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Domain verification is the process by which a trusted and independent third-party verification authority checks the credentials of a website and the business that owns the website for legitimacy and trustworthiness. Today the massive growth in the number of websites on the internet has also given rise to an increasing number of scams. Most of these are through phishing – when an illegitimate website sets up shop impersonating a legitimate website and collects information from visitors to that website and then misuses it. Domain verification is the best way to ensure that websites are legitimate and exactly who they claim to be. Once your get your website domain verified, it would be really tough for fraudulent websites to impersonate your website and mislead visitors.
The internet has become all-encompassing today and increasingly people are turning towards the internet for any and all information they require. However with millions of websites around, it is extremely tough to distinguish reliable sites from the fraudulent ones.
Of late, phishing scams and other types of online frauds have been increasing and the brunt of these have been borne by customers. As a result people are constantly in the search of better identity solutions for websites. This is where usefulness of verified domains comes in.
Today almost all customers to an e-commerce websites will first check if they can trust that particular website. To inculcate this trust, the website needs to get itself verified; this means a trusted third-party must verify the domain and the website and confirm that it is who it claims it is.
Digital SSL certificates are one such method of generating trust in customers towards your website. The “lock” icon depicts that your website is a secure one; however it doesn’t confirm that your website and thereby you are who you claim to be. Additionally SSL certificates are not always relevant to all business and websites. Many informational and company websites don’t need encryption. Yet they do need to let visitors know that the domain they are visiting is legitimate and contains trustworthy information.
So the best way to show customers your website is legitimate is to get your domain verified. There are several third party verifiers that are authorized for domain verification. One such authority is GeoTrust, the leading SSL Certification Authority. Drawing upon their expertise in website security certification, GeoTrust also provides nearly foolproof domain verification services.
Most domain verification authorities require you to register your domain with them; which they then validate through an exhaustive process of identity verification. Before they identify your website as a verified domain, you will be required to provide all details about your business and website to the verification authorities. You will also be required to agree to abide by the Registered Member Pledge. Sophisticated anti-fraud algorithms are then used to verify your own identity as well as that of your website.
The Verified Domains Site seal is an advanced piece of technology that is designed to be foolproof. The Site seal is dynamic, meaning it is verified every time a visitor visits the site on which it is displayed. This ensures real time website and domain verification.
As a business website owner, you should take care to get your domains verified and certified. This will not just boost the image of your business and website but will also give trust to visitors of your website. While domain verification might seem like a very long process, the long term benefits it brings far outweigh the process. As a responsible businessman, you should get your domain verified without fail…
FAQ
How can I get my domain verified?
For this you need to contact a Domain Verification Authority. One of the best Domain Verification Authorities today is GeoTrust – a pioneer in the field. Before you can get your domain verified, you will have to register with the verification authority.
There after you will have to fill in an online application form and fax or scan and email all necessary and relevant business and domain related documents to the verification authority. The authority will check your and your business’ credentials by thoroughly scrutinizing the documents. Sophisticated and advanced identity verifications techniques are used for this purpose.
Once the Domain Verification Authority is sure of the legitimacy of your business and your domain, it will accept your domain as verified and issue a “Verified Domain” Site seal to your website; which you can then display on your website to show that it is a verified and secure domain.
Who verifies my domain?
As stated in the question above, domain verification is carried out by certain Domain Verification Authorities. These are generally long-established and stable internet security expert firms who have established their credentials as being trusted and neutral third party verifiers. One such established Domain Verification Authority is GeoTrust.
Do I really need to provide so much documentation?
Yes, it is necessary. Without providing proper and all relevant documentation, the Domain Verification Authority will not be able to fully establish your credentials. However if you are worried about your sensitive information leaking out, rest assured; the Domain Verification Authority is usually highly credible and an expert in security.
The better documentation you provide the better and quicker will the verification authority be able to validate and establish your identity and credentials. So don’t hesitate in providing the necessary documentation. It is all in your best interests.
How to identify if a domain is verified?
The domains that are verified are issued a “Verified Domain” Site seal by the verification authority. This site seal is generally displayed on the home page and other relevant pages of the website. The Verified Domain Site seal is the best method of knowing that the domains are verified.
