Technical due diligence for web-based business acquisitions
Built for search funds, independent sponsors, and buyers on Acquire.com, Flippa, and broker channels. Nine layers of risk, priced in dollars, delivered in 3–4 business days.
The gap
Most technical due diligence is written for enterprise SaaS. Web-based business acquisitions aren't that.
Veritech Diligence is a technical due diligence and acquisition consulting practice founded to address a need in the market for technical due diligence on websites and other web-based business acquisitions. It verifies the technical data behind a deal, code, analytics, hosting, and payments, for buyers of web-based businesses.
The deals you close through Acquire.com, Flippa, and quiet broker channels don't come with dedicated engineering teams to interview or data rooms full of documentation. What you're buying is a founder's or a lean team's decade of accumulated decisions: a CMS layered with plugins that solved specific problems, a checkout flow customized in ways nobody wrote down, a set of automation workflows that only the seller understands, and a GA4 property whose reported numbers may or may not match what the payment processor recorded.
The risk isn't concentrated in the code. It's distributed across analytics, platform, payments, hosting, security, SEO, compliance, and automation, and every layer is held together by working knowledge that leaves at close.
Most buyers at this deal size end up in one of two places. Roughly half spend under an hour verifying seller claims before they buy, and inherit whatever they didn't check. The rest hire a firm built to review modern SaaS codebases with defined engineering practices, and get a process that doesn't map to page builder layers, plugin sprawl, custom code buried in theme files, WooCommerce subscription drift, undocumented Zapier flows, or GA4 event architecture that inflates reported conversions. Veritech Diligence fills that gap: a real review, sized and timed for how these deals actually close.
Not sure where to start? The Veritech Site Scanner runs an automated technical review on any public web domain, looking at DNS, security posture, analytics, and platform detection, and returns an evidence-linked risk register in minutes. Check it out here.
Stack coverage
Technical coverage across complex web-based business systems.
Veritech Diligence reviews a broad range of platforms, frameworks, and infrastructure used in web-based businesses. Coverage is confirmed against the target systems when the engagement is scoped.
PHP 8+, JavaScript and TypeScript (ES6+), Python, React, Next.js, Node.js, Django, Vue.js, GraphQL (including Graphene-Django), REST APIs, jQuery, HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.
WooCommerce (including Subscriptions, custom checkout, and multi-location inventory), Shopify, and Stripe integrations, along with custom checkout builds and PCI configuration review.
Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, Sanity, WordPress (including multi-site networks, headless implementations, custom theme and plugin architecture, ACF field systems, Gutenberg block development, and page builders such as Elementor, Divi, WPBakery, Breakdance, and Astra Pro), Drupal 8, 9, and 10 (including custom module development, Views configuration, and platform migrations), Contentful, Storyblok, Bloomreach, Sitecore.
GA4 event architecture and property configuration, Google Tag Manager (both web and server-side), Consent Mode v2, data layer design, cross-domain tracking, Meta Pixel, Meta Conversions API with server-side deduplication, Google Ads conversion imports, HubSpot tracking, and Looker Studio.
Vercel, Fly.io, Neon, AWS, Linux server administration, Apache and Nginx, PHP-FPM, Redis, OPCache, CDN configuration, and SSL/TLS.
Zapier, Make, n8n, custom PHP API clients, RESTful API integrations, Salesforce, HubSpot, Cloudinary, SAML SSO patterns (Okta and Azure AD), and SFTP workflow management.
Technical SEO (schema markup, structured data, XML sitemaps, canonical URLs), Answer Engine Optimization, WCAG 2.1 and Section 508 accessibility, OWASP Top 10 mitigation, malware remediation, and vulnerability assessment.
If your target uses a platform not listed here, include it when you email so we can confirm coverage before the engagement begins.
What the review covers
Nine layers of technical risk, assessed on every engagement.
