2,684 people compared real websites and said which ones they trusted. When the researchers read through their comments, the thing that came up more than anything else wasn't the facts, the credentials or the company's reputation. It was how the site looked.

The study

In October 2002, Consumer WebWatch published "How Do People Evaluate a Web Site's Credibility?" The research was led by B.J. Fogg and colleagues at Stanford's Persuasive Technology Lab. (Consumer Reports Advocacy)

The 2,684 participants looked at live websites in the same category, compared them, and left comments about why they found one more credible than another. The researchers then coded those comments by what they mentioned.

The result, in the report's own words: "The 'design look' of the site was mentioned most frequently, being present in 46.1 percent of the comments." Next came how the information was structured and how focused it was.

So close to half of the comments people made about trust were about design. Not whether the claims were true, and not who the company was. The look.

It's tempting to read that and think people are shallow. We honestly don't think that's it.

When you land on a site from a company you don't know, you have very little to go on. You can't check their accounts or call their old clients in the first minute. What you can see straight away is whether the site looks cared for. Design is just the first proof people get that you take this seriously.

It also doesn't mean the content doesn't count. Information structure and information focus came next on the list, and those are about whether people can find and follow what you're saying. Good design and clear content work together.

The counterpoint

The study is from 2002. The web looked very different then, long before smartphones and social media feeds. People today have more ways to check a business, and those might carry more weight than they did then.

The finding has been repeated widely since, and it lines up with what we see every day, but a newer study would make the case stronger. We'd rather say that plainly than pretend a twenty-year-old number is fresh.

What hasn't changed is the order of things. Before someone reads your reviews or your credentials, they see your site.

What it means for your business

Picture two studios with the same skills and similar prices. One site is clean and current. The other is cluttered, with a stretched photo and a "latest news" section from years ago. Which one would you email first?

It's like walking into a clinic with peeling walls. The doctor could be brilliant. You're still nervous.

Your website is your brand. It's not a brochure you set up once and forget. For a lot of the people who'll find you, it's the first and only proof they get before deciding whether to get in touch.

One thing to do this week

Look at your own site like a stranger would. Open it in a private browser window on your phone, so you're not logged in and nothing is pre-filled.

Then go through it slowly and write down anything that would make you hesitate if it were someone else's business. Look for:

• broken links or images that don't load

• dates, offers or news that are clearly out of date

• blurry, stretched or mismatched photos

• text that's hard to read on a small screen

• a contact page that's hard to find

Fix the easiest two this week. They're often small things, a photo swap or a deleted old post, and they're exactly the kind of details people mention when they decide whether to trust you.

When did you last look at your own site like a stranger would?

Branding is perceived value. Let’s raise yours.

We fix positioning first, then build the identity and website. Let’s work