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Editorial Policy

How the iFilePost Editorial Team researches, writes, checks, and updates every guide we publish for US local businesses.

iFilePost Editorial Team·Last updated October 17, 2026
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Every article on iFilePost.com is published by the iFilePost Editorial Team. Our goal is simple: give local business owners accurate, practical guidance they can act on today, without hype and without advice that could put their reviews or business profiles at risk. This policy explains how we work.

What We Cover

We focus on topics that matter to small and mid-sized local businesses in the US:

How We Research

We start each article with a real question a business owner is likely to ask, such as how to respond to a review that mentions a refund or whether it is acceptable to offer a discount for a review. We then gather information from primary sources before we write a word of advice.

Our preferred sources include:

  • Google’s official help documentation, including Google Business Profile help pages and Google’s policies on prohibited and restricted review content
  • Federal Trade Commission guidance, including the FTC’s Trade Regulation Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials, which took effect in October 2024 and addresses fake reviews, buying reviews, and review suppression
  • The FTC’s Endorsement Guides and related business guidance on incentivized reviews and disclosures
  • Official documentation from other review platforms and software tools when we write about them

When we reference a rule or policy, we link to the official source where practical so readers can check it themselves. We avoid relying on rumors, unverified forum posts, or claims we cannot trace back to a credible source.

How We Write

We write for busy owners and managers, not marketing specialists. That means short paragraphs, plain language, and examples that fit real businesses, such as a dental office, an auto shop, or a family restaurant.

We also follow a few firm rules:

  • We never recommend fake reviews, purchased reviews, review gating, or incentives in exchange for reviews.
  • We do not invent statistics, testimonials, or case studies.
  • When something is our opinion or a best practice rather than a platform rule, we say so.
  • Sample replies and messages are written to be edited, not copied word for word.

Fact-Checking and Review

Before publishing, a second member of the Editorial Team reviews each article. The reviewer checks that:

  • Policy statements match the current wording of the original source
  • Links work and point to official or reputable pages
  • Instructions for Google Business Profile and other tools match the current interface as closely as we can verify
  • Advice is consistent with our tools and with other iFilePost com articles

Platform interfaces change often, so step-by-step instructions may not match what you see on every device. We note when a feature may vary by account or region.

Keeping Content Up to Date

Review policies, consumer protection rules, and Google features change. We revisit published articles on a regular basis and update them when:

  • Google or another platform changes a policy or feature
  • The FTC or other regulators issue new rules or guidance
  • A reader reports outdated or incorrect information
  • We find a clearer or more useful way to explain a topic

When an article receives a meaningful update, we change the “last updated” date shown on the page.

Corrections Policy

If we get something wrong, we fix it. Readers can report an error through our contact page. We review every report, verify it against the original source, and correct the article when needed.

Transparent corrections: for substantive errors, such as a misstated policy or incorrect legal requirement, we add a short correction note to the article explaining what changed. Minor fixes like typos or broken links are corrected without a note.

Use of AI Assistance

We are open about how we use AI. Our reply and review request generators use AI to produce drafts, and our team may use AI tools to help outline articles, suggest phrasing, or summarize long source documents.

AI does not publish anything on its own. Every article is reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by the Editorial Team before it goes live, and we do not rely on AI for facts, policy details, or legal requirements without checking the original source. We hold AI-assisted content to the same standards as everything else we publish.

Editorial Independence

Our recommendations are not for sale. Advertisers, affiliate partners, and software companies do not review or approve our content before publication, and they cannot pay to change our conclusions.

If an article contains affiliate links, they will be clearly labeled, as explained in our disclaimer. We only mention products we believe may genuinely help local businesses, and we are not affiliated with Google LLC.

Questions or Feedback

We welcome questions about how we create content and suggestions for topics we should cover. Get in touch through our contact page, or browse the latest guides on the iFilePost blog.