Employers, auditors and licensing boards increasingly want to confirm a certificate is genuine. A QR code that opens a record on a website lets anyone check a certificate in seconds.
Three ways to do it
1. QR code with the details as text
The QR code holds the name, certificate number and date as plain text. It’s quick and needs no website, but it doesn’t prove anything on its own, because anyone can make a QR code with any text.
2. A link to a page on your own website
If you already keep a list of issued certificates online, point each QR code to it, for example https://yourorg.com/verify/{{Cert_ID}}. This is the strongest option because the record sits on your own domain, but you need to build and maintain the pages.
3. Hosted verification pages
In BulkCertPDF, tick Host free verification pages and each certificate gets its own page, for example bulkcertpdf.com/v/AbC123xYz9, with the recipient’s name, the certificate, the date, the ID and your organisation. Recipients get an “Add to LinkedIn profile” button that fills in LinkedIn’s certification form for them. You can withdraw the pages at any time.
The pages are hidden from search engines, and only the details printed on the certificate are published: the rest of your spreadsheet stays in your browser.
Tips for verifiable certificates
- Give every certificate a unique ID and print it near the QR code.
- Keep your own list of issued IDs, so you can answer verification emails too.
- If a certificate is revoked, withdraw its page rather than deleting the link from your records.