This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. German version →
For visitors
Verify a test seal
You see a test seal on a website and want to know whether it means anything? Click it. Every genuine seal leads to a public verification page stating the domain, test area, audit date, validity and status. If it leads nowhere, it is a graphic — and anyone can put a graphic on their site.
How to check
- Follow the link. It ends in /z/ followed by an audit ID. You can also type the address directly if the audit ID is shown next to the seal.
- Compare the domain. The verification page states which domain the seal applies to. It must be the website where you saw the seal.
- Read status and date. It shows whether the seal is valid, expired or revoked, when the audit took place and how long it remains valid.
What the verification page shows
- Domain: which website the seal applies to
- Test area: which of the areas was audited — not "the website" as a whole
- Audit date and validity: the state the seal describes
- Status: valid, expired or revoked
- Issuer: who performed the audit. This name cannot be replaced by an agency
- Audit ID: the identifier under which the audit can be traced
How to spot a worthless seal
These criteria apply regardless of the issuer — including our own seals:
- No link. An image without a verification page proves nothing.
- Link to the same website. Whoever confirms their own seal confirms nothing.
- No date. Without an audit date it is unclear what the statement refers to.
- "100% accessible" after an automated test. A substantial share of the criteria cannot be decided by machines; whoever claims otherwise is hiding a gap.
- A single seal for everything. It hides which area was actually audited.
Report a seal that looks wrong to you
If the verification page names a different domain than the website where you saw the seal, or if the seal is expired or revoked but still displayed: send us the website address and the audit ID. That is exactly why every seal is publicly verifiable — verifiability is not an extra, it is the whole point.
How an audit works is described in the audit procedure; the binding rules are in the audit rules.
