Outsourcing SOPs

Hiring a Virtual Assistant

Hiring Saves ~10h/week High Impact

2026 VA Rates by Region Updated Jan 2026

Region / Role	Hourly	Full-Time Monthly	Best Platform
Philippines — General VA	$4–8	$640–1,280	OnlineJobs.ph
Philippines — SEO / Content	$8–18	$1,280–2,880	OnlineJobs.ph
India — General VA	$3–7	$480–1,120	Upwork
India — Developer	$10–25	$1,600–4,000	Toptal / Upwork
Latin America — Bilingual	$8–20	$1,280–3,200	Contra
Eastern Europe — Specialized	$12–25	$1,920–4,000	Upwork
US / Canada — General VA	$20–45	$3,200–7,200	Fancy Hands / Upwork

Platform Comparison 2026 Fees included

Platform	Fee Model	Best For	Avg. Time to Hire
OnlineJobs.ph	$69–99/mo flat	Long-term Philippines VAs	3–7 days
Upwork	5% client + 10–20% talent	Project-based, global	2–5 days
Contra	0% fees (both sides)	Long-term, US-friendly	3–7 days
Fiverr	5.5% buyer (orders >$50)	Quick fixed-price tasks	Same day
Toptal	Premium ($150+/hr)	Top 3% developers	Days (curated)
Virtual Staff Finder	One-time $495 fee	Done-for-you Philippines hire	2–3 weeks

Pre-Hiring Checklist

Define and document every task you want to delegate (use Loom to record walkthroughs)
Set realistic hourly budget — include platform fee in your math
Decide: part-time (10–20h/week) or full-time (40h/week)?
Write a detailed job description (use template below)
Prepare a skills test specific to your tasks (2–3 real mini-tasks)
Set up Toggl Track or Clockify for time tracking before hire
Plan onboarding: Notion workspace, Loom training videos, communication channel (Slack/Discord)

Job Posting Template

TEMPLATEVIRTUAL ASSISTANT — Affiliate Marketing Support (Remote) ABOUT THE ROLE: We are a growing affiliate marketing business looking for a detail-oriented VA to handle content research, publishing, and administrative tasks. This is a long-term position with room to grow. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES: - Keyword research using Google Search Console + Ubersuggest - WordPress post formatting, publishing, and basic on-page SEO - Social media scheduling (Buffer/Later) — 1-2 posts/day per platform - Inbox management: label, respond to partnerships, flag urgent items - Weekly analytics report from GA4 + affiliate dashboards - Light Canva graphics from provided templates REQUIREMENTS: ✔ 2+ years experience in a similar VA or content role ✔ Strong English writing and comprehension ✔ Familiar with WordPress (Gutenberg editor) ✔ Experience with at least one: Buffer, Hootsuite, Later ✔ Fast learner — we use Loom videos for all training ✔ Reliable internet (minimum 10 Mbps download) ✔ Available [X] hours/week during [timezone] business hours HOW TO APPLY: 1. Subject: "VA Application — [Your Name] — [Country]" 2. 3-sentence intro: who you are + most relevant experience 3. Attach completed skills test (link below) 4. Two references with contact info Compensation: $[X]/hour | [Part-time/Full-time] | Paid weekly via Wise

Interview Questions

Walk me through how you would format and publish a WordPress blog post from a Google Doc draft
What is a meta description and how do you write one?
Tell me about a mistake you made in a previous job and how you fixed it
What tools do you use to manage your daily tasks?
Scenario: your internet goes out on a deadline day — what do you do?

