How we write will guides

Quick answer

Each guide starts from a real question, leads with a 40–60 word verdict, cites a primary source next to every specific number, and names who should skip the advice. We do not fabricate fees, cases or experience. Skip this method page if you wanted the answer itself — use the guides hub.

What is the method for a SwiftWill guide?

Find the question a person actually types. Write a verdict in the first 60 words, including who should skip it. Support the verdict with the statute or gov.uk page, dated. Add a comparison table where numbers exist. Interlink both directions. Stop if the page would duplicate another URL.

Check the slug registry so we never publish a second page for one query.
Pull the primary source: legislation.gov.uk, gov.uk, HMCTS, Law Commission, HMRC.
Write question-shaped headings with a self-contained answer under each.
Put competitor prices only where the provider still publishes them.
Run the honesty gate: if a solicitor is the right tool, say so before any CTA.

Where do the numbers come from?

Statutory figures (intestacy legacy, probate court fee, IHT bands) come from gov.uk or legislation, with the date we checked. Survey ranges for will ownership are labelled as ranges because YouGov, IRN and Will Aid do not ask identical questions. We publish the underlying tables as CSV on open data.

What will SwiftWill not publish?

We will not invent a statistic, scrape a forum and rewrite it as our voice, mark up competitor star ratings as our Review, or date-stamp a page without changing it. We will not tell an unmarried couple that "common-law marriage" will save them. That claim is false in England and Wales.

Full policy: editorial policy. Citation checks: how we check AI citations. Author: Marcus Kaiser.

Which related guide should you read next?

How we check AI citations — 22 fixed prompts, four answer engines, monthly. Empty log until a real run — we do not invent citation scores.
Editorial policy — How SwiftWill writes and checks guides: named author, primary sources only, what triggers a correction, what money cannot buy.
Open data: UK will figures — Downloadable CSV datasets for intestacy thresholds, probate fees and published will prices, with sources and capture dates.
UK will guides — Plain-English England and Wales will guides: signing, intestacy, costs, unmarried couples, probate and when to use a solicitor.

Frequently asked questions

Do you visit courts or interview families for these guides?

No. These are desk-researched explainers of published law and official guidance. We state that on every page. First-hand casework would be a different product, and we will not imply it.

How do you handle competitor prices?

From the competitor's own published pricing page, with a capture month in the table. If a price is not published, we do not invent one. We name strengths as well as weaknesses.

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