Services / Editorial Authority
Editorial content engineeredto be cited, not just published.
Senior subject-matter writers turn your domain expertise into pillar pages, supporting articles and category-level content that Google’s AI Overviews and ChatGPT cite ahead of the competition. No offshoring. No AI ghostwriting. The AI-readable markup is included, never upsold.
Why editorial needs rebuilding
Generalist content is now free. Cited content isn’t.
AI engines harvest the web, paraphrase the answer, and keep the click. The only content that still earns a citation is content a model can’t synthesize on its own — first-hand specs, named operators, source-grade engineering answers.
Δ · structural shift
−34%
Clicks on how-to searches since Google’s AI answers arrived
Ahrefs Content Explorer, B2B segment · Jan 2024–Mar 2026
Δ · structural shift
×2.7
More content shipped per quarter to hold position
Aggregated client data · 30 industrial B2B sites, 2025
Δ · structural shift
78%
Of AI-written content earns zero citations in AI answers in 90 days
Salesolution citation tracker · 8,200 page sample, Q1 2026
What we write
Five formats. Each built for a surface.
We don’t write blog posts. We write the formats that earn citations where your buyers actually look: Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT answers, AI shopping assistants, and the specific searches that still bring qualified inquiries.
Format 01
Pillar page
3,000–6,000 wordsBuilt for
Google’s AI answers + ChatGPT + classic search
Definitive source pages on the topics buyers research before they specify. Become the page everyone else cites.
Format 02
Cluster post
1,400–2,200 wordsBuilt for
Specific searches + the text AI models learn from
Topic-clustered articles funneling authority into pillars and ranking on commercial sub-queries.
Format 03
Engineering Q&A hub
120–400 words per answerBuilt for
Google’s AI answers + “People also ask”
Answer hubs covering the long tail of specification, compatibility, and selection questions.
Format 04
Category-level content
800–1,500 wordsBuilt for
Category pages, buying guides
Category descriptions, buying guides, category-level FAQs. The editorial layer of the catalog (NOT per-product copy).
Format 05
Editorial / bylined / trade-press
1,800–3,000 wordsBuilt for
Backlink + citation flywheel
Thought-leadership for trade press and LinkedIn. Built to earn placements with real publications.
From brief to publish
Ten days, five gates. No black box.
Every piece moves through the same pipeline. You see the artifact at each gate — brief, outline, draft, markup, publish. If something’s off, we catch it before it ships.
Day 0
Topic intake + research brief
A senior editor pulls the target searches, what each searcher wants, and where AI answers cite others instead of you. The brief is a one-page spec, not a Slack message.
Artifact
Editorial brief with target query, intent, and citation gaps.
Day 1–2
Outline + source approval
Subject-matter writer drafts a heading-level outline with primary sources flagged. You greenlight before drafting starts. No surprises at delivery.
Artifact
Outline + source list, approved in writing.
Day 3–6
Draft + first edit
A senior writer (no offshoring, no AI ghostwriting) drafts to the outline. The editor checks it for voice, accuracy and how easily Google’s AI can quote it before it reaches you.
Artifact
Edited draft delivered against the brief.
Day 7–8
SEO + AI-readable markup
Internal-linking plan, FAQ block, HowTo and Article markup, image alt text, meta description. The on-page work that earns the citation as well as the rank.
Artifact
Publish-ready file + on-page checklist.
Day 9–10
Publish + citation tracker
We publish or hand off, depending on your CMS access. The piece goes into the citation tracker, so your monthly review shows how often Google’s AI cites it.
Artifact
Live URL + 90-day citation tracking enabled.
Build vs buy
How we compare. Honestly.
Not every editorial engagement should be ours. Some are better with a $99-per-article mill; some need an in-house senior writer. Here’s the honest read.
| Dimension | Recommended Salesolution | Alternative Content mill / AI shop | Alternative In-house senior writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per-piece cost | Quoted per piece in the SOW | $50–250 / article | $2,500–4,000 fully loaded |
| Senior writer with vertical expertise | Named, US/UK senior writer | Offshore generalist or AI | Yours by default |
| Written to be quoted in AI answers | Built into every piece | Not offered | If you can hire it |
| AI-readable markup, FAQs and internal links included | Article / FAQ / HowTo on every ship | Plain text, no on-page work | Depends on the writer |
| 10-day turnaround | 10 days brief → publish | 3–5 days, no editing | 2–4 weeks per piece |
| Topic research + monthly editorial planning | 15–20 topics ranked every month | You brief, they write | On the hire to figure out |
| Revisions included | 2 per piece, standard | Charged per round | Unlimited (it’s their job) |
| Where this wins | Spec-heavy B2B / industrial editorial content. NOT product copy — see Catalog AI for that. | Volume content with low intent | $50M+ revenue · enterprise |
Not in the “Salesolution” row? We’ll tell you on the first call — and we’ll usually recommend who you should hire instead.
