Content chain on a real page, anonymized
Spec job: self-initiated, not a paid client. The site and its problems are real; the shop is anonymized. The "before" draft is a typical first AI draft.
The audit found four watering guides on this shop competing with each other, and none of them answered a question people search for all the time: how often to water houseplants in winter. So I took that section through my full content chain.
Before and after: first AI draft vs. the published section
1. Brief. Search intent, the answer to give first, what has to be covered, what not to promise and which pages to link.
2. Draft. Claude writes from the brief, not from a blank prompt.
3. Humanize. A separate pass removes what makes text read as AI: "pivotal", "crucial", "not just… it's…", dashes everywhere, the cheerful closing line.
4. House style. The shop's style, not mine: UK spelling, second person, practical, no hype and no exclamation marks.
5. Fact-check. Every claim that can be checked gets checked. Three failed: a made-up statistic, a too-precise "50% less water" and "mist every plant daily". They were removed or rewritten. The rest was checked against RHS advice.
6. QA. Answers the question in the first line, about 170 words, no unverified claims, nothing left over from the draft.
7. Internal links. Four links to the shop's own guides on cacti, succulents, fungus gnats and light.
The finished section answers the question in its first line, and every claim in it has been checked.
0 likes · 0 views · Nov 8, 2026
Self-initiated spec job, anonymized. One section of a UK plant shop's watering guide, taken from brief to publish-ready through seven Claude skills.