How we check listings
What Bloghints checks before and after a website, tool or business is listed, what the security badge means, and what we do not check.
1. Before a listing goes live
- Our server opens the website and confirms that it loads.
- Automatic checks look for free hosting addresses, parked or for-sale pages, words we do not accept, a redirect to another domain, and a second listing for the same domain.
- A person reads every submission before it is approved. Submitters confirm their email address first.
2. After it goes live
- The website is opened again every week.
- After 2 failed checks in a row, the Visit button is hidden until the site works again. The page stays.
- A redirect to another domain, a parked page or new words we do not accept send the listing back to manual review.
3. The security badge
| Level | What it needs |
|---|---|
| Security Level 1 | A valid HTTPS certificate, http:// sends visitors to https://, and a Strict-Transport-Security (HSTS) header with a max-age of at least 6 months. |
| Security Level 2 | Level 1 plus at least 4 of these 5 headers: Content-Security-Policy, X-Content-Type-Options, X-Frame-Options or frame-ancestors, Referrer-Policy, Permissions-Policy. |
We read the headers of the home page only. A higher level shows at once; a lower one shows after 2 checks in a row, so one bad moment does not remove a badge. The badge is free and cannot be bought. Listings without a badge simply show no badge.
4. What we do not check
- Uptime over time, speed, support quality or prices.
- Details the business fills in, such as storage type, backups or refund window. Those are shown as "Provided by the business".
- A badge is not a security audit and not a recommendation.
5. Paid placements
Listings that paid for a better spot are marked Featured or Sponsored. Paying never changes the security badge, the checks or the reviews.
6. Reviews
Reviews on Services pages come from people who sign in with their email address. Each one is read before it goes live. Read the review rules.
Last updated Nov 2, 2026. Found a wrong listing? Use "Something wrong here?" on the listing page, or contact us.
