10 mistakes that break trust on a corporate website.
At the top of what should not be on a corporate website are claims that cannot be proven: every sentence about superiority, the environment or the future that is not backed by a certificate or a measure weakens both the buyer’s trust and the company’s legal position. The second group is certification marks without scope or edition, images that do not belong to the company, and pages left unmaintained.
We described most of these mistakes from the buyer’s side in the how a B2B buyer searches for suppliers guide: when buyers see them, they continue their search with the next supplier. Here we read the same mistakes from the rules' side: which rule each one runs into and what to write instead.
Which rule binds a corporate website depends on who the sale is made to. Turkey’s Regulation on Commercial Advertising and Unfair Commercial Practices covers advertising aimed at consumers, and the internet is an advertising medium too; under Article 9 of the Regulation, the advertiser must prove every claim, and the proof must hold at the time the advertisement is published. For a manufacturer that sells only to companies, claims are judged under Article 55 of the Turkish Commercial Code: a false or misleading statement about one’s own business is unfair competition. In the EU, Directive 2006/114 on business-to-business advertising says the advertiser can be asked to prove its factual claims; Directive 2024/825 tightened environmental claims aimed at consumers. For each of the ten mistakes below, we also wrote which rule comes into play.
1. Why is an unproven superiority claim risky?
Because superiority is a measurable claim and needs proof. At its meeting on August 13, 2026, Turkey’s Advertising Board stopped the phrases “Turkey’s leader” and “Turkey’s first and most preferred” on a company’s own website (in Turkish on the original), because they had not been assessed against an objective measure and had not been proven by a scientific test or report. One detail of the decision is even more instructive: the company argued that the “leader” label came from the site’s infrastructure provider; the Board placed the responsibility on the company because the phrase was published on its website. Instead, a measurable sentence is written: capacity, market, certificate, measurement — with its source and date.
2. What rule does an unexplained environmental claim run into?
In Turkey, since August 1, 2026, directly into the Regulation: general environmental terms may not be used without explanation, and the claim states which part of the product or which stage of its life cycle it concerns (Art. 17(5) and 17(6)). The Advertising Board’s 2022 guide already set the same requirement for phrases such as “environmentally friendly”, “green” or “sustainable”. In the EU, a general environmental claim aimed at consumers has been on the blacklist since September 27, 2026 if recognized excellent environmental performance cannot be shown. The details are in the writing “environmentally friendly” on a website guide.
3. How should a future target be written?
With a plan. The Advertising Board’s guide wants a future target to be in a public, verifiable strategy document; in the EU, a future performance claim aimed at consumers requires a detailed implementation plan with measurable, time-bound targets and independent third-party verification. A sentence like “our target is this share by that year” is not written unless it links to the plan itself.
4. Why does a certification mark without scope and edition mislead?
Because it makes the certificate look as if it covered products and sites it does not cover. ISO’s own logo may not be used at all; the certification bodies' guidance asks for the standard, year and certificate number next to the mark. The edition matters especially this year: the new edition of ISO 9001 was published on September 16, 2026, and both editions are valid together until 2029. The correct form is in the ISO, accreditation and CE marks and certified manufacturer website guides.
5. When is an image that does not belong to the company a problem?
When it gives a false impression about the company itself, its site or its product. A photo of another site, or a generated image that looks like a real production area, can count as a misleading statement about one’s own business. In advertising aimed at consumers, two situations must additionally be disclosed clearly since August 1, 2026: the use of AI in a way that significantly influences the consumer’s economic behavior, and digital characters indistinguishable from humans (Art. 18(8)). A good example: on November 10, 2026, the website of a textile manufacturer client of ours stated next to its swatch images that they were illustrative and generated with AI. The details are in the AI-generated images on a website guide.
6. When may an award badge not be used?
When it is not based on a previously announced objective criterion and was given in return for a benefit. Since August 1, 2026, awards that meet both conditions may not appear in advertising aimed at consumers (Art. 27(13)); the same amendment added academic titles to the information that may not be used misleadingly. If a badge is used, the awarding body, the criterion and the year stand next to it.
7. Can compliance with a rule that has not been written yet be claimed?
No. The most current example is the digital product passport: under the EU’s ecodesign regulation, the passport requirements for textiles have not been adopted yet; the Commission’s timeline puts the textile act in the last quarter of 2027 and foresees a transition of at least 18 months after each act. A “DPP compliant” statement written today says the company complies with a rule whose requirements are unknown; this is our inference. Instead, the work actually done is written: which product data is kept in which form.