Six of these are what most technical reviews already claim to cover: code, payments, hosting, security, SEO. Formal diligence checklists most often stop looking before reaching the last three, which is where the most expensive post-close surprises tend to start.
Analytics and Data Integrity
Whether the traffic, conversion, and revenue numbers in the deal deck reflect what the underlying tracking actually recorded. GA4 property age and configuration checks, event stream deduplication, server-side and client-side event reconciliation, and revenue reconciliation against Stripe, Shopify, or the payment processor of record. Inflated deal-deck numbers most often surface here, in the module competitor firms cover least well.
Want a quick self-check first? Run the free Site Scanner →
Platform and Codebase Architecture
What's actually running the site. Custom code inventory across whichever platform is in use (Drupal, WordPress, Shopify, headless React or Next.js, custom PHP or Django), plugin and module audit, staging and deployment maturity, update history, and how much technical debt is hiding in theme files, page builders, or custom modules.
Ecommerce and Payment Infrastructure
Whether subscription billing, refund handling, PCI configuration, and custom checkout code are stable and transferable. Reconciliation of reported MRR against the payment processor. Applies to WooCommerce, Shopify, and custom Stripe or gateway builds.
Infrastructure, Deployment, and Performance
Hosting, caching, CDN, SSL, and monitoring, across shared hosting, managed WordPress hosts, AWS, Vercel, Fly.io, or custom Linux server setups. Core Web Vitals traced back to root cause.
Security
Vulnerability scan against known CVE databases, review of admin access and authentication, check for indicators of prior compromise, backup strategy verification, firewall configuration.
SEO and Organic Channel Value
Whether organic traffic is real, defensible, and unlikely to break when new ownership takes the keys. Technical SEO audit, backlink profile, ranking concentration, and mapping of organic traffic to revenue.
Accessibility and Compliance
WCAG 2.1 conformance, cookie consent configuration, privacy policy and terms of service checked against actual site behavior. Technical gaps are identified with remediation estimates where supported, and potential legal issues are flagged for review by qualified counsel.
Automation, Integration, and Operational Fragility
Every third-party service, Zapier, Make, or n8n workflow, API key, and credential ownership relationship, mapped and documented for handoff.
Concentrated Knowledge Risk
The layer no checklist review captures: how much of the operating knowledge lives in the seller's head, and how much of it walks out the door at close. Documentation quality assessed, and a prioritized list of what needs to be extracted during the transition window.
How it works
Three to four business days from access to report. Confidential throughout.
Day 0
Engagement
You describe the deal and the target, and we confirm scope and price. Each engagement begins with a defined scope of work, documented access and evidence requirements, an agreed delivery schedule, and a clear reporting process for findings that could affect the acquisition. I send an engagement agreement, access request checklist, and mutual NDA. Every engagement is covered by a written confidentiality agreement, and deal details are never discussed outside the engagement.
Days 1–3
Review
I work through all nine layers with the access provided. Substantive findings surface within 48 hours; the full review takes the balance of the window.
Day 4
Report and deal impact memo delivered
Full technical report plus a separate one-page deal impact memo written for offer negotiation. Followed by a 30-minute call to walk through the findings and answer questions.
Timelines are tuned to search fund, independent sponsor, and holding company exclusivity windows, including add-on acquisitions folded into an existing portfolio. If you need a report faster, say so in your request and I'll confirm whether it's possible.
For search funds, independent sponsors, and ETA students
Diligence that fits search timelines and deal sizes.
If you’re evaluating your first or third web-based acquisition, you need diligence that fits search timelines and deal sizes. Veritech Diligence delivers a nine-layer technical review in 3–4 business days, with findings translated into offer adjustments, escrow recommendations, and a 30/60/90 remediation plan.
- Avoid overpaying for broken analytics, fragile automation, or hidden tech debt.
- Quantify post-close engineering and marketing work before you sign.
- Get a credential map and handover checklist so nothing breaks at transition.
