As the in-house Internet integrity division of Consumers Union, we here at WebWatch spend a good deal of time reviewing sites for other CU publications. Although the majority of the sites we review satisfy WebWatch’s credibility guidelines, some do so better than others.

Recently, we came across a case in point while reviewing a site for ShopSmart magazine, namely, My M&M’s.

One of the first things we look for when asked to review a site is an indication of ownership, and you’d be surprised how many sites simply don’t disclose this simple—but crucial—bit of information. If you're ever wondering if a site is credible and you can't figure out who owns it, stop wondering and click away.

Most sites (like WebWatch), tend to disclose their ownership in an “About Us” section. And while My M&M’s lists its parent company, Mars, Inc. at the bottom of the site, it goes one step further with a site owner link at the bottom of every page.

We wish more sites made it this easy to determine who the owner is and how to contact them, without forcing users to click around the site or scroll to the bottom of the privacy policy, where far too many sites tend to bury this information.