Recommended Tools

OnlineJobs.phUpworkContra Loom (training videos)Toggl Track Wise (payments)Deel (international compliance) Notion (onboarding docs)

Contractor Onboarding Process

Hiring Saves ~3h/hire Risk Reduction

Day 1 — Before First Session

Send signed Independent Contractor Agreement (ICA) — not employee contract — via DocuSign or PandaDoc
Send Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) covering affiliate links, commission data, and proprietary content
Set up their role in password manager (1Password Teams or Bitwarden Business) — never send raw passwords via email
Grant WordPress access: create Editor role — not Admin. Log all access grants in your access registry
Add to Slack/Discord workspace with the specific channels they need only
Share Notion onboarding page with: brand guide, style guide, SOP library, and FAQ
Record Loom walkthrough: show them around the tools they will use in their first week
Set up shared task board (ClickUp / Asana / Notion) — assign first 5 tasks

Week 1 Ramp-Up Schedule

Day 1–2: Review training videos and onboarding docs — no real tasks yet
Day 3: First real task (small, well-defined, easy to verify quality)
Day 5: 30-min feedback call — address questions, fix bad habits early
End of Week 1: Review all submitted work against quality checklist
Send first payment on agreed schedule (weekly recommended for overseas)
30-day check-in: evaluate fit, decide to continue, adjust scope, or part ways

ICA Key Clauses to Include

TEMPLATEINDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR AGREEMENT — KEY CLAUSES 1. RELATIONSHIP: Contractor is an independent contractor, not an employee. Client has no obligation to provide benefits, equipment, or withhold taxes. 2. SCOPE OF WORK: As defined in attached Statement of Work (SOW). Changes to scope require written amendment signed by both parties. 3. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: All work product, content, code, and materials created during this engagement are work-for-hire and property of Client upon payment. 4. CONFIDENTIALITY: Contractor agrees not to disclose affiliate programs, commission rates, revenue data, link structures, or proprietary content strategies to any third party for 2 years after contract termination. 5. NON-SOLICITATION: Contractor will not solicit Client's affiliate partners, clients, or sub-contractors for 12 months after termination. 6. PAYMENT: [Rate] per [hour/deliverable]. Invoice by [date]. Net [7/14/30]. Payment via [Wise/PayPal/Deel]. Late payments accrue 1.5%/month interest. 7. TERMINATION: Either party may terminate with [7/14] days written notice. Client may terminate immediately for breach of confidentiality or NDA. Note: This is not legal advice. Have an attorney review before use.

Contractor Offboarding & Knowledge Transfer

Hiring Saves ~2h/offboard Security Critical

Access Revocation (Do Immediately on Last Day)

Revoke WordPress user account or downgrade to Subscriber (no edit access)
Remove from 1Password/Bitwarden vault and rotate any shared passwords they had access to
Remove from Slack/Discord — check DM history for sensitive data shared
Revoke Google Drive / Notion / ClickUp / Asana access
Change affiliate dashboard logins if contractor had access (AWIN, ShareASale, CJ, Impact)
Rotate API keys if contractor had access to any integrations
Remove from social media accounts — check all platforms
Update access log with: name, dates, what was revoked, who revoked it

Knowledge Transfer Checklist

Request all work-in-progress files transferred to shared Drive folder before last day
Ask them to record Loom video walking through any recurring processes they owned
Document any tribal knowledge: vendor contacts, tool quirks, process shortcuts
Export task history from ClickUp/Asana for reference
Conduct exit interview — ask what could be improved in onboarding/workflow
Issue final payment and written confirmation of contract end date

Blog & Article Content Creation

Content Saves ~6h/week Revenue Driver

Content Brief Template (E-E-A-T Optimized)

TEMPLATECONTENT BRIEF — [Article Title] Last Updated: [Date] | Assigned To: [Name] ━━━ TARGET ━━━ Primary Keyword: [keyword] | Monthly Searches: [X] | KD Score: [X]/100 Secondary Keywords: [kw1], [kw2], [kw3] Search Intent: [Informational / Commercial / Transactional] Target Word Count: [X,000] words Target URL: /[slug]/ ━━━ E-E-A-T REQUIREMENTS ━━━ Experience: Include first-person observations or direct product experience Expertise: Cite at least 3 authoritative sources (.gov, .edu, or industry studies) Authoritativeness: Link to 2 relevant internal cornerstone articles Trustworthiness: Include date of last review, cite sources inline ━━━ STRUCTURE ━━━ H1: [Full title with primary keyword] Intro (150 words): Hook → Problem → Promise of solution H2: [Section 1 — 300 words] H3: [Sub-point] H2: [Section 2 — 300 words] H2: [Section 3 — 300 words] H2: FAQ (5 questions — target featured snippets) Conclusion + CTA (100 words): Summarize → Link to product/affiliate offer ━━━ AFFILIATE INTEGRATION ━━━ Affiliate Program: [Name] | Commission: [X]% | Cookie: [X] days Link Placement: [Section X] — insert naturally in context Disclosure: Add FTC disclosure above first affiliate link CTA Button Text: "[Action phrase]" linking to [URL] ━━━ QUALITY GATES ━━━ ☐ Copyscape — must pass (0% plagiarism) ☐ Grammarly Premium score ≥ 90 ☐ Hemingway Grade 7 or below ☐ Surfer SEO content score ≥ 70 (if available) ☐ All images have descriptive alt text ☐ Internal links: min 2, max 5

