AI Content QA Checklist Before Publishing a WordPress Post
A six-step review for AI-assisted WordPress posts: answer the reader, verify claims, cut filler, inspect links, check the page, and confirm the public version.
Start with an existing draft in WordPress. Record the changes you make, especially deleted claims and links, so the next revision does not quietly restore them.
1. Write down the reader’s task
In one sentence, state what the reader should be able to do after this post. For a comparison, name the choice it helps them make. For a tutorial, name the result and the starting conditions. Then read the title, opening and first heading together. If the answer arrives only after a generic introduction, move it forward.
Example: a post titled “How to check AI-written product descriptions” should show what to verify on a real product page: specifications, availability, claims, variants and links to the correct item. A paragraph saying AI is changing ecommerce does not do that work.
2. Audit claims before polishing sentences
Highlight numbers, prices, dates, quotes, “best” rankings, performance promises, product capabilities and legal or security advice. For each one, write down the exact supporting source and its date. A vendor page can establish what a vendor offers; it does not independently prove that the product beats competitors or improves sales. If the evidence is missing, remove the claim or mark the draft for further reporting.
| Draft claim | What to check | Editorial decision |
|---|---|---|
| “The tool has 100+ templates.” | Current vendor catalog, plan and date. | Keep with context only if the count helps the reader choose. |
| “Our tests found it 30% faster.” | Tested URLs, versions, hosting, method and results. | Remove if no test record exists. |
| “The plugin supports forms.” | Official feature and plan documentation. | Name the required tier or explain the limitation. |
Check citations where they appear, not only in a source list. Open the linked page and confirm that it supports the nearby sentence. Google’s people-first content guidance asks whether readers receive original, reliable information; a row of unsourced numbers does not become useful because it looks precise.
3. Cut interchangeable paragraphs
Read each paragraph on its own. Ask what fact, example, decision or step it adds. Delete a paragraph that could be pasted unchanged into another AI article. Replace vague advice with the actual input, action and check.
For example, “AI helps create engaging content and saves time” gives no usable instruction. A more useful passage would say: “Ask the tool to list claims in the draft that need evidence. Check each claim against the original source, then delete any figure you cannot establish.” That is a procedure a reader can repeat; it does not promise a time saving.
Remove invented first-person testing, customer stories and outcomes. Do not write “I tried five tools” unless the author actually did and can describe the versions, test conditions and observations. Keep uncertainty where evidence is incomplete.
4. Inspect every link in context
Read the anchor text, the sentence around it and the destination. A link labeled with one product must open that product’s documentation or a clearly relevant source. Check whether the destination still loads and whether it supports the claim. WordPress’s link control lets an editor change or remove an existing link, but a valid-looking URL alone does not establish that the page exists or is relevant.
Look closely at a standalone linked word or linked sentence tacked onto the end of a completed paragraph. Also check invisible or blank anchors, links embedded in punctuation, and abrupt commercial links unrelated to the topic. Remove an injected placement after inspecting the surrounding meaning; retain a useful citation or a genuine disclosure. Do not change link attributes as a substitute for editorial review.
5. Review the WordPress page, not just the copy
- Check the title, slug, opening answer, headings, tables, excerpt, category and featured image. The WordPress post settings describe the excerpt, status and publish controls.
- For each informative image, write alt text that conveys its purpose. Mark a purely decorative image as decorative; the Image block documentation explains the distinction.
- Preview at desktop and phone widths. Check whether tables scroll or wrap, buttons reach the right destination, and images and captions render.
- Inspect the search title and description if a search optimization plugin supplies them. They should describe the final article, not an earlier draft.
- If the page has a contents list, FAQs or schema, compare them with the visible headings and answers. Remove stale entries.
Use WordPress revisions when you need to compare a changed draft with its previous version. Revisions record saved drafts and published updates, but the current preview still needs a human read.
6. Make a clear release decision
An editor should be able to answer three questions before publishing: What does the page help the reader do? Which consequential claims were checked? What remains uncertain? If a material answer is missing, leave the post as a draft and assign the missing check. WordPress distinguishes draft, pending, scheduled and published statuses; choose the state that matches the actual review.
After publishing, open the ordinary public URL. Confirm the title, quick answer, links and media on the page a visitor receives. If the site uses caching, a successful editor save does not by itself prove that visitors see the new version. Compare the public page with the final draft before closing the review.
A short QA record to keep with the post
| Check | Record |
|---|---|
| Reader task | One-sentence outcome and whether the opening answers it. |
| Claims | Sources checked, figures removed and questions still open. |
| Links | Misleading, broken or detached placements fixed. |
| Page | Excerpt, images, mobile layout and public URL checked. |
| Decision | Reviewer, date and draft/pending/published status. |
The record can be a short note in the editorial workflow. Its purpose is to keep the reason for a change visible when the post is updated again.
Frequently asked questions
What should I check before publishing an AI-written WordPress post?
Check that the opening answers the reader’s question, consequential claims have sources, examples are specific, links lead where their anchors promise, and the public page works at desktop and phone widths. An editor should make the final publication decision.
How do I fact-check claims in an AI-generated article?
List numbers, prices, dates, quotes, product capabilities and performance or legal claims. Open an appropriate current source for each one and compare the exact wording; remove or hold claims the source cannot establish.
How do I spot filler in an AI-assisted blog post?
Read each paragraph by itself and ask what fact, example, decision or step it adds. A paragraph that could appear unchanged in many unrelated articles usually needs a specific replacement or deletion.
How do I check for injected or irrelevant links in WordPress?
Read each anchor with its full sentence and open the destination. Pay particular attention to a standalone linked word or sentence after a complete paragraph, empty anchors and broad terms linked to unrelated pages. Remove a placement that has no clear reader purpose.
What should I review in a WordPress preview before publishing?
Inspect the title, opening box, headings, tables, excerpt, featured image, alt text, links and any FAQs or schema. Check a narrow screen as well as desktop, then compare the ordinary public URL after publishing.
What if an AI draft contains a claim I cannot verify?
Remove the claim if it is unnecessary. If it is central to the article, keep the post in Draft or review status and record the source or test needed before publication. Do not turn uncertainty into a confident statement.
