Verified directory and certification FAQ
Answers about Clerica Certified, the Verified directory, earned badges, integrity monitoring, and how we compare to policy generators.
Business FAQ
Everything teams ask before publishing to the Verified directory — from free generation versus paid certification to drift enforcement and SEO value.
Why use Clerica instead of Termly, TermsFeed, or DIY templates?
Free generators like Termly and TermsFeed give you a document and stop there. Clerica generates standard neutral legal policies at competitor depth, then certifies your disclosure practices, lists you in our Verified directory, and keeps monitoring your live policy. You get ongoing trust signals (badge, dofollow backlink, verify page) instead of a one-time PDF that may drift out of date.
Companies can just lie in their policies or say one thing and do another — what's the point of Clerica Verified?
Fair skepticism. Clerica cannot see inside a company's servers, audit their entire product, or prove they follow every promise in secret. No badge can. We do not certify legal compliance or security practices. What we verify is narrower and still useful: the legally binding commitments a company publishes — privacy policy, terms, cookies, and related disclosures — for clarity against our rubric and whether the live page still matches what was certified.
Written policies are contracts with users and evidence regulators expect. Certification puts those commitments on a public verify page anyone can check. Integrity scans compare the live policy to the certified snapshot on a required cadence; material drift revokes the badge, dofollow backlink, and Active Verified directory status until the company fixes it or re-certifies.
The alternative is opaque legalese and quiet edits nobody notices. Clerica makes written promises readable, linkable, and costly to change without accountability. Today we verify policies only — not full product audits.
The Verified directory adds reputational stake: your company name sits alongside others who stand behind current disclosures, not a stale PDF from launch day. Misleading a certified policy is worse than shipping a generic template — you chose visible accountability and linked your brand to it.
Clerica Verified is not a guarantee of perfect behavior everywhere. It is a durable, checkable signal that what you told the world in writing is clear, current, and monitored — so people can hold you to what you published, not just what you claim in marketing.
What do I get for free versus paid?
Free: full policy generation (privacy, terms, and more), download, and publish with a Generated stamp and nofollow directory listing. Paid (Clerica Certified, ~$99/yr): certification badge, Active Verified dofollow backlink, directory profile, integrity monitoring, and renewal reminders. Consumer-Friendly and Gold are earned on rubric score while on Certified — not sold separately.
Why pay for Certified if generation is free?
Privacy policies and related disclosures are legally required for most online businesses — but the requirement is usually satisfied once with a static document. Generation gets you that solid policy file free. Certified pays for what happens after publish: a trust badge customers can click to verify, a dofollow backlink from clerica.io/verified/, ongoing integrity scans that catch drift as your product changes, and a public profile that signals you stand behind your live disclosures. It is the difference between meeting the checkbox and being visibly accountable for policies that stay accurate.
Aren't privacy policies legally required anyway?
Yes. Privacy policies, terms of service, and related disclosures are legally required for most businesses that collect user data or operate online. Having a policy URL clears the baseline checkbox. Clerica helps beyond that: we generate standard neutral policies at competitor depth, then — on Certified — certify your disclosure practices, monitor your live policy for material drift, and give customers a verifiable badge. The legal requirement gets you a document; Clerica keeps that document accurate and visibly accountable as your product evolves.
What SEO value does the Verified directory backlink provide?
Active Verified Certified companies receive a dofollow backlink from clerica.io/verified/ to their policy page. That is a real editorial link from a focused legal-transparency directory, not a nofollow widget stamp. Earned tiers (Consumer-Friendly, Gold) unlock featured placement for more visibility. Links are revoked if your live policy drifts — so the SEO value reflects current accountability, not a stale badge.
How does the Clerica badge help win customer trust?
The badge links to a public verify page where anyone can see your rubric score, disclosure summary, and certification status. For customers, that means your legally binding policies were vetted against our disclosure rubric and are monitored for drift — not that Clerica audited your entire product or security stack (today we verify policies only). That transparency reduces signup friction: prospects see third-party validation of your disclosure practices, not just your own marketing copy. Earned Consumer-Friendly and Gold badges signal progressively stronger disclosure quality — and because they cannot be purchased, they carry more weight than self-issued trust seals.