Publication Checklist

Title tag: primary keyword near start, under 60 characters
Meta description: includes keyword, benefit-focused, 150–155 characters
URL slug: keyword only, hyphens, no stop words, under 60 characters
Images: WebP format, under 150KB each, descriptive alt text on all
Schema markup: Article or Review schema added via Yoast/RankMath
Affiliate disclosure visible above first affiliate mention
All affiliate links set to nofollow + open in new tab
Published in correct category with appropriate tags
Google Search Console: URL submitted for indexing after publish

Recommended Tools

Surfer SEO (brief + score)Copyscape ($0.03/check) Grammarly PremiumHemingway App RankMath / Yoast SEOGoogle Search Console Canva Pro (images)Squoosh (image compression)

Video & YouTube Content Production

Content Saves ~4h/video

Pre-Production Checklist

Keyword research: use TubeBuddy or VidIQ — target score ≥ 40 on TubeBuddy Keyword Explorer
Check competitor videos for topic — note gaps and better angles to cover
Write full script with hook (first 30 sec), main content, and CTA — send to editor before filming
Prepare 3 thumbnail concepts in Canva — A/B test will be run after publish
Compile B-roll list — what footage is needed to cover the script visually?

Post-Production & Upload Checklist

Video file: export at 1080p minimum, 4K preferred, MP4 H.264 or H.265
Title: keyword near front, under 70 characters, no clickbait
Description: keyword in first 2 lines, full transcript, affiliate links with disclosures, timestamps
Tags: 5–10 tags — primary keyword, secondary keywords, broad category
Chapters: add timestamps in description for videos over 5 minutes (improves Watch Time)
Upload captions: auto-generated then corrected, or upload SRT file from Descript/Rev.com
End screen: add at 20-sec mark — link to 1 video + 1 subscribe button
Pinned comment: post your affiliate link with disclosure within 1 hour of publish
48h check: review Click-Through Rate — if below 4%, swap thumbnail

YouTube KPIs (2026 Benchmarks)

4–10%

Click-Through Rate

40–50%

Avg View Duration

>1,000

Views in 24h (growth)

Recommended Tools

TubeBuddy (keyword research)VidIQ Descript (editing + captions)Rev.com ($1.50/min captions) Canva Pro (thumbnails)CapCut (free editing) HandBrake (compression)

Social Media Content Management

Content Saves ~5h/week

2026 Platform Image Specs Current as of Jan 2026

Platform	Feed Post	Stories/Reels	Profile
Instagram	1080×1080 (1:1) or 1080×1350 (4:5)	1080×1920 (9:16)	320×320
Facebook	1200×630	1080×1920	170×170
TikTok	N/A	1080×1920 (9:16)	200×200
Pinterest	1000×1500 (2:3)	1080×1920	165×165
X (Twitter)	1600×900 (16:9)	N/A	400×400
LinkedIn	1200×627	N/A	400×400
Threads	1:1 or 4:5	N/A	Via Instagram

Daily Task Checklist

Schedule today's posts using Buffer or Later — batch-schedule 1 week at a time on Mondays
Respond to all comments within 2 hours (Instagram/Facebook algorithm rewards fast responses)
Engage with 10 accounts in niche: like, comment, share relevant content
Check DMs — flag any partnership or collaboration requests for owner review
Monitor brand mentions with Google Alerts or Mention.com — reply or repost