8. Why is a client logo used without permission risky?
Because a client relationship is also a statement about your own business, and if it is untrue it falls under the unfair competition provision of the Turkish Commercial Code. Even in a real client relationship, getting the client’s written permission before using its brand is the rule this website applies itself. Instead, a case with permission is written; without permission, an anonymous description by sector and size.
9. What does an unmaintained page cost?
The credibility of the rest of the site. An outdated news item, a half-translated language version or a page that shifts while loading leads people to question the correct information next to it too; an expired certificate left on the site directly contradicts the certification bodies' requirements. What a website that has not been updated for years costs, with dates, is covered in the website not updated for years guide.
10. Why do a catalog locked behind a form and a single phone number turn buyers away?
Because they force the buyer to introduce themselves before deciding. In Nielsen Norman Group’s 2006 study of B2B usability, locking content behind a registration form was among the practices that turned users away; hiding prices entirely stood out as the most hostile practice. Instead, product information sits on the page, and the quote path in a short form that says what it needs.
Which rule does each of the ten mistakes run into?
| Should not be there | Rule it runs into | What to write instead |
|---|---|---|
| “Turkey’s leader”, “the best” | Regulation Art. 9 proof (consumers) · TCC Art. 55 (business to business) | Capacity, market, certificate or measurement; with source and date |
| General claims such as “environmentally friendly”, “green” | Regulation Art. 17(5)–(6) · Directive 2024/825 Annex I 4a (consumers) | The part or life-cycle stage covered, method and certificate |
| Future target without a plan | Advertising Board guide Art. 5(8) · Directive 2024/825 Art. 6(2)(d) | Link to a public plan and independent verification |
| Certification mark without scope or edition | ISO logo rule · certification bodies' guidance | Standard and edition, scope, certificate number, verification link |
| Image not belonging to the company, generated image without disclosure | TCC Art. 55 · Regulation Art. 18(8) (consumers, under narrow conditions) | Dated photo of your own site; clear disclosure next to the generated image |
| Award badge without criteria, paid for | Regulation Art. 27(13) (consumers) | Awarding body, criterion and year |
| Premature compliance claim such as “DPP compliant” | Requirement not yet adopted (ESPR working plan) | The product data actually kept today |
| Client logo without permission, invented reference | TCC Art. 55 | A case with permission or an anonymous description |
| Unmaintained page, expired certificate | Certification bodies' requirements | Dated content; the expired certificate is removed |
| Catalog locked behind a form, a single phone number | Not a rule, usability (NN/g 2006) | Product information on the page, a short quote form |
The rules the ten mistakes run into
- ARules for consumer advertising: Regulation, Advertising Board, EU 2024/825
- BTurkish Commercial Code Art. 55, unfair competition
- CCertification body and mark rules
- DCompliance with a requirement not yet adopted
- ENot a rule: usability
How to test it: search your site for the words “most”, “first”, “only” and “leader”; check whether you can write a source and a date next to every sentence that comes up. A sentence you cannot do this for is a claim you will not be able to prove on the day of publication.
The information here is not legal advice; confirm which rule applies to you from official sources and consult a lawyer about your own situation.
Let’s read your site against these ten items together and draw up a rewriting plan that puts its source next to every claim.
For a site that shows your certificates as a record buyers can verify, B2B website builds and measures the certificate page, the product scope and the path to a quote together.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Do these rules bind only companies that sell to consumers?
Turkey’s Regulation on Commercial Advertising and EU Directive 2024/825 cover advertising aimed at consumers. For a manufacturer that sells only to companies, claims are judged under the unfair competition provision of the Turkish Commercial Code, and in the EU under Directive 2006/114; both prohibit false or misleading statements.
Who is responsible if a design agency wrote a phrase on the website?
In a decision by Turkey’s Advertising Board on August 13, 2026, responsibility was placed on the company that published the phrase on its own website; the company had argued that the phrase came from its infrastructure provider.
Is publishing a client testimonial in quotation marks a problem?
Usually not, if the testimonial is real and used with permission. In consumer advertising, since August 1, 2026, consumer reviews whose purchase has not been verified may not be used; record whose testimonial you use and the permission.