Short answer: Clerica certification works in four steps: generate policies from factual inputs, receive an automated rubric score, subscribe to Certified to publish verify pages and directory listings, then pass ongoing integrity scans that revoke badges if your live policy drifts materially from the certified snapshot.
This guide walks through each stage, tier requirements, and honest limits.
Step 1 — Generate from facts
Start at the Privacy Policy Generator or Terms of Service Generator. Answer questions about your data collection, vendors, retention, and user rights.
Clerica produces standard-depth legal-style output — one neutral comprehensive template — not jurisdiction-specific legal advice. You host policies on your domain.
Step 2 — Rubric scoring
Every draft receives an automated transparency rubric score measuring disclosure clarity:
- Coverage of key topics (data categories, purposes, third parties, rights, contact)
- Plain-language readability metrics
- Structural completeness for customer comprehension
Scores appear on your dashboard and public verify pages. Rubric scores measure clarity, not legal adequacy.
Improve low sections in the wizard and regenerate until you meet your target tier.
Step 3 — Certified subscription and publish
To publish to the Verified directory with dofollow backlinks and integrity scans:
- Subscribe to Clerica Certified (~$99/year) at business pricing
- Complete domain verification (prove you control the site where policies are hosted)
- Publish — receive verify badge embed code and
/verified/{slug}profile
Earned badges (not sold separately):
- Consumer-Friendly — rubric ≥ 75 on active Certified
- Gold — rubric ≥ 90 plus $99 one-time manual review
Step 4 — Integrity monitoring
Clerica compares your live policy URL to the certified snapshot so customers who bookmark your verify page can trust what they see. When material drift is detected — edits that change disclosure substance — your badge downgrades, dofollow Verified backlinks revoke, and directory status moves to inactive until you fix the policy or re-certify. That reputational cost is why businesses maintain certification; consumers get a linkable check, not a one-time PDF.
| Tier | Verify check cadence |
|---|---|
| Certified | Monthly |
| Consumer-Friendly / Gold | Weekly |
Optional renewal flows exist at /stamp/renew/{id} for lapsed certifications.
What certification is not
- Not a law firm opinion — consult counsel for regulated industries
- Not cookie consent — Clerica does not ship a CMP
- Not permanent — policies change; certification tracks snapshots
- Not a replacement for terms — most businesses need privacy and terms pages
See what is Clerica Verified? for directory details.
Migration from other generators
Paste factual content from an existing Termly or TermsFeed policy into Clerica's wizard. You keep hosting on your site; Clerica adds verify proof and monitoring rather than requiring a vendor subdomain.
Compare options: Termly alternative · TermsFeed alternative.
Timeline expectations
- Generation + scoring: minutes
- Domain verification: typically same session
- Directory go-live: instant after qualification (runtime API — no marketing rebuild wait)
- Gold manual review: business days after rubric ≥ 90 request
Getting started
- Generate a policy free
- Read the Verified certification guide
- Review Business FAQ for skeptic questions
Related: What is Clerica Verified? · Do I need a privacy policy on my website? · Certification pricing
Clerica is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Certification reflects transparency rubric scores and monitoring, not regulatory approval.