- Move at search-fund speed, not enterprise-diligence speed.
Deliverables
Findings translated into deal math.
Deal impact memo
One page. What the review found, what it means for the offer, and what needs attention post-close. Summarizes the highest-priority technical risks, estimated remediation costs, and considerations for price discussions, escrow, or holdbacks. These are technical inputs for the buyer and their advisors, not a formal business valuation or financial advice. Written to be handed directly to a broker, lender, or investment committee.
Full technical report
Detailed assessment of all nine risk layers, with findings ranked green, yellow, or red and supported by specific evidence. Yellow and red findings include a remediation cost range or revenue-at-risk estimate where the available evidence supports one, with assumptions and limitations stated, and a 30/60/90 day placement for recommended action.
Prioritized remediation roadmap
A practical implementation plan that translates technical findings into defined remediation activities, estimated effort and costs, dependencies, and recommended priorities. Work is sequenced into pre-close requirements, day-one priorities, the first 90 days, and longer-term improvements so the buyer can plan resources and oversee implementation.
Integration and credential map
A written inventory of every third-party service, API integration, and automation workflow the business depends on, with account ownership and transfer requirements noted. This is often the single most useful post-close artifact, since it's the map a new owner needs on day one that the seller cannot produce.
Walkthrough call
Thirty minutes after delivery to answer questions and discuss how findings should translate to offer adjustments or transition-period requirements.
Pricing
Flat fee, starting at $2950
Independent technical diligence at this deal size is usually priced by the hour, anywhere from $90 to $350, with no fixed reference point to compare against. Veritech Diligence quotes a flat fee up front instead, based on the complexity of the target you're evaluating.
Base fee
Content sites, simple ecommerce, standard CMS or Shopify builds.
Higher complexity
WooCommerce with subscriptions, multi-location inventory, custom checkout code, headless or decoupled architecture, multi-site networks, custom Drupal, or heavy custom PHP or Django.
Complexity is priced honestly up front. No surprise fees between engagement and delivery.
Common questions
Questions buyers ask before they book.
Can't I just check this myself before I close?
Roughly half of buyers at this deal size spend under an hour verifying seller claims before they buy, mostly because what actually breaks lives somewhere a buyer can't easily see: a GA4 event stream, a WooCommerce subscription table, a plugin's version history, a Zapier account nobody's audited. A few checks in the free risk inventory below are things you can run yourself in ten minutes. The rest need code, server, and admin access a non-technical buyer can't practically evaluate alone inside a live exclusivity window.
Is there a free way to check any of this myself first?
For a slice of it, yes. Run the free Site Scanner for a quick, automated read on DNS, security posture, analytics, and platform signals. It's a reasonable first pass before deciding whether the full nine-layer review is worth booking.
What does this actually cost, all in?
Veritech Diligence confirms a flat fee before any work starts: $2,950 for standard builds, more for higher-complexity targets like WooCommerce subscriptions or a headless architecture. There's no hourly billing and no invoice surprise after delivery.
Will this create friction with the seller, or slow down my deal?
No. The access requested is narrow and specific: usually GA4, Google Tag Manager, hosting or server access, and a staging environment where one exists. There's no seller interview in the process, which keeps the review out of a negotiation that's still in progress. The engagement agreement states the same scope.
Will this actually change my offer, or is it just a compliance exercise?
The report connects material technical findings to remediation cost ranges or revenue-at-risk estimates where the evidence supports them, with assumptions and limitations stated. Each finding also gets a 30/60/90 day placement for recommended action. The deal impact memo helps you and your advisors consider offer terms, escrow holdbacks, or whether to proceed. It provides technical inputs, not a formal business valuation or financial advice. If no material issues are identified within the agreed scope and access, the report states that and any limits of the review.
Can you help implement the recommendations after closing?