Weekly Social KPI Report Template

TEMPLATEWEEKLY SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT — Week of [Date] INSTAGRAM: Followers: [X] (↑/↓ [X] this week) Reach: [X] | Impressions: [X] Engagement Rate: [X]% (benchmark: 1-3% good, 3-6% excellent) Top Post: "[caption snippet]" — [X] likes, [X] comments Link Clicks (bio link): [X] TIKTOK: Followers: [X] (↑/↓ [X]) | Video Views: [X] Avg Watch Time: [X]s | Profile Visits: [X] Top Video: "[title]" — [X] views PINTEREST: Monthly Viewers: [X] | Outbound Clicks: [X] Top Pin: "[title]" — [X] saves AFFILIATE TRAFFIC FROM SOCIAL: Total Referral Sessions (GA4): [X] Affiliate Link Clicks: [X] Estimated Revenue from Social: $[X] NOTES / ACTION ITEMS: - [What worked this week] - [What to try next week]

Keyword & SEO Research

Research Saves ~3h/week

Keyword Qualification Criteria (2026)

Metric	Tier 1 (Easy Win)	Tier 2 (Growth)	Skip
Monthly Search Volume	100–2,000	2,000–20,000	>50K (too competitive)
Keyword Difficulty (Ahrefs)	0–20	21–40	>60
Search Intent	Commercial / Trans.	Informational	Navigational
SERP — Top 10 DR avg	<40	40–60	>70
Affiliate Opportunity	Product/service CTA	Comparison potential	Pure info, no buy signal

Research Workflow

Start with Google Search Console: find existing pages ranking position 11–30 (quick wins to push to page 1)
Use Ahrefs or Semrush Keywords Explorer — filter by KD ≤ 30 and volume ≥ 100
Check "Also rank for" and "Questions" tabs in Ahrefs for related secondary keywords
Analyze SERP: note content type (list, how-to, comparison), average word count, and DR of top 10
Verify affiliate opportunity: does the keyword have commercial CPC ≥ $1.00?
Check Core Web Vitals of top competitors — if they score poorly, it's a ranking advantage
Log all qualified keywords in shared spreadsheet: keyword, volume, KD, intent, affiliate program, assigned to
Group related keywords into topic clusters — one pillar page + 3–5 supporting posts

Recommended Tools

Google Search Console (free)Ahrefs ($99–$199/mo) Semrush ($120–$449/mo)Ubersuggest (free tier) Google Keyword Planner (free)AlsoAsked.com AnswerThePublicPageSpeed Insights (CWV)

Competitor Intelligence

Research Saves ~2h/week

Monthly Competitor Audit

Identify top 5 competitors (not just by keywords — check affiliate program + content angle too)
Ahrefs Site Explorer: track their DR, total backlinks, and monthly traffic month-over-month
Check their Top Pages by traffic — identify content gaps you haven't covered
SimilarWeb: traffic sources breakdown — what percentage is organic vs. social vs. direct?
Identify their affiliate programs: click their links, check URL patterns (/?ref=, /go/, impact.com, etc.)
Check new backlinks gained this month — find link opportunities you're missing
Note any new content formats they're testing (video, tools, calculators, quizzes)
Document findings in competitor matrix spreadsheet — compare against your own metrics

Competitor Matrix Template

TEMPLATECOMPETITOR INTELLIGENCE MATRIX — [Month Year] COMPETITOR: [Name / URL] ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Domain Rating (Ahrefs DR): [X] Monthly Organic Traffic (Ahrefs est.): [X,000] Total Backlinks: [X,000] | Referring Domains: [X,000] Traffic Sources (SimilarWeb): Organic [X]% | Social [X]% | Direct [X]% TOP 3 PAGES BY TRAFFIC: 1. [URL] — [X,000] visits/mo — Affiliate program: [Name] 2. [URL] — [X,000] visits/mo — Affiliate program: [Name] 3. [URL] — [X,000] visits/mo — Affiliate program: [Name] CONTENT GAPS (they rank, we don't): - [Keyword] | [Volume] searches/mo - [Keyword] | [Volume] searches/mo AFFILIATE STACK (identified): - [Program 1] | Commission: [X]% | Evidence: [link pattern] - [Program 2] | Commission: [X]% | Evidence: [link pattern] NEW BACKLINKS THIS MONTH: [X] Notable sources: [site1], [site2] ACTION ITEMS: - Create content targeting: [keyword gap] - Apply to affiliate program: [name] - Pursue backlink from: [site]

