The Definitive Guide to Electronic Signatures
Understand the laws. Master the technology. Secure your agreements.
Everything you need to know, all in one place.
Your Central Hub for eSignature Knowledge
From foundational concepts to advanced security protocols, our guides are designed to provide clear, actionable insights for businesses of all sizes.
The Fundamentals
Start here to understand what an electronic signature is, how it works, and why it's a crucial tool for modern business.
Learn the Basics →Legal & Compliance Guide
Are eSignatures legally binding? Explore the key laws like the ESIGN Act, UETA, and eIDAS that govern electronic records.
View Legal Guide →Security Deep Dive
Discover the technology that keeps your signatures safe, from encryption and authentication to tamper-evident audit trails.
Explore Security →How to Sign a PDF
A practical, step-by-step guide to adding a legally binding electronic signature to any PDF document in minutes.
Read PDF Guide →How to Sign a Word Document
Seamlessly sign Microsoft Word files without printing. Our guide shows you how to maintain your digital workflow.
Read Word Guide →Use Cases & Applications
See how industries from real estate to healthcare leverage eSignatures to accelerate deals and streamline operations.
See Use Cases →Why Trust eSignly's Guides?
Our content is built on a decade of experience and a commitment to clarity, security, and compliance. We don't just provide a service; we provide certainty.
Legal Expertise
Our platform and guides are designed in accordance with major global e-signature legislation, ensuring you stay compliant.
Security First
We are certified for ISO 27001, SOC 2, and HIPAA. Our guides reflect the same high standards we apply to our technology.
Decade of Experience
Since 2014, over 100,000 users have trusted us to secure their agreements. We share that accumulated knowledge with you.
Clear & Actionable
We translate complex legal and technical jargon into simple, practical advice you can implement immediately.
Comprehensive Coverage
From the absolute basics to developer-focused API guides, we cover the full spectrum of e-signature knowledge.
Always Updated
The digital landscape evolves. We continuously update our guides to reflect the latest laws, technologies, and best practices.
Electronic vs. Digital Signatures: What's the Difference?
Understanding this key distinction is crucial for choosing the right solution. While often used interchangeably, they represent different levels of security and identity verification.
| Feature | Electronic Signature (eSignly Standard) | Digital Signature (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A digital representation of a person's intent to agree to terms, like a typed name or a scanned image of a signature. | A specific type of electronic signature that uses a certificate-based digital ID to encrypt and authenticate the document. |
| Legal Standing | Fully legally binding for most transactions under laws like the ESIGN Act and UETA. | Legally binding with a higher level of security and identity assurance, often required for specific government or regulated industry transactions. |
| Security Method | Secured with audit trails, IP address logging, and secure server infrastructure. | Uses Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to create a unique, encrypted "fingerprint." Any change to the document after signing invalidates the signature. |
| Identity Verification | Verified through email, access codes, or other methods configured by the sender. | Verified by a trusted third-party Certificate Authority (CA) that issues the digital certificate. |
| Best For | Sales contracts, HR documents, vendor agreements, NDAs, and everyday business contracts. | High-value financial transactions, legal filings, government documents, and industries with strict regulatory compliance. |
| eSignly Support | Core offering for speed and efficiency. | Supported for enhanced security needs. |
Trusted by Professionals Across Industries
Our users rely on our platform and resources to navigate the complexities of digital agreements with confidence.
"eSignly's guides on legal compliance were clearer than our outside counsel's. It gave our firm the confidence to go fully digital with our client agreements."
"In real estate, speed and legality are everything. I needed to know how to get contracts signed fast and legally. This guide was my starting point, and the platform was the perfect solution."
"Onboarding is a document nightmare. The guide on bulk signing for HR was a game-changer. We implemented the process in a day and cut our new hire paperwork time by 80%."
From Knowledge to Action: Real-World Success
See how organizations used the insights from our guides to implement eSignly and achieve measurable results.
Boutique Law Firm Boosts Efficiency and Client Satisfaction
Client Overview: A mid-sized law firm specializing in corporate law was struggling with a slow, paper-based contract review and signing process. This led to delays in closing cases and a frustrating experience for their tech-savvy clients. They were hesitant about digital solutions due to concerns over legal validity and security.