Yes. Veritech can help scope and manage post-acquisition technical remediation, including infrastructure improvements, security hardening, integration repairs, platform upgrades, and technical debt reduction. Implementation planning includes priorities, dependencies, estimates, milestones, and coordination with the buyer's internal teams or external technology vendors. Remediation and implementation services are scoped and priced separately from the due diligence engagement.
Can you move at the speed my deal actually moves?
Three to four business days from the day access is granted, with substantive findings usually surfacing inside the first 48 hours. If your window is tighter than that, say so in your email and I'll confirm whether it's possible before you commit to anything.
I already have someone I use for this. Why switch?
There's no reason to switch, provided your current provider is fluent in Shopify, Drupal, headless builds, WordPress with WooCommerce, and the automation layer that holds these businesses together, and can turn a review around inside your exclusivity window. Veritech Diligence exists for the gap most generalist and enterprise-oriented reviews leave open at this specific deal size.
Not ready for full diligence?
Can I just talk through a deal or my ETA plan?
Yes. The 30-minute Talk It Through call is for buyers and searchers who want a technical person to help them make sense of what they are looking at. Bring your questions, your worries, or the parts of a deal you do not fully understand. We can:
- Walk through a specific deal you are considering and the technical questions it raises for you.
- Talk through anything about the tech stack, infrastructure, or code that you are unsure about or concerned by.
- Figure out whether full technical diligence makes sense for this one.
- Understand how technical risk might affect your offer, timeline, or earnout.
- See where a technical review fits into your broader ETA strategy.
This call is not a full review. It is a focused conversation to help you understand what you are looking at and decide your next steps.
Resources
Free resources for buyers and their advisors.
Free Technical Risk Scan
A free, automated technical risk scan for websites you're considering buying. Returns an evidence-linked risk register in a few minutes.
What to Check Before You Buy a Web-Based Business
A nine-layer pre-close technical risk inventory covering the specific ways web-based businesses hide risk from non-technical acquirers. Ungated PDF, free to share.
Every Login, License, and Credential to Get From a Seller
The exact email to send before you buy, plus a worksheet to track owner, location, and transfer status for every account the business depends on. Also ungated and yours to share.
Sample report
A redacted example of a completed Veritech Diligence engagement, showing report structure, finding formatting, and remediation roadmap style is available on request as part of a project discussion. Let's chat.
About the practice
Technical assessment backed by engineering and project delivery experience.
Veritech Diligence is led by Danielle Voorhees, PMP, CSM, a software engineer, technical project manager, and buy-side technical advisor with more than a decade of experience delivering software, web application, and IT projects.
Since 2013, Danielle has managed more than 100 technical engagements for ecommerce, SaaS, nonprofit, and enterprise clients. Her experience spans software architecture, application development, systems integration, infrastructure assessment, security remediation, and technical project delivery.
That background informs Veritech's approach to acquisition diligence. Each review examines how a business's technology actually works, identifies material risks and dependencies, and translates the findings into practical recommendations for acquisition decisions and post-close planning.
Danielle brings both engineering judgment and project management discipline to this work, including requirements analysis, scope definition, risk assessment, vendor coordination, change management, and phased remediation planning.
Contact
The deal deck shows revenue. We show you what's running it.
Full reviews start with a short email. Send your target domain or listing link, where you are in the process (exploring, LOI signed, exclusivity window), and any key concerns. You’ll hear back from me either way. If the target is a fit, I’ll outline next steps. If it’s not the right fit for a full review, I’ll say so plainly and suggest the best alternative (often the Talk It Through consult or the free Site Scanner).
To: danielle@veritechdiligence.com
Subject: Full review – [target domain or business name]
Target domain or listing link:
Where I am in the process (exploring, LOI signed, exclusivity window dates):
Specific concerns (analytics, payments, platform, automation, etc.):
Ideal timeline for a report:Not ready for a full review? Run the Veritech Site Scanner first — a free, no-commitment automated technical review of any public web domain.