Claim and proof field checklist

Walk each claim on a page through seven fields and one publish gate. Print it, fill it, and find the statements you cannot back up.

Start with the five most visible claims on your site: the homepage headline, the first service page, and any number or logo. One sheet per claim.

If a claim cannot pass the gate, rewrite it as what you do, or remove it. Do not fill a field with a guess to make the sheet look done.

flowchart LR
    C["Claim"] --> P["Proof"]
    P --> S["Source + permission"]
    S --> K["Scope"]
    K --> G{"Gate"}
    G -->|Pass| L["Publish"]
    G -->|Fail| D["Draft"]
    L --> R["Review date"]

1. The claim

Claim, one sentence, as it appears on the page
Where it appears (URLs). A claim used in three places is reviewed once
It is a statement of fact, not mood. Adjectives alone ("trusted," "best-in-class") are not claims

2. Proof type and body

Proof type	Pick one	What is the proof, exactly?
Artifact link (live URL, public document, dated report)
Permissioned fact (agreed in writing, with a date)
Quote (named person, unedited)
Process description (what we do, no result attached)
None yet (renders nothing)

Someone who was not in the room can open or read the proof
The proof says what the claim says, not something nearby

3. Source and permission

Source (internal): who or what this came from, and the date
Quote, name, logo, or client work involved? If yes, permission is required
Permission recorded: who gave it, on what date, for what use Verbal is not a record. Write the email or note down.
The relationship is still active, or the permission covers use after it ended

4. Scope line

One sentence about what this does not prove. If you cannot write it, the claim is wider than the evidence.

This does not prove ___
This describes one engagement, not every client. The figure is from our own site, measured over the dates shown.
Where the scope affects a reader’s decision, it appears on the page, not only in the sheet

5. Publish gate

No claim without proof (or an explicit "none yet" that renders nothing)
No quote, name, or logo without a dated permission entry
No block without a scope line
Editing the claim text sends the block back to draft for review

6. Review

Review by (date)	Owner (one name)	Questions answered
		Still true? Permission still good? Proof still opens?

A list of blocks due for review in the next 30 days goes to the owner each week
Failed review: block returns to draft and the page renders without it