Publishing standards

Editorial Policy

How SearchIntel decides what to publish, who writes it, and how we handle the trade-offs between depth, accuracy, and timeliness.

Bylines and authorship

SearchIntel content is written by Paul Byrne, founder of SearchIntel, or attributed to him as Editor when produced collaboratively. We do not use ghostwriter bylines, fictional author personas, or AI-generated names. Anything published under "Paul Byrne" has been reviewed and signed off by Paul personally.

Guest contributions, when they happen, are attributed to the named guest with a short bio. Paul's role on guest pieces is editor, not author.

Use of AI in our writing

SearchIntel uses AI tools to help structure long-form research, draft outlines, and check for self-citation. We do not publish AI-generated content as-is. Every published piece has been edited by Paul for accuracy, voice, and substance. Statistics are verified against primary sources before publication; see our Methodology page for the source hierarchy.

We will not use AI to generate fake reviews, fabricate quotes from people who never said them, or simulate first-person experience that did not happen.

Editorial independence

SearchIntel does not accept payment for editorial coverage. We work with clients commercially — diagnostics, advisory retainers, optimisation projects — and we may write about anonymised observations from that work where the client consents. When we name a brand in editorial coverage, it is because the public AI scan results justify it, not because a payment was involved.

If a piece touches on a brand that is or has been a SearchIntel client, we disclose that explicitly in the piece.

Fact-checking

Every published piece goes through a fact-check before it ships:

If we cannot verify a claim, we either remove it or label it explicitly as an unverified observation. We do not present unverified claims with the confidence of facts.

Updates and freshness

When we update a published piece, the update is substantive — new data, corrected facts, expanded analysis — not just a bumped date. Every update is accompanied by a short changelog line near the top of the piece describing what changed.

Pieces older than 12 months that have not been updated carry a notice indicating the publication date so readers can judge currency. Pieces older than 24 months are reviewed annually for ongoing accuracy.

What we will not publish

SearchIntel is published by SearchIntel Ltd, registered in England and Wales. Editorial contact: paul@searchintel.tech. See also Methodology and Ethics.