Advertising Policy

Effective Date: March 17, 2026 | Last Updated: March 17, 2026

Proven Guide ("we," "us," or "our") is an independent product review and comparison website that helps consumers make informed decisions about products and services. Transparency is foundational to our credibility, and this Advertising Policy explains how we generate revenue, how our editorial process works, and how we maintain a strict separation between our business operations and our editorial content.

Our Mission

Our mission is to provide readers with comprehensive, honest, and rigorously researched product reviews, comparisons, and buying guides. We exist to help you cut through marketing noise and make confident purchasing decisions based on facts, not hype.

Every review we publish is driven by a single question: "Is this product or service genuinely worth your money?" Our editorial team is committed to answering that question honestly, regardless of any business relationship we may have with the product's manufacturer, merchant, or advertiser.

How We Generate Revenue

Proven Guide generates revenue through the following channels:

Affiliate Commissions

Our primary revenue source is affiliate marketing. When you click on an affiliate link on our Site and subsequently complete a qualifying action (such as making a purchase), we may receive a commission from the merchant or affiliate network. This commission is paid by the merchant and does not increase the price you pay. Our Affiliate Disclosure provides complete details about our affiliate relationships.

Display Advertising

We may display advertisements on our Site through third-party advertising networks. These advertisements are clearly distinguishable from editorial content and are labeled as ads. Display advertisements do not influence our editorial content, rankings, or reviews. We reserve the right to reject any advertisement that we believe is misleading, inappropriate, or inconsistent with our values.

Sponsored Content

On occasion, we may publish sponsored content — articles or features that are created in partnership with or funded by an advertiser. Sponsored content is always clearly and prominently labeled with one or more of the following identifiers:

• "Sponsored"
• "Paid Partnership"
• "Sponsored by [Advertiser Name]"
• "Advertisement"

Sponsored content labeling will appear at the top of the content, before the reader begins reading, and will be visually distinct from editorial content. We will never disguise sponsored content as independent editorial content. Sponsored content is subject to editorial oversight and must meet our standards for accuracy and usefulness, but the reader should understand that the advertiser has paid for the placement.

Other Revenue

We may generate revenue through other means in the future, such as premium content, courses, tools, or events. Any new revenue sources will be disclosed in updates to this policy.

Editorial Independence — The Separation Principle

We maintain a strict separation between our editorial operations and our business operations. This principle, sometimes called a "Chinese wall" or "editorial firewall," means:

• Our editorial team makes all content decisions independently. The editorial team decides which products to review, how to rate them, what to include in rankings, and what conclusions to draw. These decisions are never subject to approval, influence, or veto by advertisers, affiliate partners, or our business team.
• Advertisers have no input on editorial content. No advertiser, merchant, affiliate network, or business partner has any role in writing, editing, approving, or reviewing our editorial content before publication. Advertisers do not see our reviews before they are published.
• Business relationships do not guarantee coverage. Having an affiliate or advertising relationship with us does not mean a product will be reviewed, included in a ranking, or mentioned on our Site. Many products we review have no affiliate program at all.
• Business relationships do not influence rankings. A product's ranking in our comparisons and lists is determined solely by our editorial evaluation process, not by the commission rate, advertising spend, or other financial relationship associated with that product.
• We publish negative reviews. If our editorial assessment of a product is unfavorable, we publish that assessment regardless of any business relationship. We will not suppress, soften, or alter a negative review to protect an advertiser relationship.
• Revenue considerations do not alter editorial conclusions. Our editorial team is not informed about commission rates, affiliate terms, or advertising revenue associated with specific products when producing reviews. Editorial decisions are made on merit alone.

Review Methodology

Every product review and comparison on Proven Guide follows a standardized editorial methodology. This ensures that all products are evaluated consistently, fairly, and transparently.

Our Five Evaluation Criteria

We evaluate every product and service against five core criteria. Each criterion receives a score from 1 to 10:

1. Value (Weight: 25%)
   Does the product deliver appropriate value relative to its price? We consider the price point, what you get for your money, free tier availability, refund policies, and how the pricing compares to competitors offering similar functionality.
2. Features (Weight: 25%)
   Does the product offer a comprehensive and competitive feature set? We evaluate the breadth and depth of features, unique differentiators, integrations, and whether the features solve real problems for the target user.
3. User Experience (Weight: 20%)
   Is the product easy to set up, learn, and use on a daily basis? We assess the onboarding process, interface design, documentation quality, learning curve, mobile experience, and accessibility.
4. Customer Support (Weight: 15%)
   Can users get help when they need it? We evaluate the availability and responsiveness of customer support channels (live chat, email, phone, knowledge base), the quality of responses, and the overall support experience.
5. Reputation (Weight: 15%)
   What do real users and the broader market think of this product? We analyze verified user reviews from multiple platforms, industry awards and recognition, company track record, uptime history (for software), and Better Business Bureau or similar ratings where available.

Overall Score Calculation

The overall score is a weighted average of the five criteria scores:

Overall Score = (Value x 0.25) + (Features x 0.25) + (UX x 0.20) + (Support x 0.15) + (Reputation x 0.15)

Scores are displayed on a 1-to-10 scale, rounded to one decimal place.