The site seal in itself is a link to the web-server of the verification authority and carries a unique code identifying the website with which it is related. Whenever a visitor visits the website carrying the site seal, the seal links to the server of the authority and re-validates the identity of the website in real time. If the identity is verified, only then does the site seal show up.
What are the benefits of domain verification?
The usefulness of domain verification are multi-fold. First of all, getting your domains verified increases the image of your business and your website. It also instills confidence in visitors to your website because your domain has been verified by a trusted, independent third-party and given a Verified Domain Site Seal.
In addition to inspiring confidence in customers, domain verification also has other benefits. You will be doing away with the risk of phishing on your website because others will not be able to impersonate your website. The increased trust of customers and visitors will also result in a direct increase in the revenue generation through your website.
So on the whole, getting your domain verified will bring all-round benefits for your business and website.
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When we say domain verification, it means getting your business and website verified and validated by an independent, trusted third party. Many third party verifiers are now approved for verifying domains and issuing “Verified Domain” certificates to websites. Once you get your domains verified, you can display a seal on your site saying the domain is verified and also include the name of independent third party verifier. This would increase the confidence of customers and visitors to your website.
For getting a domain verified, you need to register with the verification authority. You will be required to submit documents relevant to your business and website which will then be verified by the domain verification authority through an exhaustive online domain verification process. Once you prove all your credentials, the domain verification authority will issue a Verified Domain Site seal for your website. This is a dynamic seal which is verified and the identity of your domain confirmed every time a visitor logs on to your website
With a verified domain you can ensure that your business installs the necessary trust and confidence in visitors to your websites and convert them to customers where required. A verified domain is very much similar to getting your physical business certified through independent, trusted third party authorities. Not only does verified domains increase the standing of your business and website but it also directly increases the revenue generated through your e-commerce website.
Getting your domain verified is an exhaustive but rewarding process. There are certain authorities that have been recognised and approved as trusted Domain Verification Authorities. These are generally the same companies that also issue SSL certificates for securing websites. They bank on their internet security expertise to ensure perfect domain verification. GeoTrust is one such Domain Verification Authority. For getting your domains verified, you first generally need to register with a Domain Verification Authority. After you register and fill in the online Domain Verification Request Form, you will be asked to provide all relevant documents for your business and website. This is necessary to verify your own identity, that of your business and of your website. You can either fax in the documents to the verification authority or scan and email them. Once you send your documents, the verification authority follows a sophisticated and exhaustive online verification process for verifying each of your documents and your identity as a whole. Only when the verification authority is completed satisfied with your credentials will it consider your domain as verified!
Upon completion of the verification process, the Domain Verification Authority will issue a Verified Domain Site Seal, which you can integrate into and display on your website. This site seal is a certificate and indicates that your domain has been verified by a trusted third party verification authority. The name of the certifying authority will also appear beside the site seal for confirmation. The site seal in itself is a sophisticated piece of IT engineering; it is dynamic and confirms the identity of the website directly with the web-server of the issuing authority each time a visitor logs on to the website where it is displayed. This ensures real time domain identity verification and is virtually impossible to impersonate. Domain Verification is the best way to prove that your website is legitimate and you should definitely go in for it.
Do I need to get my domain verified? Domain verification is not compulsory for all websites. General or personal websites generally don’t require domain verification. However if your website is an e-commerce website or one that is providing and requesting sensitive information from visitors, then domain verification might be necessary for you. To check if you need to get your domain verified, check the following:
- Do you have monetary or financial transactions taking place on your website?
- Do you ask visitors to your website to provide personal information by filling in an online form?
- Do you provide information related to your business on your website, which if supplied in a falsified or altered way, be misused by others?
- Do you feel that you visitors to your website should first be satisfied about your credibility before they conduct any transactions?
- Have you received reports of visitors to your website being scammed by phishing websites?
If you answered yes to all of the above questions, you definitely should get your domains verified.
GeoTrust Verified Domain™ Registered Member Pledge
As a GeoTrust Registered Member web site, I pledge to:
- Provide truthful and accurate advertising and marketing information,
- Provide accurate information about my business and business practices, including a contact telephone number
to support consumers,
- Protect consumer information using industry standard measures to prevent accidental disclosure or malicious theft,
- Respect consumer privacy, and provide an online policy describing use of consumers' personal information.
Заказ GeoTrust Verified Domain™
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