How do I check if my live page still matches approved copy?
Short answer
Compare the approved copy to the live page line by line and sort every difference into BUILT, DRIFTED, MISSING, or UNCONFIRMED. Rank the drifted items by one question: does this line contradict what we sell? Fix those first. An AI prompt can run the comparison in minutes if you forbid it from guessing.
I opened a live checkout page I had specced two weeks earlier. The quote under the thank-you headline had been rewritten.
The approved line named the one idea the product teaches. The new line said "People remember how you make them feel." Friendly, polished, and common enough to sit on any brand's page. It also argued against the thing the buyer had just paid for.
Nobody skipped the spec. Someone improved it. That is the drift that costs you, because it looks like progress.
Why is drift harder to catch than a skipped spec?
A skipped spec leaves a hole you can see. Drift leaves a page that looks finished. Every edit was made in good faith, and each one reads fine on its own. The damage only shows when you hold the live line next to the approved one and ask what the change means for the offer.
AI and fast contractors both produce plausible work at speed. "Looks great" is the review that lets plausible through.
The four-bin sort
So I stopped reviewing by feel and started sorting. Every difference between the approved copy and the live page goes into one of four bins: BUILT, DRIFTED, MISSING, or UNCONFIRMED. Then the drifted items get ranked by one question: does this line contradict what we sell?
Here is the prompt I used. Paste in your approved copy and the live page text, then:
"Compare the approved copy to the live copy line by line. Sort every difference into BUILT, DRIFTED, MISSING, or UNCONFIRMED. For each DRIFTED item, show the live text, the approved text, and one sentence on what the change costs. If you cannot see it in what I pasted, mark it UNCONFIRMED. Do not guess."
That last line matters. Without it, the model fills in what it assumes the page says, and you are back to reviewing by feel.
What the sort turned up
My result: nine items. Five drifted, four still missing. The quote went to the top of the fix list. A missing comma in the product name went to the bottom, even though it was the fastest fix.
Ranking by contradiction instead of by effort changes what gets fixed first. The comma would have felt productive. The quote was the line costing the offer its credibility on the page buyers see right after they pay.
Do this today
- Pick one live page you approved copy for.
- Paste the approved copy and the live page text into your AI, then run the prompt above.
- Find the first DRIFTED item that contradicts your offer and fix only that one.
- Send the rest to whoever built the page as a numbered list.
Meredith's rule
Contractors rarely ignore your spec. They improve it.
Questions
How can I use AI to compare my approved copy against my live website?
Paste both into the AI and ask it to sort every difference into BUILT, DRIFTED, MISSING, or UNCONFIRMED, with the live text, the approved text, and the cost of each drift. Tell it to mark anything it cannot see as UNCONFIRMED and not to guess.
What is copy drift on a website or funnel?
Copy drift happens when someone building the page rewrites approved lines in good faith. Each change looks like an improvement, so it passes a casual review. The risk is a friendly new line that contradicts the offer the buyer just paid for.
Which website fixes should I make first after a copy review?
Rank by one question: does this line contradict what we sell? Fix those first, even if smaller fixes are faster. In my own review, a rewritten quote on a checkout page went to the top and a missing comma went to the bottom.
Related service
HighLevel CRM + Automation
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