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Editorial policy

Editorial review: 26 August 2026 · By: Alston Antony

Every page here is written and reviewed by me, Alston Antony. This is how I keep it honest.

Research method

I check primary sources first: the provider's own pricing page, the LK Domain Registry, the gateway's merchant page. When I quote a number, I quote what I saw on the day I checked. If I can't verify a claim, I don't publish it.

Fact-checking

Hosting prices, gateway fees, .lk pricing, and plan features on volatile pages get re-verified against the provider's own page before publication and again at least every 6 months. Pages that carry a "last checked" date have actually been checked on that date. I don't roll the date forward without reviewing the page.

Source hierarchy

  1. The provider or registry's own pages (Tier 1).
  2. Dated first-hand tests I have run with a stored evidence record (Tier 2 - only where the record exists).
  3. Independent third-party performance data such as CrUX and Core Web Vitals field data (Tier 3).
  4. Reputable published reviews, clearly labelled as secondary (Tier 4).
  5. Community anecdote from forums or Reddit, clearly labelled and never treated as a hard fact (Tier 5).

Ranking rules

When I rank options (hosting, builders, gateways), I publish the criteria on the page. I do not rank the highest-paying affiliate as #1. Where two products are effectively the same, I say so. Where I've personally used a tool, I say that too.

Affiliate relationships

Some links are affiliate links (see disclosure). If a product pays me nothing and it's still the right pick, I'll still recommend it. If a product pays well but isn't the right fit, I say that too.

Freshness

Prices, features and gateway fees change. Volatile pages carry visible "last updated" or "last checked" dates. When I refresh a page substantially, I note it. When only a minor edit changes, I don't touch the date, because that would mislead readers about what actually got reviewed.

Corrections

If I got something wrong, tell me via the contact page and I'll fix it fast. Material corrections get noted at the bottom of the affected page.

How prices are checked

Every LKR figure carries the date it was verified against the vendor's own page. Hosting and gateway prices are re-checked at least monthly; .lk domain pricing at least monthly against the LK Domain Registry tariff; website builder subscription prices at least monthly against Shopify's, Wix's or Squarespace's public pricing page. USD prices are shown in USD alongside an approximate LKR conversion at the site's canonical USD/LKR rate (verified against the Central Bank of Sri Lanka reference, last checked 2026-08-27). The LKR is labelled "approx" - the real card charge to a Sri Lankan cardholder runs 3-5% higher after bank FX markup.

Update cadence

Provider selection methodology

When I list or compare providers, the criteria go above the table, not under it. Selection follows, in this order:

  1. Vendor publishes both intro and renewal pricing in a readable form.
  2. Vendor offers a clear support-response commitment (or its response times are testable via public pre-sales chat).
  3. Vendor supports the specific Sri Lankan need (LKR billing where relevant, WooCommerce or Shopify integration where relevant, Lanka QR where relevant).
  4. Vendor's plan has a real 30-day money-back window on shared and WordPress plans (7-14 days on VPS is acceptable).
  5. Vendor's product page names its data-centre regions.

Providers that fail multiple criteria are named in "not covered" notes rather than silently omitted. Providers I am affiliated with are declared on the ranking page's disclosure line - the affiliate relationship does not change the criteria or the order.

How AI is used in research and writing

I use AI models (Claude, ChatGPT) as research assistants and drafting tools. What they do NOT do: generate figures. Every LKR price, USD price, transaction fee, VAT status, and product feature on this site comes from a primary source I linked in the page's "Sources" block, cross-checked against the vendor's own page on the date shown. What AI does do: draft prose I edit, spot inconsistencies across pages, and cross-reference my drafts against my own style guide. If a page reads like the AI wrote it and I didn't edit it, that is my failure and I'd like to hear about it.

How to report an error

Two ways. Email the contact form with the URL and the specific line, or message me on alstonantony.com. I aim to respond within 2 business days and correct material errors within 5. Corrections that change a recommendation or a price get a "corrected on [date]" note at the bottom of the affected page; typo fixes do not.

Author

All articles are written by Alston Antony. I don't ghost-write under fake "editorial team" bylines, and I don't invent credentials or testing that didn't happen. First-hand testing claims are backed by a stored evidence record I can point you to: a dated screenshot, a chat log, a monitoring URL. When I cannot back a claim first-hand, I attribute it to the vendor's page or an independent source.