Link Building Outreach

Marketing Saves ~4h/week

Link Building Benchmarks 2026

Method	Avg. Cost Per Link	Success Rate	Time to Acquire
Cold outreach (personalized)	$150–350 (labor)	8–18%	2–4 weeks
Resource page outreach	$100–250 (labor)	10–20%	1–3 weeks
Digital PR / Connectively	$50–150 (labor)	5–15%	Days to weeks
Guest posting (editorial)	$200–800 (labor + time)	Varies	3–8 weeks
Paid link (gray hat)	$100–500+	High	Fast — Google risk
HARO/Connectively (now)	$30–80 (labor)	3–10%	Days

Weekly Outreach Process

Build prospect list: find 20+ relevant sites using Ahrefs Link Intersect or BuzzStream Discovery
Qualify each site: DR ≥ 30, real traffic, relevant niche, not link farm
Find contact: Hunter.io or Apollo.io to find editor/owner email — verify before sending
Personalize each email: mention specific article, real compliment, clear value proposition
Send outreach — max 20/day to avoid spam flags. Use Pitchbox or BuzzStream for tracking
Follow up once after 6–8 days — no more than 2 touches total
Check Connectively (formerly HARO) 3× daily — morning/noon/evening — respond within 1 hour
Log all outreach in tracker: URL, DR, contact, sent date, status, result

Cold Outreach Email Template

TEMPLATESubject: Re: your article on [Specific Topic] — quick resource idea Hi [First Name], I was reading your guide on [Specific Article Title] and noticed you mention [specific section/point they made]. I recently published [Your Article Title] — it covers [specific angle] in depth, including [unique detail: data, original research, or case study they'd care about]. It might be worth linking to from your [Section Name] section as additional reading for your audience. Either way, [genuine compliment about their site/work]. [Your Name] [Your Site] P.S. [One relevant personal detail that shows you actually read their content]

Recommended Tools

Connectively (formerly HARO)Featured.com Hunter.io (email finder)Apollo.io Pitchbox (outreach CRM)BuzzStream Ahrefs Link IntersectMailtracker (open tracking)

Affiliate Partnership Outreach

Marketing Saves ~2h/week

Program Research Checklist

Check if target company has a public affiliate program (Google: "[brand] affiliate program 2026")
Verify commission rate, cookie duration, and payout threshold before applying
Check which network they use: Impact, ShareASale, CJ, AWIN, Rakuten, PartnerStack, in-house
Research their affiliate payout history on Trustpilot and affiliate forums (affLIFT, STM)
Check their product quality independently — only promote what you'd recommend to a friend
Calculate realistic EPC (Earnings Per Click) before committing traffic

Outreach to Private Affiliate Programs

TEMPLATESubject: Affiliate Partnership Inquiry — [Your Site Name] Hi [Name / Affiliate Manager], I run [YourSite.com], a [niche] resource reaching approximately [X] monthly visitors from [primary audience demographic — e.g. "budget-conscious US homeowners"]. I've been using [Their Product] personally and have mentioned it positively in [specific article URL]. My audience consistently asks for recommendations in this space. I'd love to discuss a formal affiliate partnership. Could you share: - Your current commission structure - Cookie window duration - Payment terms and minimum threshold - Whether you offer performance bonuses for top affiliates For reference, my traffic profile: - Monthly sessions: [X] (GA4 screenshot available on request) - Email subscribers: [X] - Top traffic sources: Organic [X]%, Social [X]% - Primary audience: [US/UK/global], [age range], [income bracket] I'm happy to schedule a quick call if that helps. Best, [Your Name] | [Your Site] | [Your Email]

