If you were trying to identify the factors that could explain why a given online health intervention works, its efficacy may be attributed to source credibility, ingenious tailoring algorithms, argument quality, the vividness of imagery used, fear appeals or how audiences relate to the communication style. All or some of these factors may account for the intervention’s effectiveness or ineffectiveness; however, when trying to describe interventions, there is no comprehensive way of conceptualizing the many factors, nor a universal taxonomy of influence effects appropriate to the design of online behavioural change interventions.

This paper discusses two trends that threaten to undermine the effectiveness of online social marketing interventions: growing mistrust and competition. As a solution, this paper examines the relationships between website credibility, target audiences’ active trust and behaviour.

Using structural equation modelling to evaluate two credibility models, this study concludes that website credibility is best considered a three-dimensional construct composed of expertise, trustworthiness and visual appeal, and that trust plays a partial mediating role between website credibility and behavioural impacts. YD8PQECP9ZRP