# Comparison page governance card

- Source: https://simeoncreatives.com/resources/comparison-page-governance-card
- Hub: Website Design & Development

Alternatives, cell types, sources, a where-we-lose row, owners, and review dates. Fill it before you publish or revise a comparison page.

One card per comparison page. The page owner fills sections 1 to 3. The source checker, a different person for named comparisons, fills section 4.
If a cell cannot be sourced or labeled as an opinion, remove it. A shorter honest table beats a longer one that falls apart when challenged.

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    A["Alternatives"] --> C["Cell types"]
    C --> S["Sources + dates"]
    S --> L["Where we lose"]
    L --> R["Owner + review"]
```
*Every cell has a type. Every named cell has a source and a date.*

## 1. Page and owners

- [ ] Page URL and decision it helps the buyer make
- [ ] Page owner (one name)
- [ ] Source checker (a second name for any named comparison)
- [ ] Do we name companies, or compare approaches only?
  Naming raises the bar. Every statement about them needs a dated, shareable source.

## 2. Alternatives the buyer actually has

| Alternative | Who it suits | What it asks of the buyer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Do nothing for now |  |  |
| Do it in-house |  |  |
| Template or builder |  |  |
| Hire a specialist (us) |  |  |
| Other: _____ |  |  |

- [ ] Each row is something a buyer asked about or said they considered
- [ ] Rows are things a buyer asks. No rows invented to make an option look bad

## 3. Cell types

Label every cell. Anything about another party that is not verified becomes an opinion or "not confirmed."

| Cell type | What you need | Label on the page |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Verified fact about another party | Public link + date checked | Checked [date], with link |
| Our own fact | Something we can show on request | True today |
| Opinion | One sentence of reasoning | "In our view" or "Who it suits" |
| Not confirmed | Date we looked | "Not confirmed, checked [date]" |

- [ ] No adjectives in cells ("fast," "premium"). Numbers have sources, descriptions are plain
- [ ] The table shows when it was last checked

## 4. Source record (kept off the page)

| Cell | About | Source URL | Checked on | Checked by | Next review |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |
|  |  |  |  |  |  |

- [ ] The owner can open any record in under a minute when a cell is challenged

## 5. Where we lose

- [ ] A visible section, not a footnote, naming the cases where another option is the better choice
- [ ] In-house: when it makes sense
- [ ] Template or builder: when it makes sense
- [ ] Do nothing: when it makes sense

## 6. Legal and policy

- [ ] Which markets do we sell into, and has someone qualified in those markets reviewed named comparisons?
  Not legal advice. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) policy statement on comparative advertising is 16 CFR 14.15.
- [ ] Disclosures are on the page where needed (for example, the bases of comparison)

## 7. Upkeep

| Item | Owner | When |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Re-open every named source |  | Every 90 days (or shorter if the market moves) |
| Check the page against the message sheet |  | After any change to our offer |
| Handle a correction |  | Logged within one working day, resolved within one week |

- [ ] Correction path on the page: one line and an email address
- [ ] A named cell that cannot be re-checked is removed

## Related guides

- [Comparison page governance](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/comparison-page-governance)
- [Sales deck to website message parity](https://simeoncreatives.com/blog/sales-deck-to-website-message-parity)
- [Claim and proof field checklist](https://simeoncreatives.com/resources/claim-proof-field-checklist)
- [Service page proof map](https://simeoncreatives.com/resources/service-page-proof-map)