Powered by KwikChexHow to add evidence links that stand up
By About This Business editorial team · Published · Updated
Short answer
To add evidence that stands up, link each checkable fact to the body that issued it, not to your own website. Use your Companies House entry for registration, your insurer's document for cover, and the accrediting body's public directory for accreditations and memberships. Use secure HTTPS links, include end dates, and keep one fact per link.
Key takeaways
- Link to the issuer: the register, insurer, licensing authority or accrediting body.
- Your own website is a source for company statements, not evidence for checkable facts.
- Include validity and end dates for insurance, licences and accreditations.
- Strong evidence is what lets KwikChex staff authenticate a fact.
What makes an evidence link strong?
A strong evidence link points to the body that issued the fact, uses a secure address and can be rechecked later. It's step 3 of The owner's guide to building your Business DNA, and it's what separates a claim from a fact KwikChex staff can authenticate. For the principles, see What counts as evidence for a business fact?
What should you link for each evidence category?
Use the issuer's own public record wherever one exists.
| Category | Link to | Include |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Your Companies House register entry | Company number and status |
| Insurance | Insurer's certificate or schedule, shared for checking | Insurer, type of cover, end date |
| Licences | The licensing authority's public register | Licence number, authority, end date |
| Accreditations | The scheme's public directory listing for you | Scheme name, scope, end date |
| Professional memberships | The body's member search result | Body name, member name or number |
| Customer protections | The scheme's page confirming your membership | Scheme name and what it covers |
What are the most common mistakes?
Linking to your own logos, using generic homepages and leaving out dates.
- Linking to your own site for a checkable fact. Your site is a claim.
- Linking to the scheme's homepage instead of your listing on it.
- Missing end dates. Insurance, licences and accreditations expire, and an undated fact can't be trusted to be current. Diary renewals as part of Keeping your record fresh. See Why every business fact needs a source and an "as of" date.
- Bundling several facts into one link. Keep one fact per link so each can carry its own status.
- Using insecure links. Official links should be HTTPS, one address per line.
What if you can't link to public evidence?
Add the fact as a company statement anyway. Not every fact can be independently checked, and a clearly labelled company statement is still valuable. Where there's nothing at all yet, the profile shows "Information pending", which is never a negative finding. See "Information pending" isn't a red flag.
What happens after you add evidence?
KwikChex staff check each fact against its evidence, and authenticated facts show "Authenticated by KwikChex" with a last-authenticated date. Owner approval and domain control don't authenticate facts. Only the evidence check does. Next step: Proving you control your domain.
FAQ
Should I link to my own website as evidence?
Only for company statements such as your mission or services. For checkable facts like insurance or accreditations, link to the issuer, because your own site is a claim and not independent evidence.
My insurance certificate is a PDF. What should I do?
Add the insurance fact with its insurer and end date, and ask our team how to share the document for checking. You don't need to publish private paperwork.
What if my accreditation body has no public directory?
Add the fact as a company statement with whatever reference the body provides, such as a membership number. It may not be possible to authenticate it, and that's fine. Company statements are still useful.