Pricing
Four ways in. All scoped in writing.
One piece to test the work. One fixed-scope pack to prove the lift on a single category. One ongoing retainer in three volume tiers. And Full Growth Ownership for when editorial alone isn’t the whole answer.
Trial
Single Piece
Trial before committing to a monthly cadence — one piece, your topic, full markup and SEO work.
One article, 2,500 words. Quoted in writing before you commit.
Try a single piece6 weeks · fixed scope
Pillar Pack
Fixed scope, quoted in the SOW within 48 hours.
“Show me the cited-content lift on one category.”
- 1 pillar page (3,000–6,000 words) + 6 cluster posts
- AI-readable markup, FAQs and how-tos on every piece
- Internal linking plan + redirects
- 90 days of tracking in Google’s AI answers
- Most engagements start here
Ongoing · 3-month minimum
Editorial Retainer
Scoped to the cadence you pick — exact number in your SOW.
“We know editorial content is the lever. Run the program.”
Volume tiers
Focused
4 pieces/mo · single vertical / 1 category
Standard
8 pieces + 1 pillar/mo · 2–3 categories
Aggressive
16 pieces + 3 pillars/mo · category-leader push
Every tier includes: senior named writer, monthly topic research, AI-search and markup work, 2 revisions per piece, monthly outcome reporting.
- Fractional GTM Engineer (Shape A) — one operator inside your leadership
- 4-in-1 Coordinated Retainer (Shape B) — 2–5 services, one owner
- One operator across multiple services, written quote in 24 hours
Multi-service · 3–6 month minimum
Full Growth Ownership
One number, quoted after the qualifier.
When you need more than this service alone. We run AI search, content, outbound, dev, and catalog work as a coordinated growth function — strategy through execution, one operator accountable.
Commit to 6 or 12 months on the Editorial Retainer and the terms improve. Both options sit in the SOW, side by side, before you sign.
In every retainer
What every retainer ships — without asking.
Answers the implicit objection: “what does Focused include that Standard doesn’t?” Same baseline. Just different volume.
Senior writer ownership
A named writer with vertical experience drafts every piece. No junior pool, no offshore handoff.
Topic + keyword research monthly
15–20 candidate topics, ranked by where AI answers cite someone else, how close each sits to a sale, and where competitors are weak. You greenlight what ships.
Written to be quoted, on every piece
Structured for AI Overviews and ChatGPT retrieval. Tracked monthly so you know which queries cite you.
Editorial style guide
Built once, applied every piece. Your tone, spec conventions, and product terminology locked into a living guide.
AI-readable markup + internal links, standard
Article, FAQ and HowTo markup where it helps. Internal links that tie each piece to its topic, on everything we publish.
2 revisions per article
Two revision passes per article come standard on every retainer tier. Outside the trial — there the count is one, and we say so upfront.
Monthly outcome reporting
How often AI answers cite you and for which searches, organic and AI-answer traffic, and written commentary. Not a dashboard you’ll never open.
Better terms on a longer commitment
A 6- or 12-month term earns a better rate. Both options sit side by side in the SOW before you sign.
Case study · Industrial automation distributor
From 4 to 34 citations in Google’s AI answers in 6 months.
Mid-market industrial automation distributor, ~12K SKUs, ranking well but losing clicks as Google’s AI Overviews answered how-to questions on the results page.
×8.5
Lift in citations in Google’s AI answers, top 50 buying searches
6-month engagement · Standard retainer
What we ran
We ran the Editorial Retainer (Standard tier) for 6 months: 8 pieces/month + 1 pillar/month across three product categories.
Result:citations in Google’s AI answers on their top 50 buying searches climbed from 4 to 34 (×8.5). Organic leads from how-to pages doubled. Their pillar pages now lead Google’s AI answers for terms manufacturers used to own.
4 → 34
Citations in AI answers
×8.5
lift
6 mo
engagement
1
retainer (Standard)
Part of the Revenue Engine
Where Editorial Authority fits in the engine.
Editorial Authority is a Bring cylinder. It runs on its own, and it compounds with the parts next to it:
Gets you named inside Google’s AI answers and ChatGPT when a buyer asks who to use.
