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UX guides / Trust / Displayed certifications and awards are real and current

Displayed certifications and awards are real and current

Usually mediumHow serious this usually is when it goes wrong. Not a score.

The guideline

Show a certification, award, or compliance badge (ISO, SOC 2, HIPAA, industry awards) only for credentials currently held, and track the certifying body and the certification's expiry or renewal date so it can be removed or renewed on time. Link the badge to the certifying body's own verification page or public registry where one exists, rather than a static image alone. Remove a badge the moment the underlying certification lapses or is not renewed — a badge is a specific, checkable claim, not decoration.

Common failures

  • The page lacks visible industry awards or certifications — no badges for ISO, SOC 2, HIPAA, or industry-specific credentials.

Where it applies

Where

  • Applies to any site

Disciplines

  • Trust

Devices

  • Desktop web
  • Mobile app
  • Mobile web

Why it matters, how to fix it, and the research behind it

Rubric's full guide adds the reasoning, the fix and the sources for this check, and checks your client's pages against it and hundreds of others. Findings come back worst first.