Lizz Fransen’s Online Marketing Blog

A blog is considered a credible source of information because the review or recommendation has been posted by someone who is just like everyone else, not a marketer trying to sell something. However it is obvious that there are blogs that we cannot consider to be a credible resource. So what factors make us consider a blog credible?

The Slideshare presentation “What Makes a Website Credible?” suggests that web credibility is based on the formula, perceived trustworthiness + perceived expertise = perceived credibility. Without either the belief of trustworthiness or expertise the website is not thought of as credible by visitors.

Perceived expertise can be attributed to how narrow the focus of the blog the post topics are, as suggested by the entry “SMB4: Bloggers – Credibility VS Popularity”. A blogger who posts about a certain niche topic, depending on the content of the posts, comes across as knowledgeable in that topic. In contrast someone who posts on whatever is on their mind and might not have two posts on the same topic likely will come across as less knowledgeable on the subject. Expertise is essential to gaining credibility whether it is gained through education, experience, or through a connection with the reader, such as a shared interest.

Being discovered as being paid to post about certain products or services can take away from the perceived trustworthiness of your blog. By taking money for endorsements a blogger can be thought of as promoting things they know nothing about or even dislike in order to get paid. However a paid blogger who has the other factor in the equation, expertise, and has a history of saying what they feel, as described in the post “How Much Do Top Tier Bloggers and Social Media Consultants Get Paid? We Asked Them!” would be perceived as being more trustworthy than a blog that promotes anything and everything.

So as the Businessweek blog, Blogspotting, mentioned in the post “The blogosphere is not ‘credible’” blogs cannot be generalized as credible however individual blogs can be assessed for credibility.