Ownership and Conflict of Interest
This blog is owned and operated by Portico, a client onboarding platform for service businesses. We sell software in the same category we write about. That is a conflict of interest, and we disclose it here rather than pretend it does not exist.
Every article on this blog is labeled with one of two content types:
- Independent analysis — educational content where Portico is not the subject. If our product is mentioned, it is identified as such and held to the same standard as any other tool discussed.
- Product-related — content about Portico features, updates, or migration guides. These articles exist to explain our product, not to provide independent analysis.
We will never disguise product marketing as independent editorial. If an article promotes Portico, it is labeled accordingly.
How We Produce Content
Every article goes through the following process:
- Claim inventory — every factual claim is catalogued before writing begins. Each claim is rated as verified (cited with a primary source), likely (widely reported but unconfirmed), or uncertain. Likely and uncertain claims must be verified, reframed as opinion, or removed before publication.
- Source verification — all source URLs are checked for accessibility. Statistics must include the report name, publisher, and year. “Studies show” without attribution is not permitted. Competitor pricing is verified against live pricing pages with the verification date noted.
- Anti-slop audit — we maintain a list of banned phrases and structures commonly associated with low-quality AI or marketing content. Articles are checked against this list before publication.
- Quality gate — a final review checks that every paragraph contains at least one specific fact, named example, concrete number, or actionable step. Paragraphs that are pure abstraction are cut.
How We Handle Comparisons and Reviews
Any article that compares or evaluates tools — including our own — follows a standardized evaluation framework:
- Criteria are defined upfront. We state what we are evaluating (e.g., document collection, e-signatures, pricing model, mobile experience) before assigning any scores or recommendations.
- Weights are disclosed. If criteria are weighted, the weights and reasoning are published in the article.
- Scoring methodology is explained. For each criterion, we describe how we assessed it: what we tested, what data we used, and what limitations apply.
- Portico is held to the same standard. When our product appears in a comparison, it is scored using the identical framework. We do not exempt ourselves from criteria where we score poorly, and we do not weight criteria to favor our strengths.
- We disclose what we did not test. If we evaluated a tool using a free trial rather than a paid plan, or tested only a subset of features, that is stated.
Vendor-provided information (feature lists, pricing, case studies) is verified against the live product where possible. We do not accept payment, free access, or other consideration from vendors in exchange for coverage or favorable reviews.
Authorship
Every article includes the author's name, a short bio, and a link to their professional profile. If an author has a financial interest in Portico (as a founder, employee, or investor), that relationship is stated in the bio.
We use AI tools to assist with research and drafting. All AI-assisted content is reviewed, fact-checked, and edited by a human author before publication. The human author takes responsibility for accuracy.
Corrections
If we publish something inaccurate, we fix it and note the correction. Articles display an “Updated” date when substantive changes are made after initial publication. We do not silently edit published claims.
What We Will Not Do
- Rank Portico #1 in our own “best tools” lists.
- Publish statistics without a named, dated, accessible source.
- Accept payment or consideration from other vendors for coverage.
- Disguise product marketing as independent analysis.
- Remove or suppress content that reflects poorly on our product category.
Contact
If you believe we have published inaccurate information, or if you want to discuss our editorial standards, contact us at support@portico.com.