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Devian Chard
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Free resource · framework and scorecard

The content quality blueprint.

How to use AI to write faster without publishing slop: a seven-stage workflow with clear owners, and a scorecard that tells you whether a draft is ready.

01The workflow

Seven stages. Clear owners.

AI speeds up the middle of the process. People own the beginning, the facts and the final call.

01

Brief

Owner: Strategist

Define the reader, the search intent, the angle and the questions to answer. Agree the internal links and the call to action before anyone writes.

  • Intent confirmed from live results
  • Angle stated in one sentence
  • Questions and must-include points listed
02

Research pack

Owner: Writer, with AI support

Gather the sources, data, quotes and first-hand notes the piece will stand on. AI can summarise long sources; a person decides what's credible.

  • Primary sources linked
  • First-hand material included
  • Claims to avoid noted
03

Draft

Owner: AI, from the pack

Generate a structured first draft from the brief and the research pack, never from a keyword alone.

  • Draft follows the agreed outline
  • No invented facts or sources
  • Placeholder markers where information is missing
04

Fact-check

Owner: Editor

Verify every factual claim against a source, or cut it. Numbers, names, dates and quotes get checked one by one.

  • Every number sourced
  • Quotes verified
  • Outdated information removed
05

Expert edit

Owner: Subject-matter expert

Add what only experience can: real examples, opinions, trade-offs and mistakes to avoid. Cut anything generic.

  • At least one real example
  • A clear point of view
  • Generic sentences cut
06

Optimise

Owner: Strategist

Titles, headings, internal links, media and structured data, run through the on-page SEO checklist.

  • On-page checklist complete
  • Internal links added both ways
  • Schema matches visible content
07

Publish & refresh

Owner: Owner of the page

Publish, share, measure and set a review date. Content is maintained, not launched and forgotten.

  • Review date scheduled
  • Performance tracked
  • Update log kept

02The scorecard

Is this draft ready?

Score each criterion from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). A draft passes only if the average is high and nothing scores below 3.

Search intent Does it give searchers exactly the kind of page they want?
Information gain Does it add something the current top results don't?
Accuracy Is every claim correct and, where it matters, sourced?
Experience Does it show real, first-hand knowledge?
Clarity & structure Can a reader find the answer fast and follow the logic?
Readability Is it tight, specific and free of filler and hype?
Actionability Does the reader know what to do next?
Trust signals Named author, dates, sources and honest limits?

03Red flags

Cut these on sight.

If a draft contains any of these, it goes back a stage, however polished it looks.

  • Openers about how fast the world is changing.
  • Hype verbs: unlock, supercharge, revolutionise, elevate.
  • Statistics without a source, or sources nobody checked.
  • The same structure and headings as every top-ranking result.
  • Paragraphs that could appear, unchanged, in any article on the topic.
  • A conclusion that summarises instead of telling the reader what to do.
  • Anything you wouldn't say out loud to a client.

Want content that passes every time?

Every article I deliver goes through this exact blueprint. See content pricing, or book a free session to talk strategy.

See content pricing Read: AI content without slop

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