A Health Website Looks Professional: Five Credibility Checks

A Polished Health Website Is Not Proof. Use These Five Checks Instead.

By PiedmontPrimaryCare.com Wellness Team. Updated September 24, 2026.

Picture this. It's late at night and you're searching for answers about a health worry. You land on a site with clean photos, calm colors, and confident headlines. It looks like a real health resource. How do you know if it is?

Check five things: who runs the site, why it exists and who pays for it, how the information is reviewed and sourced, whether it is up to date, and how it uses your personal information. The U.S. National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus guidance says you can usually find most of these answers on a site's “About Us” page. This guide turns that guidance into a checklist you can finish in a few minutes.

If you think you are having a medical emergency, call your local emergency services now. Do not use a website to decide.

Why Looks Are Not on the List

MedlinePlus says health information is easy to find, but finding reliable information takes a little effort. Some of what appears in newspapers, magazines, books, TV, the internet, and social media is up to date and trustworthy, and some is not. It names two key steps: ask questions before you trust what you read or hear, and discuss what you find with your health care provider before you rely on it.

The questions on the MedlinePlus page are about people, purpose, money, sources, dates, and privacy. Design is not among them. Practical note: a site can look polished and still fail these checks, so use the stages below to look past the look.

Stage 1: Who Runs the Site?

MedlinePlus asks whether you can trust the people behind a site to give balanced, accurate information. It also says trustworthy sites give you a way to contact the owners with questions or feedback.

Check these things:

• Is there an “About Us” page that says who is responsible?
• Is there a way to contact them?
• Is it run by a federal government agency, a medical school, or a large professional or nonprofit organization? MedlinePlus says you will generally find good health information on sites like these.

Warning boundary: MedlinePlus says that if you can't find who runs a website, the site may not be trustworthy and its health information may be unreliable. Treat a missing answer as a reason to look elsewhere.

Stage 2: What Is the Purpose, and Who Pays?

MedlinePlus suggests asking whether a site exists to inform the public, sell products or services, or promote the opinions of a person or group. It says a trustworthy website has one goal: to give you good information.

Money matters too. MedlinePlus explains it this way:

• If ads pay for the site, the ads should be clearly marked as ads. Watch for ads designed to look like neutral health information.
• If a business pays for the site, the health information may favor that business and its products.

Practical note: funding alone does not prove a site is wrong, but it tells you what to look for and whether the site is open about it. As an example, this site's How We Work page describes how topics are chosen, how research is done, and how the site earns money, including that some links are affiliate links that may earn a commission. Its About page says the site is an independent wellness information website, not a medical practice, and not connected to any medical practice that used this domain before. Apply the same five checks to every site, including this one, and look for the items MedlinePlus lists, such as a content review process, writer information, and a way to contact the owners.

Stage 3: Is the Information High Quality?

MedlinePlus describes good health information as balanced, research-based facts. It does not promote one treatment over another. It also says to beware of:

• Dramatic writing
• Promises of cures
• Claims that sound too good to be true

MedlinePlus says these could be signs of a health fraud scam.

To judge quality, look for three things:

• Review and selection. On the “About Us” page, MedlinePlus suggests looking for an editorial board of health experts, a content review process, a content selection policy, and information about the writers' qualifications, which may appear at the bottom of articles.
• Sources. Content pages should include links or references to the sources.
• Balanced facts. Does the page give balanced, research-based facts, or does it push one answer?

Warning boundary: Be extra careful when a page promises a cure or gives no sources. Pause, compare it with a source whose owner you can identify, and ask your provider before acting.

Stage 4: Is It Up to Date?

MedlinePlus says content pages should include dates showing when the information was written, reviewed, or updated. Look for a date on the page itself.

Practical note: a date shows how current a page claims to be. It does not by itself show the information is correct, so pair it with the other checks.

Stage 5: How Does the Site Use Your Personal Information?

MedlinePlus suggests looking for a privacy policy section to see how the site will use your personal information. It advises that you not share information about yourself unless you are comfortable with any risks involved.

Before you type your name, email, or health details into any form, find out what the site says it will do with that information.

Your Five-Check Worksheet

Copy this list and answer it for any health page. Mark each item yes, no, or can't find.

1. Who runs it? Can I find who is responsible and how to contact them?
2. Why does it exist? Is the goal to inform, to sell, or to promote someone's views?
3. Who pays? Are ads clearly marked? Is a business paying for the site?
4. Is the content reviewed and sourced? Do I see a review process, writer information, and links to sources?
5. Is it dated? Can I see when it was written, reviewed, or updated?
6. Do I know how my information will be used? Did I find a privacy policy?

Decision Path: What to Do With Your Answers

• Several “can't find” answers, especially who runs the site. MedlinePlus says the site may not be trustworthy. Look for the same information on a source whose owner you can identify.
• Cure promises or claims that sound too good to be true. MedlinePlus says these could signal a health fraud scam. Use caution and check with your provider before acting.
• Mostly yes answers. MedlinePlus says not to stop there. See whether other reliable sites have similar health information.
• The information seems useful for you. MedlinePlus says to talk with your provider before using it to make decisions that may affect your health. Your provider can tell you whether itis right for you.

Turn What You Found Into Questions for Your Provider

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) runs a public education initiative called Questions Are the Answer. It says answers to simple questions can help you feel better, take better care of yourself, or even save your life. Its list of “10 Questions You Should Know” includes:

• What is the test for?
• When will I get the results?
• Are there any side effects?
• Will this medicine interact with medicines that I'm already taking?
• Why do I need this treatment?
• Are there any alternatives?
• What are the possible complications?

If a website mentions a test, medicine, or treatment, write down what it said and where you found it. Bring that note and the questions that fit to your appointment. This helps you prepare, but it is not a replacement for the appointment.

What This Guide Cannot Tell You

• It cannot tell you whether a specific website's information is right for your health situation. Only a provider who knows your history can help with that.
• The checklist is a screening tool. A site can pass and still contain mistakes, and a site can miss a check and still contain accurate facts. That is why MedlinePlus advises comparing with other reliable sources.
• Guidance can change. The sources below show the dates they were last updated or reviewed.

Sources

• Evaluating Health Information, MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine (page last updated February 26, 2024)
• The 10 Questions You Should Know, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (page last reviewed November 2020)

Educational Disclaimer

This article is general educational information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose, treat, or recommend any product or service. PiedmontPrimaryCare.com is an independent wellness information website. It is not a medical practice and is not affiliated with any medical practice using the name “Piedmont Primary Care.” This domain was previously used by a healthcare provider that is no longer associated with this website. The “Wellness Team” byline is a collective site byline and does not represent a doctor, clinic, or health agency. For questions about your health, talk with your own health care provider. You can read more about the site's sourcing and funding on the How We Work page.