Editorial standards

Sourcing

Primary documentation outranks everything else. For anything concerning how Google behaves, Google Search Central is the reference; for a tool's metric, that tool's own documentation is the reference. Third-party write-ups are cited when they explain implementation well, never as the authority for a claim about search engine behaviour.

Every entry lists its sources with a short note on why each is worth reading. Outbound links are unpaid. Most carry rel="nofollow"; a small set of practitioner citations are dofollow when every source on that page is dofollow.

Claims and uncertainty

• Confirmed behaviour is stated plainly and pointed at its source.
• Inferred behaviour is labelled as inference, not presented as fact.
• Unconfirmed folklore is either marked unconfirmed or left out.
• No statistic appears without a source that supports it.
• Numbers that change frequently are avoided rather than allowed to go stale.

Structure

Entries follow a fixed shape: definition, quick facts, key points, then the detail. The definition must answer the question on its own, without the rest of the page. Length is capped by design — an entry that runs long is edited down, not padded out, because padding is the exact failure this site was built to avoid.

Frequently asked questions are only included when real searched questions exist for that term. Where they do not, the entry ends without an FAQ rather than inventing plausible-sounding questions to fill the space.

Neutrality about tools

Commercial SEO tools are described by what they measure and how their methods differ. No entry declares a winner, awards a score or recommends a purchase. Where two tools report different numbers for the same concept, the entry explains why the methods diverge and leaves the choice to the reader.

Updates and corrections

"Last updated" reflects a genuine review of the text on that date. Dates are never bumped for freshness. When search engines change something material, the affected entries are revised in place.

Substantive corrections are logged publicly with the date and a credit to the person who reported them. Typographical fixes are made silently. Email nora@rankwiki.org to report anything that looks wrong.

Authorship

Every entry is written and maintained by Nora Lindholm. There is no editorial board, no rotating cast of contributors and no "reviewed by" line attached to someone who did not read the page. One name, one person, one point of accountability.

Drafting tools are used the way any writer uses a word processor and a research folder; the responsibility for what a page says, and for checking it against the sources, is mine alone.