EPC Calculator

FORMULAEPC (Earnings Per Click) = Total Commissions ÷ Total Clicks Example: You send 1,000 clicks to an offer 10 conversions at $50 commission each = $500 EPC = $500 ÷ 1,000 = $0.50 EPC Target EPC by offer type (2026 benchmarks): SaaS (recurring): $1.50–$5.00+ EPC Finance / Insurance: $3.00–$15.00 EPC Physical products: $0.30–$1.50 EPC Digital courses: $2.00–$10.00 EPC Web hosting: $1.00–$3.00 EPC A good EPC threshold: ≥ $0.50 to justify scaling traffic

Email Inbox Management

Marketing Saves ~3h/week

Gmail Label System

Label	Color	Criteria	SLA
🔴 URGENT — Action Required	Red	Needs owner decision; deadline within 24h	Notify owner immediately
🟡 Affiliate — Partnership	Yellow	Program applications, manager outreach	Respond within 48h
🟢 Affiliate — Payments	Green	Commission notices, payment confirmations	Log in tracker; archive
🔵 Content — Outreach	Blue	Guest post requests, link exchange	Review weekly; owner approves
⚪ Newsletter	Grey	Industry newsletters, educational	Read or archive weekly
🗑️ Spam — Unsubscribe	Dark grey	Promotional, irrelevant	Unsubscribe + delete

Daily Inbox Workflow

Process inbox twice daily: 9am and 3pm — label everything, reply or defer
All urgent emails flagged to owner via Slack/Discord with a 1-sentence summary
Use canned responses (Gmail Templates) for recurring inquiry types — see templates below
Unsubscribe from any newsletter that hasn't generated useful content in 30 days
End of day: inbox zero (all emails either labeled, replied, delegated, or archived)

Canned Response — Affiliate Inquiry

TEMPLATESubject: Re: Affiliate/Partnership Inquiry Hi [Name], Thank you for reaching out about a potential partnership with [Your Site]. Before we proceed, could you share the following: - Your commission rate and structure (flat fee or percentage?) - Cookie window duration - Payment method and minimum payout threshold - Whether you provide affiliate creatives and tracking links - Network used (Impact, ShareASale, in-house, etc.) Once I have these details, I can evaluate the fit for our audience and get back to you with next steps within 3–5 business days. Best regards, [VA Name] on behalf of [Owner Name] [Your Site]

Weekly Analytics Reporting

Operations Saves ~2h/week

Data Collection Checklist (Every Monday)

GA4: Pull Sessions, Users, Avg. Engagement Time, Bounce Rate — compare vs. prior 7 days
GA4: Top 10 landing pages by new users this week
GA4: Traffic source breakdown (Organic / Direct / Social / Email / Referral)
Google Search Console: Clicks, Impressions, CTR, Avg Position — week over week
Affiliate dashboards (AWIN, ShareASale, CJ, Impact): Clicks, Conversions, Revenue per program
Email platform (ConvertKit/ActiveCampaign/Beehiiv): List size, open rate, click rate, unsubscribes
Compile all data into weekly report template (below) — send to owner by Monday noon

KPI Benchmarks 2026

3–5%

Email Open Rate (good)

<40%

Bounce Rate (target)