Score Interpretation

• 9.0 - 10.0: Exceptional — Best-in-class, highly recommended
• 8.0 - 8.9: Excellent — Outstanding product with minor limitations
• 7.0 - 7.9: Very Good — Solid choice for most users
• 6.0 - 6.9: Good — Adequate for certain use cases, notable limitations
• 5.0 - 5.9: Average — Meets basic expectations but falls short in key areas
• Below 5.0: Below Average — Significant issues, generally not recommended

How Rankings Work

When we publish ranked comparisons (e.g., "Best VPN Services of 2026"), the ranking order is determined by our overall score for each product. The product with the highest overall score ranks first.

In cases where two products have the same overall score, we may break ties based on:

• Recency of product updates or improvements
• Breadth of feature set
• Value for money
• Our editorial judgment about which product serves the widest audience

Rankings are never determined by:

• Commission rates or affiliate terms
• Advertising spend or sponsorship deals
• Payments from merchants or brands
• Personal relationships with companies

Native Advertising Policy

We define native advertising as any paid content that is designed to match the form and function of our editorial content. We adhere to the following principles for native advertising:

• All native advertising is clearly and conspicuously labeled as paid or sponsored content
• Labels appear at the top of the content, before the reader engages with the material
• Labels are visually distinct (different color, font treatment, or badge) from editorial content
• Native advertising is subject to editorial review for accuracy and quality
• Native advertising never appears in our ranked product comparisons or "best of" lists without clear disclosure
• We will refuse native advertising that we believe is deceptive, misleading, or harmful to our readers

Display Advertising Policy

Display advertisements on our Site (banners, sidebars, in-content ads) are provided by third-party advertising networks and are:

• Visually separated from editorial content
• Identifiable as advertisements
• Not selected or influenced by our editorial team
• Subject to our ad quality standards — we reserve the right to block categories of advertising that we find misleading, offensive, or inappropriate

We do not accept display advertisements from companies specifically seeking to influence our editorial coverage of their products.

Corrections and Updates Policy

We are committed to accuracy. When we discover errors in our content, or when products change significantly after a review is published, we take the following actions:

• Factual Errors: We correct factual errors as soon as they are identified. Corrections are noted at the top or bottom of the affected article with a description of what was changed and when.
• Price Changes: Product prices may change after publication. We update pricing information periodically but cannot guarantee real-time accuracy. We encourage readers to verify current pricing on the merchant's website.
• Product Updates: When a product receives significant updates (new features, pricing changes, ownership changes), we update our review to reflect the current state of the product. Significant updates are noted with the date of the update.
• Discontinued Products: When a product is discontinued, we update the relevant content to note the discontinuation and may suggest alternative products.
• Review Frequency: We aim to review and update our most popular content at least every 12 months to ensure relevance and accuracy.

Reader Complaint Process

We take reader feedback seriously. If you believe that any content on our Site is inaccurate, biased, misleading, or fails to comply with this Advertising Policy, you may submit a complaint through the following process:

1. Submit Your Complaint: Email us at editorial@provenguide.com with the subject line "Editorial Complaint." Include the URL of the content in question, a description of your concern, and any supporting evidence.
2. Acknowledgment: We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within five (5) business days.
3. Review: Our editorial team will review your complaint and investigate the issue. This review may include re-evaluating the product, consulting additional sources, and verifying facts.
4. Resolution: We will respond to your complaint with our findings and any corrective actions taken within thirty (30) business days. Possible outcomes include:
   • Correction of factual errors
   • Update of outdated information
   • Addition of missing context or disclosures
   • No change (with an explanation of our reasoning)
5. Escalation: If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate the complaint to our senior editorial leadership by replying to the resolution email.

We will not retaliate against any reader who submits a good-faith complaint about our content.

Advertiser Relationships and Transparency

We believe in radical transparency about our business relationships:

• We publicly list the affiliate networks we participate in (see our Affiliate Disclosure)
• We label all sponsored content prominently and unambiguously
• We separate advertising from editorial decision-making
• We do not accept gifts, trips, or other incentives from companies in exchange for favorable coverage (editorial-purpose product access for review is disclosed)
• We disclose our review methodology and scoring system so readers can understand and evaluate our process

If a company that we review becomes an advertiser on our Site, we do not retroactively change our existing reviews. If we update a review after an advertising relationship begins, the update is based on new information about the product, not the business relationship.

Independence Commitment

Our long-term success depends on our readers trusting us. Trust requires independence. Every policy in this document is designed to protect our editorial independence so that when you read a review on Proven Guide, you can be confident that it reflects our honest, unbiased assessment — not a paid placement.

We are not a catalog. We are not a storefront. We are an editorial publication that takes our responsibility to readers as seriously as any newsroom. When we say a product is good, we mean it. When we say a product is bad, we mean that too.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Advertising Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, new regulatory requirements, or improvements to our editorial process. We will update the "Last Updated" date when changes are made. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

Contact Us

For questions about this Advertising Policy, our editorial process, or our business practices, please contact us at:

Proven Guide
Email: editorial@provenguide.com
Website: https://provenguide.com