Editorial Standards

How we write, source, test, review and correct what we publish, and how we tell you when an article is about something we own.

Mark McNeece

Written and reviewed by Mark McNeece, Founder & Lead Developer. Last reviewed

This page explains how the articles on 365i Web Design get written, checked and corrected, and what happens when an article touches something we own. It's here so you can judge what you read against a standard we've put in writing, and hold us to it.

I'm Mark McNeece, and I write and review the articles on this site myself. There's no editorial board behind me. I'd rather tell you that than invent one.

Much of what follows is how we've always worked. Some of it, such as the review dateline and the author box at the end of each article, is newer, and articles from our first months don't all show it yet. We bring each one up to standard when it's next reviewed. An article that carries a Last reviewed line has been through that review.

Who writes and reviews our articles

Every article here is written by me, Mark McNeece, founder of 365i Web Design. My background, qualifications and the other sites I run are on my author page.

This is a small, founder-led business, so on most articles the author and the editorial reviewer are the same person. The article says so in plain words, in the line that reads "Editorially reviewed by". If someone else reviews a piece, that line names them instead.

Reviewing means more than a proofread. Before an article goes live I open every source it links to, check each figure and quotation against the page it came from, confirm the links work, and read the finished page as it renders on a phone and on a desktop.

How we source facts and quotations

We go to the primary source wherever one exists: the vendor's own documentation, the official changelog, the specification or the government page, rather than somebody else's write-up of it. When only secondary reporting exists, we say whose reporting it is.

Every external claim is linked, and articles end with a Sources list so you can check them without hunting through the text.

Quotations are copied word for word from a source we have open in front of us, and each one links to where you can read it in full. We don't paraphrase inside quotation marks, we don't tidy up anyone's wording, and we never put words in a real person's mouth.

We don't invent statistics, quotes, people or web addresses. If we can't find a number, the article says so rather than guessing one.

First-hand testing of tools and services

When we compare or review a tool, plugin, hosting plan or service, we use it ourselves on a real install or a real account. The article records when we tested it, how, and what we measured: load times, scores, file sizes, the price on the day. We publish our own screenshots of what we saw.

Prices and features change, so the test date is there to tell you how old a measurement is. When we re-test, the numbers are updated and the change goes in the article's update log.

Our own products and sister sites

365i Web Design is one of several businesses and sites with the same owner. Alongside this one, they are:

When an article recommends, compares or reviews any of these, we say so near the top, before the recommendation, in a clearly marked disclosure. You shouldn't have to reach the footer to find out that the thing we're praising is ours.

We don't add star ratings or review markup to articles about our own products, and we don't set one of our products against a competitor without saying which one is ours.

Client stories and anonymity

The client examples in our articles are real jobs, with real figures. Unless a client has agreed to be named, we identify them by first name and surname initial (Karen M., for example) and leave out details that would identify the business. Where a client is named in full, or their site is linked, it's because they said yes.

We don't build composite clients or made-up "case studies" and present them as real ones.

Published, reviewed and updated dates

Each reviewed article shows three things near the top: the date it was first published, the date it was last reviewed, and who reviewed it and when. The published date never changes.

The Last reviewed date only moves when we've actually re-checked the article's facts, sources and links. A fixed typo or a new image doesn't count. The same date feeds the article's structured data, so what search engines read matches what you see.

Corrections and the update log

If we get something wrong, we fix it in the article itself and say so. Substantive changes are listed in an Updates to this article box at the end of the piece, with the date and a line on what changed. Substantive means a factual correction, a new section, a changed price or a changed recommendation.

Spelling fixes, formatting and repaired links aren't logged. They don't change what the article tells you.

Screenshots and illustrations

Screenshots are real captures of the software, page or result they show, taken by us. We crop them and sometimes add arrows or labels, but we don't edit what was on screen.

Some featured images and diagrams are illustrations made for the article. Where an illustration could be mistaken for a photograph or a real screenshot, its caption says it's an illustration. We don't mock up interfaces that don't exist and pass them off as real.

Links to our own sister sites are ordinary links. They're ours and we stand behind them. Links to everyone else carry a nofollow attribute: we link to them so you can check a claim or read further, not to pass on search ranking.

No link on this site is paid for, in either direction.

Advertising and payment

This site carries no adverts and no sponsored posts. Nobody pays for coverage, a review or a mention. The only things sold here are our own services and products, which is exactly what the disclosure note is for.

How to report an error

If you spot something wrong, out of date or unfair, please tell us. Email support@365i.co.uk or call +44 7785 326603, and let us know which article, what's wrong and, if you can, where the correct information is.

If it's wrong, it gets corrected and logged on the article. If we think it's right, we'll reply and tell you why. If you're quoted or mentioned in an article and want to talk about it, the same contact details apply, and our privacy policy explains how we handle that.

365i Web Design is a trading name of BSolve IT Limited, registered in England and Wales, company number 04607330, based in Kettering, Northamptonshire.