>2:30

Avg Session Duration

Note: GA4 uses Engagement Rate (not Bounce Rate) — target ≥60% engaged sessions

Weekly Report Template

TEMPLATEWEEKLY PERFORMANCE REPORT — Week of [Mon Date] to [Sun Date] Prepared by: [VA Name] | Submitted: [Date] at [Time] ━━━ WEBSITE TRAFFIC (GA4) ━━━ Sessions: [X] vs. [X] last week (↑/↓ [X]%) Users: [X] | New Users: [X] ([X]%) Avg. Engagement Time: [X:XX] Engagement Rate: [X]% (target: ≥60%) Bounce Rate: [X]% TOP 5 PAGES THIS WEEK: 1. [URL] — [X] sessions — [channel] 2. [URL] — [X] sessions — [channel] 3. [URL] — [X] sessions — [channel] TRAFFIC SOURCES: Organic: [X]% | Direct: [X]% | Social: [X]% | Email: [X]% | Referral: [X]% ━━━ SEARCH CONSOLE ━━━ Total Clicks: [X] (vs. [X] LW, [X]%) Total Impressions: [X] | Avg CTR: [X]% | Avg Position: [X] Top Moving Pages (↑ biggest gains): [URL] (+[X] clicks) ━━━ AFFILIATE REVENUE ━━━ [Program 1]: [X] clicks | [X] conversions | $[X] revenue [Program 2]: [X] clicks | [X] conversions | $[X] revenue TOTAL THIS WEEK: $[X] | MTD: $[X] | On track for $[X] this month ━━━ EMAIL LIST ━━━ Subscribers: [X] (↑/↓ [X] this week) Broadcast sent: "[Subject line]" — Open: [X]% | Clicks: [X]% ━━━ ACTION ITEMS / FLAGS ━━━ - [Flag 1: anything unusual, drops, or opportunities] - [Flag 2]

Quality Control — Review & Approval

Operations Saves ~2h/week

Content QC Checklist (Per Article)

Copyscape scan: 0% matching content — reject if flagged, revise and re-check
Grammarly Premium: score ≥ 90, all critical issues resolved
E-E-A-T check: article demonstrates real Experience (first-person), backed by Expert sources
Facts and statistics: every claim has a citation — no unverified numbers or outdated data
Affiliate links: all active, correct nofollow attributes, FTC disclosure present
Internal links: 2–5 relevant links to own content — no orphan pages
Images: all WebP format, under 150KB, descriptive alt text, licensed (not just any Google image)
Mobile preview: check formatting on 375px width — no broken layouts
Read the article aloud: does it flow naturally? Would YOU read it to the end?

Structured Feedback Template

TEMPLATECONTENT REVIEW — [Article Title] Reviewer: [Name] | Date: [Date] | Decision: APPROVED / REVISIONS NEEDED / REJECTED ━━━ SCORES ━━━ Copyscape: PASS / FAIL ([X]% match) Grammarly: [X]/100 Overall Quality: [1–10] ━━━ WHAT'S STRONG ━━━ ✅ [Specific positive — cite the section or sentence] ✅ [Specific positive] ━━━ REQUIRED REVISIONS (must fix before publish) ━━━ 🔄 [Issue] → [Exact fix needed] → [Where in the doc] 🔄 [Issue] → [Exact fix needed] ━━━ OPTIONAL IMPROVEMENTS ━━━ 💡 [Suggestion — lower priority] ━━━ DEADLINE FOR REVISIONS ━━━ Please resubmit by: [Date/Time] If questions: message in [Slack channel] [Reviewer Name]

Tool & Tech Stack Management

Operations Saves ~1h/week

Recommended Affiliate Business Stack 2026

Category	Recommended Tool	Cost/Month	Free Alternative
CMS / Hosting	WordPress + Cloudways	$14–50	WordPress.com free
SEO	Ahrefs Lite	$99	Ubersuggest free tier
Email Marketing	ConvertKit / Beehiiv	$0–29	Mailchimp free (500)
Social Scheduling	Buffer (free/Essentials)	$0–6	Meta Business Suite
Project Management	ClickUp	$0–7	Notion free tier
Time Tracking	Toggl Track	$0–9	Clockify (free)
Password Manager	1Password Teams	$3–person	Bitwarden free
Video SOPs	Loom Starter	$0	Tella.tv
Design	Canva Pro	$13	Canva free
International Payments	Wise Business	Variable	PayPal (higher fees)
Grammar / Writing	Grammarly Premium	$12	LanguageTool free
Screen Recording / Edit	Descript	$12	OBS (free)

Monthly Audit Checklist

Review all active subscriptions — cancel any unused tools (check credit card statement)
Audit access log: who has access to what? Remove access for departed contractors
Rotate shared passwords monthly for tools with shared accounts
Check SSL certificate expiry on all owned domains — renew 30 days before expiry
Verify all site backups running (daily automated recommended — WP Engine, Cloudways, ManageWP)
Update all WordPress plugins and themes — test on staging before production
Run PageSpeed Insights on top 5 pages — fix any Core Web Vitals regressions