Editorial Standards, Publisher Vetting & Replacement Terms

This page explains the editorial standards we follow for guest post placements and the terms under which we attempt restorations or provide replacements. It’s designed to set clear expectations and keep quality high.

More than a policy page, this is our transparency commitment in practice: we document how we evaluate publishers, how we define qualifying placements, how replacement triggers are handled, and how quality safeguards are enforced across every campaign.

1) Editorial standards (quality & relevance)

• Relevance first: placements must be topically appropriate for the client’s site and audience.
• Real sites: we avoid PBNs, link farms, and obvious paid-link networks.
• Readable content: content is written to be genuinely useful to readers, not just “SEO filler.”
• Natural linking: links are placed contextually and should not look forced or spammy.

2) How we vet every publisher site

Before any placement is delivered, every candidate publisher site goes through a multi-step vetting process. The goal is simple: only sites with genuine authority, real audiences, and clean histories make the cut.

• Positive footprint verification: we confirm that each site carries real organic traffic, a genuine content history, an established publishing cadence, indexed pages, and legitimate audience engagement. Sites that exist only on paper don't pass.
• PBN & link farm detection: we analyze ownership and WHOIS patterns, hosting footprints, cross-linking networks, and content originality. Sites that show monetization-only red flags—thin content, excessive outbound links, no real audience—are rejected.
• Negative footprint screening: we screen for Google penalty indicators, manual action history, toxic backlink profiles, spammy content patterns, and deceptive redirects. Any site with a history of being flagged is excluded.
• Niche & topical relevance matching: each publisher site is matched to the client's industry, audience, and content vertical. A site must have genuine topical authority in related subject areas—not just acceptable metrics on paper.
• Ongoing monitoring: vetting is not one-time. Publisher sites are periodically re-evaluated, and any site whose quality degrades is removed from our active network.

For a detailed walkthrough of each vetting step, see our Domain Auditing Methodology.

3) Content standards

• Original content: content is created for each order unless otherwise agreed in writing.
• Client input: we may request target URLs, preferred topics, and brand notes to align the article.
• Edits: publishers may request revisions to meet their editorial requirements.

4) Link placement standards

• Placement type: we aim for in-content editorial links.
• Anchor text: we prioritize branded or natural anchors; exact-match anchors may be limited or declined if risky.
• Attributes: deliverables may be dofollow or nofollow depending on package terms and publisher policies.
• Permanence: while we seek permanent placements, publishers control their own sites and can update content.

5) Replacement terms (6-month window)

If a delivered placement is removed within 180 days (six months) of delivery (for reasons outside the client's control), we will:

1. Attempt restoration with the publisher where feasible; and if not possible,
2. Provide a comparable replacement placement based on the package’s general criteria.

“Comparable” means similar overall quality and intent (e.g., niche fit and authority band). Exact like-for-like replacements are not always possible because inventories change.

This guarantee also covers degraded links and placements on penalized publisher sites. See the sections below for exact definitions. For response and delivery timelines, see our replacement SLA.

6) When replacements may not apply

• Client-requested removals or URL changes after publication
• Major site changes initiated by the client that cause the publisher to remove the link (e.g., policy violations)
• Removals occurring after the 180-day (six-month) window

7) Link monitoring

After a placement goes live, we don't just deliver a URL and walk away. Placed links are checked on a regular schedule so issues are caught early.

• Automated checks: every delivered placement is checked at least monthly during the 6-month guarantee window for HTTP status, on-page link presence, and link attribute changes.
• What triggers an alert: link removal (404 or missing from page), conversion from dofollow to nofollow, anchor text changes, the page being de-indexed, or a significant change in the publisher site's authority profile.
• Proactive response: when our monitoring detects a covered issue, we initiate the replacement process without waiting for you to report it.

8) Degraded links

A "degraded" link is one that still technically exists but has lost meaningful value. Within the 6-month guarantee window, the following changes are treated the same as a removal and trigger the replacement process:

• Attribute change: a dofollow link is converted to nofollow, sponsored, or ugc without prior agreement.
• Relocation: the link is moved from the original article body to a less prominent location (e.g., sidebar, footer, or a separate "resources" dump page).
• Anchor text alteration: the agreed anchor text is materially changed in a way that undermines the placement's intent.
• Content gutting: the surrounding article content is replaced, stripped, or rewritten to the point it no longer provides meaningful editorial context for the link.
• Page suppression: the page is removed from the site's navigation and XML sitemap, or is blocked via robots.txt or noindex, effectively burying it.

The following changes are not considered degradation and do not trigger a replacement:

• Minor editorial updates (typo fixes, formatting changes, image swaps)
• Site-wide redesigns that change visual styling but preserve content and link placement
• URL structure changes where the old URL properly 301-redirects to the new location

9) Penalized publisher sites

If a publisher site receives a Google manual action or suffers a catastrophic loss of authority (a drop of 50% or more in organic visibility as measured by standard SEO tools) within the 6-month guarantee window:

• Proactive detection: our ongoing monitoring (see Section 7) is designed to catch these events. You do not need to report it yourself.
• Automatic replacement trigger: a confirmed penalty or catastrophic authority loss is treated as a covered removal, and the replacement process begins.
• Network removal: any publisher site confirmed to have been penalized is removed from our active placement network.

"Penalty" means a documented Google manual action or an algorithmic authority collapse, not normal ranking fluctuations or seasonal traffic changes.

10) Replacement SLA

When a replacement is triggered (whether by link removal, degradation, or publisher penalty), the following timelines apply:

• Acknowledgment: within 2 business days of detection or your report, we will confirm the issue and that the replacement process has started.
• Replacement delivery: a comparable replacement placement is typically delivered within 15 business days of acknowledgment.
• Placement credit: if no comparable replacement can be secured within 30 business days, you will receive a placement credit of equal value toward a future order.

For the complete Service Level Agreement — including delivery timelines, intellectual property boundaries, confidentiality terms, and GDPR-compliant data protection clauses — see our sample SLA.

11) Dispute resolution

If you believe a link issue qualifies for replacement but we've determined it doesn't (or vice versa), here's how we resolve it:

1. Submit your case: email help@referralauthority.com with the placement URL and a brief description of the issue.
2. Review: we will review the evidence and respond with a written decision within 5 business days.
3. Escalation: if you disagree with the decision, you may request escalation to our principal for a final review.

12) Questions

If you have questions about editorial fit, anchors, replacements, or any of the accountability policies above, email help@referralauthority.com.

Note: This page is informational and may be updated. Your specific package terms and agreed scope control in case of any conflict.