CardGazette

Smarter business credit decisions, built on data.

Methodology

How We Research

The system behind every article on CardGazette.

The model

CardGazette is built on a research-first publishing model. We don't hand articles to a freelancer with a deadline; we build software that drafts, critiques, and revises every article against a fixed rubric — then publishes only the articles that meet our bar.

The 12-point rubric

Every article is scored on these 12 dimensions, each on a 0-10 scale, before it goes live:

  1. Specificity. Concrete numbers, real card names, real APR ranges. Generic claims are forbidden.
  2. Original perspective. Has a take that the top 5 SERP results don't have.
  3. Reader value. A busy operator can act on the article.
  4. Voice consistency. Reads like every other CardGazette article — same author.
  5. Factual accuracy. Every specific number is sourced or hedged with a date.
  6. Structural quality. Skim test — reading only H2s tells you the argument.
  7. Internal link relevance. Every link earns its place.
  8. Affiliate placement naturalness. Recommendations land where the reader is weighing options.
  9. SEO completeness. Title under 65 chars, meta 140-160, valid Article schema.
  10. AEO readiness. Direct answer in the first 50 words. FAQ section. Inline citations.
  11. Sentence variation. Mix of short and long; reading rhythm is natural.
  12. Conclusion quality. Closes with a specific next step.

An article must score 108/120 or higher (90%) with no individual dimension below 6 to publish. Below that, our system polishes the draft up to three times before we mark it for human review.

Sources we use

  • Issuer cardholder agreements and pricing disclosures (Chase, American Express, Capital One, Citi, etc.)
  • SBA.gov for SBA loan program terms and lender directory
  • CFPB consumer finance reports and small business credit surveys
  • Affiliate-network product feeds (PartnerStack, Impact, CardRatings, FlexOffers)
  • Direct correspondence with issuer media-relations teams when terms aren't public

Refresh cycle

APRs, signup bonuses, and program terms change. Cornerstone articles (top 100 highest-traffic) are refreshed monthly. Standard articles are refreshed quarterly. Every article displays its last updated date prominently — if you don't see one within 90 days, email us at hello@cardgazette.com.

Affiliate disclosure

CardGazette earns a commission when readers apply for financial products through links on this site. This is how we fund the research. We disclose this relationship in three places on every article that contains an affiliate link: inline within the first 200 words, on the product mention itself, and in the site footer. Affiliate compensation does not influence which products we recommend or how we rank them. If a non-paying product is the right answer for a particular use case, we say so.

We disclose under the FTC's 16 CFR Part 255 guidelines. Read the full disclosure: email us for a copy of our editorial policy.

Corrections

If you spot an error — a stale APR, a discontinued bonus, a misattributed quote — email hello@cardgazette.com. We correct within 48 hours and note the change in the article's revision history.

Who runs this

CardGazette is edited by Thomas Haslam, founder of T&E Capital Partners LLC.