Start with the entity, not the website
Confirm the legal entity exists and is in good standing with the state of formation, that the name on the contract matches the registered name, and that the signatory is authorized to bind it.
A polished site, a busy social presence, and a professional proposal are marketing artifacts. None of them are evidence of standing.
- Secretary of State registration and status.
- Registered agent and formation date.
- Assumed or trade names in use.
- Federal filings where the entity is a reporting company.
Then the record around it
Litigation history, judgments, liens, UCC filings, bankruptcy, regulatory actions, and exclusion or sanctions list hits tell you how the entity has behaved under pressure.
Pull the principals as well as the company. A clean shell with a heavily litigated owner is a different risk than the entity search alone suggests.
Licensing, credentials, and industry standing
For regulated work, confirm the license is active, in the right jurisdiction, and in the correct scope. Expired and out-of-scope licenses are far more common than outright fabrication.
Industry registries matter too: broker records, provider registries, carrier safety records, and exclusion lists all exist because a license alone is not the whole answer.
Diligence expires unless you monitor
A file dated the day you signed is a snapshot of a moving target. The value of continuous monitoring is that a new filing, action, or verified report reaches you when it happens rather than at renewal.
Hub or Dub business HOD Scores update in real time as each change clears human verification, and verified subscribers can monitor counterparties continuously.