Last Updated: January 2025
Here’s How We Create Content You Can Trust
You deserve to know exactly how we create the content you’re reading. These editorial guidelines aren’t just internal rules—they’re our promise to you about the care, expertise, and integrity behind every word on this site.
Think of this as our handshake agreement. We’re documenting our entire process so you know that when you read something from Clay Digital, it’s been created with purpose, verified for accuracy, and designed to actually help your business grow.
Why We Write (And Why It Matters to You)
We publish content for one reason: to help small business owners and digital marketing agencies build strategies that actually work without cutting corners or compromising quality.
That sounds simple, but here’s what it really means. Every article you read has been specifically created to solve real problems you’re facing. We don’t publish clickbait. We don’t chase trending topics just for traffic. We create resources that help you make better marketing decisions based on proven frameworks and ethical practices.
We follow Google’s E-E-A-T framework—that’s Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—not because we have to, but because it’s the right way to serve you. When Mike Clay shares a framework or strategy, it’s been tested in the trenches with real businesses and agencies like yours.
The 8-Step Process Behind Every Piece
Here’s exactly how we create the content you’re reading on Clay Digital. We call it our Authority Casting process, and yes, we follow it every single time for our own content.
Step 1: We Map Out What Small Business Owners and Agencies Actually Need
Before we write anything for Clay Digital, we build comprehensive topical maps around the real questions small business owners and marketing agencies are asking. We analyze search data, dig into client conversations, and identify the gaps between what people are searching for and what actually helps them succeed. If businesses and agencies aren’t struggling with it, it doesn’t make it onto our editorial calendar.
Step 2: We Align Every Piece With Your Journey
We know you’re at different stages when you land on our site, so we create content specifically for where you are:
- Awareness Stage: Educational articles about marketing challenges, ethical strategies, and foundational concepts
- Consideration Stage: In-depth guides comparing approaches, addressing objections, and exploring options
- Decision Stage: Case studies from our clients, detailed testimonials, and proof that our approaches work
Every article is tagged and categorized so you naturally find what’s most relevant to your current situation.
Step 3: We Structure Content to Challenge Industry Myths
We’ve heard all the false beliefs: “You have to use aggressive tactics to succeed online,” “Small budgets can’t compete,” “Quality and scale can’t coexist.” Our content structure specifically addresses these myths.
We use a pyramid approach for our articles—starting with the broad false belief, breaking it down with evidence and examples, then pointing to specific actions you can take. It’s designed to shift your thinking while giving you practical next steps.
Step 4: We Prepare Questions That Uncover Real Insights
Before creating any cornerstone content, we develop interview questions for ourselves and our team: What frameworks have we proven with clients? What strategies align with our values? What differentiates ethical marketing that actually works?
For case studies and success stories, we dig deeper: What specific results did we achieve? What challenges did we overcome? What would we do differently? These questions ensure our content shares real wisdom, not generic advice.
Step 5: We Research Thoroughly, Then Validate Everything
Here’s our research reality: We use AI to scan industry trends, analyze competitor content, and identify patterns across marketing sources. But that’s just the starting point.
Mike Clay personally validates every framework and strategy we share. When we cite statistics or trends, we trace them to original sources. When we share client results, we pull actual data. Our proprietary frameworks come from real experience, not theory. If we can’t prove it works, it doesn’t go on our site.
Step 6: We Draft With AI Assistance, Polish With Human Expertise
Yes, AI helps us create first drafts of our blog posts and guides. It’s faster and helps us maintain consistency. But here’s the human side: Mike shapes every strategic insight. Our team ensures every piece sounds like us—warm, authoritative, and genuinely helpful.
The frameworks, the client stories, the faith integration, the strategic nuance—that’s all human. AI helps us work faster, but humans ensure we’re sharing real value based on real experience.
Step 7: We Put Every Piece Through Our Review Gauntlet
Nothing goes live on Clay Digital without passing through multiple quality checks:
- Mike’s Strategic Review: He personally reviews all cornerstone content for accuracy and alignment with our frameworks
- Editorial Voice Check: Our team ensures consistency with our mentor-like, professional-yet-approachable tone
- Technical Accuracy: We verify all marketing claims, statistics, and tactical advice
- Ethics Check: We ensure our approach maintains integrity without cutting corners
- Compliance Review: FTC disclosures, accessibility standards, copyright—all verified
This might seem like overkill for a blog post, but it’s how we maintain the quality you’ve come to expect.
Step 8: We Publish With Purpose and Precision
When content is ready, we don’t just hit publish. We optimize titles and meta descriptions for clarity (not just keywords). We add proper schema markup so search engines understand our expertise. We create custom graphics that reinforce key concepts. We format for readability with headers, bullets, and short paragraphs.
Then we plan the distribution—which pieces become email sequences, which get turned into social content, which deserve video explanations. Every piece of content is part of a larger strategy to help you succeed.
Our Content Standards (The Non-Negotiables)
We Tell the Truth
Every fact is verified. Every source is cited. Every case study is real. If we share results, we share context. If something worked for one client but might not work for you, we say so. Transparency isn’t just ethical—it’s essential for trust.
