Editorial & Review Policy

This policy explains how AI Website Starter chooses what to cover, how reviews are done, and how we keep editorial decisions separate from any commercial relationship. It is written to be practical, and we update it as the site grows.

Choosing what to review

We prioritise tools that a small or local business is realistically likely to consider: well-known AI website builders, options with a usable free or low-cost plan, and tools readers ask about. We are not paid to review anything, and being an affiliate partner does not earn a tool a review or a better write-up.

Hands-on testing

• Where possible, a review is based on signing up and building a real test site with the tool — a simple multi-page site for a fictional local business.
• We try the tasks that matter for that audience: generating a first draft, editing pages, adding services and contact details, connecting a domain, and publishing.
• If we have only been able to try part of a tool, we say which part, and we do not present a partial look as a full review.

Recording when we tested

Every review notes the date it was tested and the date it was last updated. These tools change often, so a review always shows how current it is.

Judging strengths and weaknesses

We weigh the things a small business actually needs: how quickly you can get a decent site live, how easy day-to-day editing is, how the site performs and how well it supports being found locally, what the real cost is once you need a custom domain and the features you expect, and the quality of help and support.

Pricing information

We record prices as seen at the time of testing, in the tool’s primary currency, and note what the entry plan does and does not include. Prices change — check the tool’s own pricing page before you buy.

Ratings

• A tool is only given a rating after genuine hands-on testing.
• Ratings reflect fit for a small or local business, not raw feature counts.
• An affiliate relationship never sets or changes a score or a verdict.

Corrections and updates

If we get something wrong, tell us through the contact form and we will correct it and note the change. We revisit reviews when a tool changes materially, and re-check older content periodically.

Disclosure of relationships

Any material relationship with a company whose product we mention — an affiliate partnership, a free account, or anything else of value — is disclosed on the relevant page and summarised in our Affiliate Disclosure. At the moment no affiliate links are active on the site.

Use of AI in our workflow

We may use AI tools to help with research, drafting, summarising and editing. AI is not a source of fact for us: every published claim — prices, features, test results, recommendations — is checked by a person against the tool itself or its official documentation before it goes live. The judgement in a review is ours.