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Editorial policy compliance: what the deep dive returns

An illustrative editorial policy compliance deep dive for Northgate Interiors, a fictional brand — an eight-person interior design studio in Leeds working on residential renovations. Same structure, same checklist and same evidence format as a live run. The figures are examples, not a real client's results.

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52

Editorial policy compliance score

Band
At risk
Data coverage
95%
Pages read
14

Summary

Measured against the studio's own 2024 tone-of-voice document, published copy follows the style mechanics but not the substance. The guidelines rule out superlatives and prescribe plain, specific language; the live site uses eight of the ruled-out words and reads two grades above the stated target.

Priority fixes, ordered by impact

  1. 1Remove the eight ruled-out words from /services and /about.
  2. 2Rewrite the services page at the prescribed sentence length and register.
  3. 3Standardise the CTA label to the prescribed wording.

The checklist, with verdicts

2 passed · 3 needs work · 3 failing

Every check is fixed and versioned, so two runs of the same site are comparable. A live deep dive returns the whole editorial policy compliance checklist; this sample shows a representative slice.

  • Editorial guidelines exist and are usable

    Standard: A written editorial, voice or copy standard was supplied and states rules a writer could follow.

    Pass

    What we found: A 12-page tone-of-voice document dated March 2024 was supplied and states followable rules.

    Impact: highEffort: low

  • Published copy matches the stated voice attributes

    Standard: Page copy reads as the voice the guidelines describe, not a generic category tone.

    Needs work

    What we found: The guidelines specify "direct, warm, unfussy". Homepage and services copy read as formal and promotional; /journal matches the voice well.

    Fix: Rewrite the services page in the register the journal already uses.

    Impact: highEffort: medium

  • Approved terminology is used

    Standard: Product, service and audience terms match the guidelines' preferred words.

    Needs work

    What we found: The guidelines prescribe "client"; the site uses "customer" four times and "clientele" once.

    Fix: Standardise on the prescribed term.

    Impact: highEffort: low

  • Prohibited language is absent

    Standard: Words, claims or cliches the guidelines rule out do not appear in published copy.

    Fail

    What we found: Eight instances of language the guidelines rule out: "bespoke" (x3), "world-class", "seamless" (x2), "passionate", "luxury".

    “Avoid: bespoke, luxury, seamless, world-class, passionate.”

    Fix: Replace each with the concrete detail it stands in for.

    Impact: highEffort: lowSeen on: /services, /about

  • Claims follow the evidence rules

    Standard: Superlatives, statistics and results claims carry the qualification the guidelines require.

    Needs work

    What we found: The guidelines require evidence beside results claims; three claims on /services carry none.

    Fix: Add the evidence or remove the claim.

    Impact: highEffort: medium

  • Style mechanics are applied consistently

    Standard: Capitalisation, spelling variant, numerals, dates and punctuation follow the stated style.

    Pass

    What we found: Sentence-case headings, UK spelling and numeral rules applied consistently.

    Impact: mediumEffort: low

  • Calls to action use approved wording

    Standard: CTA labels match the guidelines' action language rather than varying page to page.

    Fail

    What we found: The guidelines prescribe "Start a project". Four different CTA labels are in use.

    Fix: Apply the prescribed CTA label everywhere.

    Impact: mediumEffort: low

  • Reading level fits the stated audience

    Standard: Sentence length and vocabulary sit where the guidelines say they should.

    Fail

    What we found: Average sentence length is 27 words against the guidelines' stated 15-18, putting the copy two grades above the target reading level.

    Fix: Split long sentences on the services and about pages.

    Impact: mediumEffort: medium

Measured evidence

Each verdict above is formed against numbers, and the numbers are printed with their source. Where a source has nothing for a domain, the checks that depend on it are excluded rather than guessed.

Supplied editorial guidelines

Ruled-out words in live copy
8target: 0
Average sentence length
27 wordstarget: 15-18 words
CTA labels in use
4target: 1

Compared line by line against retrieved page copy.

Page by page

  • https://northgateinteriors.co.uk/services

    Furthest from the guidelines: six ruled-out words, longest sentences, unevidenced claims.

  • https://northgateinteriors.co.uk/journal

    Closest to the guidelines. Use it as the reference register when rewriting.

Other sections

All audit sections

Run the editorial policy compliance deep dive on your own brand.

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