Key Challenges:
- Ensuring e-signatures were legally binding and admissible in court.
- Maintaining strict client confidentiality and document security.
- Reducing the multi-day turnaround time for document signing.
- Integrating a new system without disrupting existing workflows.
Our Solution:
After consulting eSignly's legal guides, the firm gained the confidence to adopt our Business plan. They started by digitizing their client engagement letters and NDAs.
- Utilized templates for frequently used documents to ensure consistency.
- Leveraged the detailed audit trail for a clear, chronological record of every action.
- Implemented two-factor authentication for highly sensitive documents.
- Used the dashboard to track document status in real-time, eliminating follow-up calls.
Healthcare Provider Achieves HIPAA Compliance for Patient Forms
Client Overview: A regional healthcare network needed to digitize their patient intake and consent forms. Their primary concern was ensuring any solution was fully HIPAA compliant to protect patient health information (PHI) and avoid severe penalties. The existing paper process was inefficient and prone to errors.
Key Challenges:
- Finding an e-signature solution that met strict HIPAA security and privacy rules.
- Securing patient data both in transit and at rest.
- Creating an easy-to-use process for patients of all ages and technical abilities.
- Ensuring signed documents were securely stored and easily accessible for audits.
Our Solution:
The provider's compliance officer used our HIPAA and security guides to vet potential vendors. They chose eSignly's Enterprise plan, which includes a Business Associate Agreement (BAA). They rolled out digital forms for new patient registration, consent for treatment, and privacy policy acknowledgments.
- Implemented in-person signing on tablets in their waiting rooms.
- Used data validation fields to reduce common errors in patient information.
- Integrated with their EMR system via API for seamless data transfer.
- Relied on eSignly's secure, encrypted storage to safeguard all signed documents.
SaaS Platform Embeds eSignatures to Enhance User Experience
Client Overview: A project management SaaS company wanted to allow its users to sign off on project proposals and contracts directly within their application. They needed a powerful, reliable, and well-documented API that they could integrate seamlessly into their existing platform to create a white-label experience.
Key Challenges:
- Finding a flexible API to embed signing workflows without redirecting users.
- Ensuring high uptime and scalability to serve thousands of their own customers.
- Customizing the signing experience to match their brand's look and feel.
- Managing API costs effectively as their user base grew.
Our Solution:
The development team used our API documentation and developer guides to build a proof-of-concept in just one week. Impressed by the ease of use and robust features, they chose the eSignly API Enterprise plan for its volume discounts and dedicated support.
- Used embedded signing to keep users within their platform for a cohesive experience.
- Leveraged webhooks to receive real-time status updates on documents.
- Customized the branding of the signing interface to be invisible to their end-users.
- Scaled their API calls from a few hundred to tens of thousands per month without issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about electronic signatures. For more detail, explore our full guides.
Yes. In the United States, the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce (ESIGN) Act of 2000 and the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) grant electronic signatures the same legal status as handwritten ones. Most industrialized nations have similar laws, like eIDAS in the European Union.
While someone could copy an image of your signature, a secure electronic signature is much more than just an image. eSignly attaches a comprehensive, court-admissible audit trail to every signed document. This log includes who signed, when they signed, their IP address, and a history of all actions, making it extremely difficult to forge or repudiate.
No. eSignly is a fully cloud-based platform. Both senders and signers can access, sign, and manage documents from any modern web browser on any device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) without needing to install any software.
You can sign almost any type of document, including PDFs, Microsoft Word documents, and other common file formats. Common use cases include sales contracts, NDAs, employee onboarding paperwork, real estate agreements, vendor contracts, and financial documents.
No, signers do not need an eSignly account or need to pay anything. They simply receive an email with a secure link to view and sign the document. The process is designed to be as frictionless as possible for the recipient.
Ready to Sign with Confidence?
Explore our platform and see how easy, secure, and efficient your document workflows can be. Start for free today or contact our experts to discuss your specific needs.