Goal: keep AI-search source pages fresh without letting an AI tool invent dates, policy changes, proof, availability, pricing, or customer outcomes.
STOP PUBLISHING: do not publish an AI-updated page when a source URL is missing, private, contradicted by another page, older than the review window, or not owner-approved.
Copy/paste source freshness worksheet
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Page to update | Exact URL or draft page. | /services/emergency-repair/ |
| Claim or fact | The sentence, table row, FAQ, schema field, or offer detail being checked. | “24/7 emergency repair available” |
| Source URL | The owner-approved page, policy, spreadsheet, CRM field, docs page, or listing that proves the fact. | Operations policy page, GBP hours, approved offer sheet |
| Source last reviewed | Date a human checked the source, not the date AI generated text. | 2026-06-01 |
| Review owner | Person responsible for approving the source. | Owner, office manager, marketing lead |
| Freshness rule | How often this fact must be rechecked. | Monthly, quarterly, before every campaign, after policy change |
| Changed facts | What changed since the last review. | Emergency coverage is weekends only; holiday hours changed |
| Affected pages | All pages, FAQs, schema blocks, ads, profiles, and resource pages that mention the fact. | Homepage, service page, FAQ, trust center, GBP service |
| AI draft status | Hold, edit, approve, or reject. | Hold until owner approves service-window wording |
| Next review date | Calendar date for the next manual source check. | 2026-07-01 |
AI audit prompt
You are auditing a small-business web page for AI-search source freshness.
Inputs:
- Page URL or draft text: [PASTE]
- Source URLs and review dates: [PASTE]
- Known changed facts: [PASTE]
- Owner-approved wording: [PASTE]
Task:
1. List every claim that depends on a source URL, policy, offer sheet, review, service-area rule, price, schedule, credential, or customer proof.
2. Mark each claim as VERIFIED, STALE, MISSING SOURCE, CONTRADICTED, or NEEDS OWNER REVIEW.
3. Suggest safer wording only for VERIFIED facts.
4. Do not invent source dates, policy changes, prices, service areas, customer proof, credentials, or availability.
5. Output a table with: claim, source, review date, risk, recommended action, and affected page section.
Source freshness stop rules
- Do not invent review dates. If a source was not checked by a human, mark it NEEDS OWNER REVIEW.
- Do not invent old-to-new changes. If there is no change log, say what must be verified.
- Do not overstate availability. Hours, service areas, emergency response, appointment windows, guarantees, and pricing need an approved source.
- Do not publish from one source when another page contradicts it. Resolve conflicts first, then update all affected pages.
- Do not treat AI summaries as sources. AI can help find risks, but the source of truth must be a human-approved business record or public page.
Weekly review workflow
- Pick five pages or claims that buyers and AI tools are likely to quote: service pages, policies, FAQs, pricing/offer pages, proof pages, and location/service-area pages.
- Paste each claim into the worksheet with its source URL and last reviewed date.
- Use the audit prompt to identify missing or stale sources.
- Update the source first, then update the page, schema, internal links, and related profiles.
- Add the next review date so the page does not drift again.
Related resources: AI Search Source Link Map, AI Search Page Revision Log, and AI Search Policy Review Calendar.
Want the full AI-search implementation kit?
SEO After AI expands this into a practical playbook for entity clarity, proof, schema, source maps, freshness, and answer-engine-ready pages.