes add new ones, etc. So, if a company or
individual says they’ve been around for a while, but their Website hasn’t been
around as long, that isn’t necessarily a red flag as long as you can verify the
information.
As for WHOIS, there are numerous WHOIS servers that you can use. Many in fact.
However, three of the best known and most popular are:
InterNIC
internic.net internic.net/
VeriSign
registrar.verisign-grs.com/whois registrar.verisign-grs.com/whois/
and Network Solutions
networksolutions.com/en_US/whois networksolutions.com/en_US/whois/
WHOIS is a special database that lets you find out about a Website by typing in the
domain name (the Website address). Among the things that you may be able to find
out are out how long the Website has been around, who owns it, and where that
company or individual is actually located.
Earlier I mentioned a scam Website that claimed to be in the UK. Well, using the
same kinds of methods that I’m telling you about here I quickly found all kinds of
red flags. One of the biggest was that when I ran a WHOIS query the result came
back that the site owners were not really in the UK as they claimed to be, but were
actually registered on the offshore island of Belize, a common tactic of, and a HUGE
red flag characteristic of scam operations.
Another thing to watch for are private registrations by companies or individuals who
are obviously advertising as doing business with the public. Private registrations are
those where the real identity of the Website’s owner is not revealed. That’s fine if
someone just wants privacy. However, companies doing business with the public are
by their very nature doing business with the public! Therefore, it really makes no
sense, in most cases, for someone to file a private registration. It can be a red flag
that makes one wonder, who really owns this Website, and why don’t they show
themselves?
6. Dun & Bradstreet and similar business intelligence and credit reporting agencies,
most notably Hoovers, are also excellent options if you really want to find out more
about a company.
From Microsoft to Motorola, Dun & Bradstreet (also known as
D&B) is THE industry’s most respected credit reporting and business intelligence
source for that kind of information.
Unlike most of the other resources mentioned in this article, D&B primarily focuses
on large companies like the Fortune 500, or larger “small” businesses. So, many, if
not most individuals and small businesses will not be listed. Additionally, these
services require a fee, which can be substantial in order for you to pull a report on a
company, unless you have a subscription, which also involves a fair amount of cost.
You can, however, run limited queries at no cost that may be helpful to you.
7. One last point to consider is one that most people never give much thought to
when evaluating a Website or a company, and that is the payment methods they
accept.
Limited payment method acceptance (the inability to accept online payment) may be
a red flag when dealing with all but the smallest companies or individuals.
The bottom line is that the more payment methods a site is able to offer the greater
the convenience for the customer, which equates to more sales. Therefore, no
established company would want to be without the ability to accept multiple forms
of payment, unless, of course, something is wrong.
This article is already lengthy, and space simply does not permit going into detail
about the different types of payment processors. However, in general, a Website
that accepts payment via a secure merchant shopping cart of its own has probably
passed the most rigorous application, credit check, and background verification
process. With a third party processor, such as 2Checkout, ClickBank, or PayPal, this
is less so, but still applicable.
If a company or individual can’t qualify for an account with one of the above
processors that can often be a red flag and a sign of either credit and/or financial
problems, or even fraudulent activity. If a company has had problems that could
explain why they can’t accept common forms of payment. An online Website saying
that it can only accept payment in the form of a money order, cashier’s check, etc.,
should probably be viewed with suspicion.
Also, if a Website features StormPay as the only payment option, and not also
PayPal, that too can be a red flag. That’s because StormPay has much less stringent
application and maintenance requirements than PayPal. So, a Website who HAD an
account with one of the most respected payment processing company accounts like
those described above, but then got into trouble and had their account banned or
terminated, may still be able to get a StormPay account. Certainly not all StormPay
accounts fall into this category, but, again, if it’s the only payment method
accepted, it may be cause for concern.
Likewise, a Website offering as it’s only means of conducting transactions the e-
gold service, may also be cause for concern and even a red flag. e-gold is an
alternative service that allows companies and people to use gold instead of dollars
as a means of conducting transactions. Though e-gold is a legitimate service that
continues to grow and is accepted by many reputable merchants, it is often used by
scam artists for obvious reasons.
GRPMAX, L.L.C. was founded by CEO Phil Covington in 1979 and is the parent company of abcincome.com ABCIncome.Com. GRPMAX specializes in developing Uniquely Innovative Technologies & Solutions™ and has worked with clients ranging from small business, to government, to the Fortune 500. Specifically, GRPMAX creates solutions that automate processes that previously required human staffing and interaction. Mr. Covington's interest in the home business field started in the 1980s and developed out of relationships with some of the industry's most talented and highest earning individuals, during which time he has actively pursued the creation of the ultimate home business passive income solution.
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