Does Clerica audit my entire website?
No. Today Clerica verifies your published legal policies — privacy, terms, cookies, and related disclosures — against our public rubric and monitors them for material drift. We do not audit your code, infrastructure, or security practices. The badge tells customers your legally binding policy commitments were reviewed and stay aligned with what you publish. Broader product audits are a possible future expansion; for now, honest scope is policies only.
I'm a consumer, not a business — what does Clerica verification mean for me?
When you see a Clerica badge on a company's policy page, it links to a public verify page. That means their published privacy policy, terms of service, and related disclosures were reviewed against our disclosure rubric — not that Clerica audited their entire website, product code, or security practices. Those policies are legally binding commitments from the company; Clerica vouches for that disclosure layer only, with honest scope. Ongoing monitoring catches material drift, so the badge reflects what is live today, not a stale snapshot. You can be more at ease knowing that part was independently vetted before you clicked Agree. Clerica is also built for consumers: browse the Verified directory, follow policy trackers for services you use, or start a watchlist for plain-language alerts when terms change.
What happens if my live policy drifts from certification?
Integrity scans compare your published policy to the certified snapshot on a required cadence (monthly for Certified, weekly for earned tiers). If material drift is detected — edits that change disclosure substance — your badge downgrades, dofollow backlink is revoked, and directory status moves to inactive until you re-certify. This is accountability, not a perk: it protects the trust signal your customers rely on.
Can I buy Consumer-Friendly or Gold certification?
No. Consumer-Friendly (score ≥ 75) and Gold (score ≥ 90) reflect your policy's disclosure quality against our public rubric while you maintain an active Certified subscription. They cannot be purchased or toggled on. Gold adds an optional $99 manual Clerica review after you qualify — the review confirms quality, it does not buy the tier. This earned model is why the badges mean something to customers and partners.
Will Clerica satisfy app store or compliance checkbox requirements?
Our generator produces standard legal-style policies with the depth and clause coverage typical of dedicated policy tools — privacy, terms, cookies, data practices, and more. That often clears the "you must have a policy URL" checkbox for app stores and vendors. Clerica does not provide legal advice or guarantee regulatory compliance for your jurisdiction or industry. Badges certify disclosure practices, not lawyer approval.
What is my Verified directory profile and mutual backlink?
Your Verified profile on clerica.io/verified/ lists your company, links to your live policy, shows your certification tier and status, and includes a dofollow backlink to your site when Active Verified. In return, your published policy displays the Clerica badge linking back to your verify page — a mutual trust loop. Standard listing comes with Certified; earned tiers unlock featured and homepage placement.
Why does Clerica monitor policies instead of set-and-forget?
For years, policies were posted once and rarely read again. Companies changed terms quietly — new data uses, tighter refund windows, arbitration clauses — while customers kept clicking Agree on a version they never saw again. Set-and-forget generators reinforced that pattern: a document at launch, no check that it still matched what you promised.
Consumers are more skeptical now, but they are still overwhelmed by dozens of services and revision emails they do not have time to parse. Businesses that publish policies need to show they stand behind what is live today, not just what legal approved last quarter. A certification badge that never gets checked becomes misleading the moment your page drifts.
Clerica is building toward a world where monitoring and transparency are the norm — where digital life is easier for consumers, rights are easier to exercise, and earned badges mean something because they reflect current disclosure. Integrity scans, public verify pages, and drift enforcement are how we get there.
For your business, monitoring protects trust, avoids surprise revocation when material drift is detected, and keeps your dofollow backlink and certification aligned with the commitments you actually publish.
When is Gold manual review worth the $99?
Gold manual review makes sense when you have already earned score ≥ 90 and want a human Clerica analyst to confirm your disclosures before a launch, enterprise deal, or press moment. It is a one-time quality check — not a way to buy Gold. If you are not yet at ≥ 90 on the rubric, focus on improving substantive disclosure first; the review is available only after you qualify.
Is this legal advice?
No. Clerica certifies consumer-friendly disclosure practices against a public rubric. Badges say "consumer-friendly disclosure," not legal compliance or lawyer approval. We analyze and score; we do not rewrite your policy in plain English or tell you what law applies to your business. Consult qualified counsel for jurisdiction-specific advice.