Catalog AIRewrites your product data so search and AI can actually read and surface what you sell.
Outbound EmailReaches the buyers who never came inbound with hand-built lists and reply-first sequences.
Local SEO & MapsWins the map pack and “near me” searches: the Google Business Profile and local pages that put you first in your area.
Paid AcquisitionPaid search and social on your own account, at cost, zero markup — one input, judged on cost per booked job.
Editorial Authority FAQ
Questions about the work itself.
Tools, turnaround, scope split with Catalog AI, why we're not the cheapest.
01Do you write on topics we provide, or do you research them?
Both, and the research is the work. Every monthly cycle starts with the editor proposing 15–20 candidate topics. They’re ranked by where AI answers cite someone else, how close each sits to a sale, and where competitors are weak. You greenlight the ones to ship.
02Is the content SEO-optimised by default?
Every piece ships with its target search, internal-linking plan, FAQ block and AI-readable markup (Article, HowTo, FAQ schema) on the page. We don’t treat SEO as an upsell, and we don’t ship plain text.
On every retainer piece, the AI-search work sits on top of the SEO. Each page is built like the sources AI already cites, easy to quote and complete on its topic.
03Do you use AI to write the drafts?
No. Senior subject-matter writers draft every piece off the brief and the primary sources. We use AI for citation tracking, competitive scans, and outline pressure-testing — never for the draft itself.
78% of AI-written content in our citation tracker fails to earn a single citation in Google’s AI answers within 90 days. We won’t ship editorial content that doesn’t pay for itself.
For product catalog work at scale — where the economics of human writing don’t work — we use AI with human editor review. See Catalog AI for that service.
04How quickly can you turn around a piece?
Standard turnaround is 10 working days from brief to publish-ready. That includes the outline sign-off, draft, edit, and the markup and on-page work. Faster than 10 days we can do on the Pillar Pack for one-off urgent pieces, but the citation work suffers.
05What verticals do you actually know?
Industrial distribution (hydraulics, fluid power, pneumatics, industrial automation, MRO), technical B2B SaaS, contract manufacturing, lab supply, electronics, fasteners, abrasives, and local service categories (roofing, HVAC, home services) where buyers compare cost and options before they call.
If buyers research before they commit, our writers know how to talk to them. Outside that we’ll tell you on the first call — we’d rather pass than fake the depth.
06Why are you not the cheapest option?
We pay senior writers and editors at US/UK rates, not offshore generalist rates. We include AI-readable markup, on-page work and 90 days of citation tracking on every piece. We don’t resell anyone else’s drafts.
If your benchmark is $99-per-article content, we’re not the fit and we’ll say so. Where we win is the ratio of cited pieces to total spend — not the absolute floor.
07Can we trial before committing to a retainer?
Two ways: a Single Piece is a one-off article on your topic with the full markup and SEO work. The Pillar Pack (6 weeks, fixed scope) ships one pillar page, six supporting articles and 90 days of citation tracking. By week 4 you have enough data to decide whether to retain or walk. Both are quoted in writing before you commit.
08What's the difference between this and Catalog AI?
Different content, different work, different tools. Editorial Authority is human-written content at the category level and above: pillar pages, supporting articles, category content, Q&A pages, trade press. Senior writers, no AI drafting, 4–16 pieces per month.
Catalog AI is AI-drafted, editor-reviewed content at the product level: per-product descriptions, FAQs, AI-readable product data, internal links. Priced per SKU. Scales to 10,000+ products.
Most clients eventually buy both. They get you cited in different AI answers (the how-to questions versus the product questions), and the links between them are most of the value.
Two doors
Find the hole. Then decide.
Most owners think they need more leads. They usually don’t. Either way you leave with the numbers, whether or not you hire us.
You sell a product
Industrial & technical B2B
Distributors · Manufacturers
Buyers ask AI for the part and it names the manufacturer, not you. Amazon and the brands keep taking business that used to be yours. Become the company AI names for your products, and stop leaking the quotes you already get.
15 minutes, no pitch. We name the one constraint capping your growth and the change with the highest payback.
Book a growth callYou book jobs
Contractors & home services
Roofing · HVAC · Plumbing · Electrical
The phone rings while you’re on a roof. You pay for leads nobody calls back, and estimates go cold. A system that answers every call, replies in seconds, books the job, and chases the quotes that stall.
About 20 minutes. See the calls, quotes, and revenue slipping through right now. The numbers are yours to keep.
Revenue Leak Audit