Editorial Methodology
Every article on Pocket Option Guide follows the same five-stage editorial process. The full 12-point YMYL checklist below is applied before publication, and again on each 90-day refresh.
The five-stage editorial process
- Stage 1 — Topic research and SERP analysis. The topic editor identifies user intent, surveys existing content gaps, and outlines the unique value our page must deliver.
- Stage 2 — Primary source collection. Broker official documentation, regulator dispatches (RBI, SEBI, FCA, CySEC, MISA, NCC where applicable), payment-rail official pages (NPCI, Visa, NPS), and tax-authority guidance are downloaded and dated.
- Stage 3 — Live platform testing. The topic editor runs at least 30 demo sessions, screenshots payment screens, and records every numerical claim they make.
- Stage 4 — Draft writing. The author writes the page with inline source citations.
- Stage 5 — YMYL review. David Park (Risk Editor) signs off against the 12-point checklist before publication.
The 12-point YMYL checklist
- Risk warning visible before the first CTA
- Capital-loss language is prominent, not buried in footer
- No "safe", "guaranteed", "easy money", or "best for everyone" framing
- Addiction-help links visible on every trading-action page
- Regulator warnings cited with current dispatch URLs and dates
- Qualified-professional referral included for legal/tax claims
- Every numerical claim linked to a dated official source
- Last-reviewed date visible in the byline
- Affiliate disclosure visible without scrolling
- Language consistency (Hindi pages ≥92% Devanagari, Arabic pages ≥92% Arabic script, etc.)
- Accessibility (alt text, skip link, keyboard navigation, semantic HTML)
- At least one non-trading alternative mentioned (SEBI-regulated equity for India, SEC-regulated brokerages where applicable, etc.)
How we verify claims
Every numerical claim (minimum deposit, payout %, withdrawal time, KYC requirements) is verified in three ways:
- Official platform documentation (Pocket Option terms, deposit screen, T&C)
- Live demo testing screenshots dated within the last 90 days
- Cross-reference with recent user reports from Trustpilot, Reddit r/binaryoptions, and Google Play / App Store reviews
If the three sources disagree, we disclose the uncertainty on the page rather than picking one.
Source priority order
We rank sources in this priority for any factual claim:
- Tier 1: Primary regulator dispatches (RBI press releases, SEBI advisories, FCA warnings, NCC notices)
- Tier 2: Pocket Option official documentation (terms, risk disclosure, AML policy)
- Tier 3: Payment-rail authoritative pages (NPCI/UPI, M-Pesa, SPEI, PIX, Visa, Mastercard)
- Tier 4: Government tax-authority portals (Income Tax India, FIRS Nigeria, SAT Mexico, etc.)
- Tier 5: Reputable independent reviews (TradersUnion, BinaryOptions.com, Investopedia)
- Tier 6: User report aggregations (Trustpilot, Reddit, App Store)
We never accept Reddit posts or YouTube screenshots as primary evidence for legal, tax, or regulatory claims.
Demo-testing protocol
Michael Chen tests every platform feature for at least 30 demo sessions across:
- Different times of day (morning, afternoon, OTC weekend)
- Different asset classes (forex, crypto, indices, commodities)
- Different trade sizes ($1, $10, $100 — to detect any volume-based behavioural differences)
- Different expiry windows (60s, 5min, 15min, 1hr)
He records the outcome of every session — winning streaks are not used as evidence of edge. This is how we avoid cherry-picked screenshots that plague most affiliate reviews.
Review cycle
Every article is re-reviewed every 90 days. The last-reviewed date and the responsible reviewer are visible in the byline of each article. If you see information older than 90 days or notice a factual error, please report it via our corrections page.