The Importance Of Online Trust
In today’s increasingly networked environment, everyone wants to rely on the web for information. But it’s hard to know which sites can be trusted -- and which sites may be fraudulent.

With the proliferation of phishing scams and other online fraud, consumers are in need of better identity solutions. Trust on the Internet has evolved from simply needing to secure an e-commerce transaction to “Can I trust this site?” To gain and maintain customer trust and confidence, it is important that websites be “verified” -- which means that a trusted third-party can prove that a web site is who it says it is.

While digital certificates are one answer to gaining customer trust through the presence of the “lock” icon, they are not necessarily relevant to all businesses. There are many businesses and informational web sites that don’t need encryption, but still need to let visitors know that the domain they are visiting is legitimate and that the information the web site contains can be trusted.

Verified Domain™ Registered Member Program:
Building A Community Of Online Trust
As a leading worldwide Certificate Authority, GeoTrust is the leader in developing authentication processes that result in faster, more cost-effective and more reliable provisioning of SSL certificates, and now we’ve applied that expertise to verifying domains.

By becoming a Registered Member you’ll join a growing number of online businesses who are creating a more trustworthy Internet experience for consumers. Registered Members get the Verified Domain Site seal -- a globally recognized symbol that shows that a web site has been through a third-party authentication process from GeoTrust. It quickly identifies to visitors that a domain (web address) is authentic and legally registered.

How Do I Become A Registered Member?
To become a Registered Member and display the Verified Domain Site seal, Internet businesses go through an online verification process through their web hosting company, where information about the site and its owners are collected and verified. GeoTrust deploys sophisticated anti-fraud algorithms, based on its extensive experience as a leading provider of SSL certificates for web security, as part of this process.

In addition, businesses agree to abide by the Registered Member Pledge.

GeoCode™: The Most Sophisticated Spoof-Proof Seal
The Verified Domain Site seal is designed to be attractive and spoof-proof. Each seal is served dynamically to the registered web site, and contains a GeoCode - a randomly generated color and number pattern that changes frequently and can be verified by clicking through to the GeoTrust web site to verify that it matches the official GeoCode.

Each time a visitor accesses a Registered Member site, GeoTrust will check its database to ensure that the site is still in good standing, and then dynamically push out a site seal for display on that site. The code ensures end-users that they are getting information in “real-time”, not from a static or spoofed seal. Site visitors are also encouraged to click through the seal to obtain additional information about the site and its owner.

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