How we score sites

Plain English, no hand-waving.

The live check

When you check a site, our server requests its home page over HTTPS and measures what comes back: whether it responds at all, how many milliseconds it takes, and whether its SSL certificate is valid. The request runs from our servers, not your device, which is what lets us tell you whether a site is down for everyone or only for you.

A site that responds with any normal status code counts as online. Some large sites block automated requests; when that happens we report what we received rather than guessing.

The Trust Index

The Trust Index is a 0 to 100 guide to how much caution a site deserves. It is not a guarantee, and it is not a measurement of any one thing. It combines:

Live results. A valid SSL certificate raises the score. A missing or invalid one lowers it sharply, because it means anything you type can be read in transit.

Domain signals. Domain endings heavily used by short-lived scam sites, names built from phishing words like "verify" or "free-gift", and strings of hyphens imitating real brands all lower the score. Restricted endings such as .gov and .edu raise it, because they are only issued to verified institutions.

What is publicly known. For the sites we profile in depth, we take into account who operates the site, how long it has existed, and its public record, including regulatory actions and lawsuits. Those profiles are written by hand from public reporting.

What the score does not mean

A high score does not mean a site is safe for every purpose, and a low score does not mean a site is fraudulent. A brand-new legitimate business can score low simply because it is new. Use the number as a reason to slow down and look closer, never as the final word.

Community reports

Ratings and comments come from visitors and are shown as submitted. We remove links and block repeat posts, but we do not verify individual claims. Treat them the way you would treat any online review.

Corrections

If we have something wrong about your site or any site, say so and we will fix it. Email BeexyInk@gmail.com and include the domain.