We Give Credit
When Mike Clay shares a framework, you know it’s his. When we reference another expert, they’re credited by name and credentials. When clients share their stories, they’re acknowledged (with permission). Nobody’s expertise gets borrowed without attribution.
We Write Like We Talk
You won’t find corporate jargon or academic prose here. We write in plain English, keep paragraphs short, and explain complex ideas simply. If your neighbor could understand it, we’ve done our job.
We Maintain Our Voice
Every piece sounds like it comes from the same trusted advisor—because it does. We’re your seasoned mentor (warm and steady), your friendly expert (approachable but knowledgeable), and your strategic partner (confident but humble). This voice doesn’t change based on who’s writing.
We Include Everyone
Our content respects all readers. We avoid assumptions about technical knowledge, business size, or background. We believe in ethical business practices and principled marketing. Everyone building a legitimate business deserves access to quality strategies.
How We Handle the Technical Stuff
Search Engine Optimization (Without the Nonsense)
We optimize for the questions you’re actually asking. That means natural language, long-tail keywords, and content that answers “People Also Ask” queries. We use schema markup to help search engines understand our content, but we never keyword-stuff or write for robots.
Local Presence When It Matters
For our local clients and location-specific content, we implement LocalBusiness schema and optimize for geographic searches. Because sometimes the best solution is the one in your neighborhood.
Accessibility Is Standard, Not Optional
Every image has alt text. Every PDF is screen-reader friendly. Every design choice considers accessibility. We follow WCAG 2.1 AA standards because everyone deserves access to helpful content.
What Happens After We Hit Publish
Your Content Works Harder
That article you’re reading? It doesn’t stop there. We turn it into:
- Social media posts that spark conversations
- Email sequences that nurture relationships
- Infographics that simplify complex ideas
- Video scripts that bring strategies to life
We call it splintering—one great idea, multiple helpful formats.
We Distribute Strategically
Content flows from our website to your inbox to social media to partner sites. Each channel gets content optimized for how you use it. LinkedIn gets professional insights. Instagram gets visual inspiration. Email gets deep-dive value.
The Legal and Ethical Standards We Follow
Copyright and Originality
Everything we publish is original or properly licensed. We have zero tolerance for plagiarism. If we quote someone, it’s attributed. If we use an image, we have rights to it. Simple as that.
FTC Compliance (The Fine Print That Matters)
When we share client results, we include proper disclosures. When we mention tools we use, we’re transparent about relationships. When we make claims, we back them up. The FTC requires this, but we’d do it anyway.
Privacy and Data Protection
We follow CAN-SPAM and every relevant privacy regulation. Your data is protected. Your inbox is respected. Your trust is never taken for granted.
Ethical Standards
Our values inform our content creation. We believe in transparent business practices, honest marketing, and strategies that build long-term success rather than quick wins. We’re principled in our approach and inclusive in our application.
How We Use AI (The Full Transparency)
Where AI Helps
- Researching topics faster
- Creating first drafts
- Suggesting content improvements
- Optimizing for search
- Repurposing content into different formats
Where Humans Take Over
- Setting strategy and direction
- Ensuring voice and tone
- Validating accuracy and ethics
- Reviewing for quality and value alignment
- Making all final decisions
- Sharing real experiences and stories
We believe AI makes us more efficient, not less human. Every piece of content is reviewed, refined, and approved by real people who understand your challenges.
How We Keep Content Fresh
We review our evergreen content every 6-12 months because markets change, strategies evolve, and what worked yesterday might not work tomorrow.
When content underperforms, we don’t just delete it. We analyze why, update what’s salvageable, merge related pieces, or retire what’s truly outdated. Every decision is based on data and reader feedback.
Who’s Behind Your Content
The Strategic Mind: Mike Clay
As our Fractional CMO and lead strategist, Mike defines the frameworks, ensures values alignment, and sets the vision for what we publish. His experience isn’t theoretical—it’s earned through years of helping businesses like yours grow.
The Visual Excellence: Jason Kauffman
Jason ensures every visual element—from infographics to brand imagery—reinforces our message and maintains consistency. If it looks professional and purposeful, Jason’s hands have been on it.
The Review Team
Subject matter experts from our team and our clients’ industries review content for accuracy. Our editorial team ensures readability and brand consistency. Our operations team handles the technical implementation.
The AI Partnership
Yes, AI is part of our team. We use it like a power tool—it makes us faster and more comprehensive, but it never replaces human judgment, experience, or values.
Our Promise to You
Here’s the bottom line: We create content to serve you, not search engines. We measure success by whether you can use what we publish to grow your business effectively and ethically.
We won’t compromise quality for quantity. We won’t sacrifice truth for traffic. We won’t abandon our principles for viral moments.
Every article, guide, and resource on this site has been created with care, reviewed with expertise, and published with purpose. That’s not just our process—it’s our promise.
Questions or Concerns?
If you ever question the accuracy of our content, want to know more about our process, or need clarification on anything we’ve published, reach out. We’re accountable to you, our readers, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Contact our editorial team: [Editorial Contact Form]
Report content concerns: [Feedback Contact Form]
These Editorial Guidelines are a living document. We update them as our process improves and as standards evolve. You can always find the most current version in our website footer.
Clay Digital – Strategic Marketing That Scales With Integrity