Google is allegedly testing blue ticks to guarantee authenticity of websites

 

Google seems to have launched a test project to verify the authenticity of websites. The search engine sometimes displays little blue ticks (as seen on Meta and X) beside the names of verified sites that pop up in users’ search results. However, the test currently doesn’t include all users, and certainly not all brands’ websites.

 

 

Introducing blue ticks on Google search results

The current phase of the test includes company websites of Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, HP, Epic Games and Meta. These companies get a little blue tick beside their names in a Google search result, visible to a select few users. For example, US-based reporter Jay Peters was able to spot a tick next to Microsoft, but once he logged in with a different Google account, the tick mark disappeared.

 

We tried the same with several Google accounts from various locations, but it seems that Google has yet to roll out the test to its European users. This indicates that the company has launched the test for a select audience within a limited timeframe.

 

Screenshot of theverge.com displaying a screenshot journalists took of Google’s blue tick

 

If a user happens to hover over the blue tick, a box pops up containing an explanation for the symbol. The text reads: “This icon is being shown because Google’s signals suggest that this business is the business that it says it is. Google can’t guarantee the reliability of this business or its products.”

 

Screenshot of theverge.com displaying a screenshot journalists took while hovering over a blue tick on Google

 

According to a Google spokesperson, the company awards the blue ticks based on data gathered from the Merchant Center, manual reviews and website verifications.

 

Google is no stranger to blue ticks. Gmail users may already be familiar with the icon from their mailboxes, where it appears next to the email address of senders who had verified to Google that they own the domain and logo they’re using. If you hover your mouse on top of the tick, you get an explanatory text box similar to the one used in the new test.

 

Screenshot of a random email on gmail.com with a blue tick and a text box next to the sender’s name

 

 

Blue ticks on other platforms

Users familiar with social media have most likely already come across blue ticks on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X. While the design is similar, the meaning behind these little symbols can differ slightly.

 

Meta’s platforms, Facebook and Instagram use the blue ticks in a similar sense to Google’s new test. However, while Google’s verification comes free of charge (at least, there’s no information to the contrary at this time), Meta users have to take out a monthly subscription to be able to display the blue tick beside their handles. In addition, subscribers have to submit a government-issued ID to Meta so the company can actually verify their identity before awarding them the blue symbol.

 

Find out all about Meta Verified!

 

X (formerly Twitter) used to have a similar system where users had to submit official documents to the platform to be considered verified. This privilege used to be free of charge. However, X recently changed its blue-tick system and turned it into a paid subscription called X Premium.

 

For governments, businesses, nonprofits and other organisations, X has introduced Verified Organisations, a service where subscribers can access extra features like defence against impersonations. Instead of the usual blue colour, this service provides subscribers with grey and gold ticks.

 

Discover the evolution of X’s ticks!

 

Similarly to Gmail’s blue ticks, German email provider GMX also uses these symbols to verify the identity of some senders. For example, take a look at the screenshot of an email a GMX user has received from OTTO.

 

Screenshot of a GMX inbox displaying an email from OTTO with a blue tick

 

Other business senders apart from OTTO and French fashion company Hermés haven’t displayed a tick next to their names, which may indicate that some companies have yet to verify themselves to GMX, and/or GMX is simply at the start of issuing ticks.

 

 

The issue of fake websites on Google

Online scams are on the rise. Last year 13.4 million unique phishing and scam websites were detected, representing a 27.8% increase from the previous year. Over 6,000 of these sites used brand impersonation to try and dupe customers into parting with their money and/or sensitive data.

 

 

| 6,000 websites used brand impersonation in 2023

 

 

Google, as the world’s most popular search engine, conducts around 8.5 billion searches every day. Thanks to the company’s reputation, web users tend to trust whatever they come across on Google. Which is great, as long as the source is genuine and honest. But what happens when a fake website appears in the search results?

 

Search engines, including Google, collect and rank search results based on various criteria, including relevance and quality of content. Today, thanks to Shopify and other providers, fraudsters can create reliable-looking, high quality websites with minimum effort.

 

Find out all about how fraudsters can misuse Shopify!

 

Moreover, fraudulent users can also take out an ad on Google, which means that even if their website is not top quality, they can get it in front of millions of unsuspecting web users.

 

These events can negatively affect the reputation of Google and erode customer trust, which is probably one of the main reasons why the company has decided to launch an authentication test project with the blue ticks.

 

 

The way forward

As online brand protection experts, we know that verification is an important step towards establishing security. Therefore, we welcome Google’s test project and look forward to learning more about its eventual rollout. However, if the company decides to adopt the usage of blue ticks, these must be equally accessible to all users and brands.

 

If only select brands get the chance to display a blue tick, it may distort the market as it would drive customers to websites equipped with the symbol. Honest competitors without the option to feature the tick may lose customers through no fault of their own.

 

On the other hand, if the service becomes a paid subscription available to anyone, it may give fraudsters a chance to simply buy their way into verification.

 

Whatever the fate of Google’s blue ticks, the launch of the test shows that the threat of fraudulent websites is rising and brands need to be ready to protect themselves against it.

 

 

Related topics

The Meta Verified subscription package explained

 

Discover X’s tick-issuing system

 

Trademark infringements in ad campaigns  

 

Google takes a stand against fraudulent ads

 

 

Online brand protection against fake websites

While Google’s blue tick, if rolled out to a wider audience, can definitely help in authenticating genuine websites, it won’t contribute to the detection and elimination of fake sites that infringe on your brand’s IP rights. For that, you need an effective domain monitoring service.

 

We at globaleyez have developed a flexible and scalable domain monitoring service that can be perfectly tailored to your brand’s exact needs. Thanks to keyword-based searches, we quickly detect sites that use terms associated with your brand in their domains, meta descriptions or  HTML content. Versatile filters allow us to discard authorised sites and focus our attention on infringing websites.

 

The next step is our enforcement service that ensures the removal of the infringing websites. Our industry-wide connections with domain registries and registrars as well as search engines (including Google) allow us to deliver a fast and effective service.

 

 

Conclusion

Fake websites are multiplying by the second. Big players like Google recognise the threat and try to find adequate answers to ensure the authenticity of search results.

 

Don’t let fraudsters infringe on your IP rights and ruin your brand’s reputation (and bottom line!) in the process. Contact us and let’s create a perfectly tailored online brand protection strategy for your brand!