Methodology

Source hierarchy

We prioritize sources that are closest to the organization providing care or public-health guidance. Official county, city, and state public-health pages come first, followed by official clinic pages, provider pages, CDC resources, HRSA resources, and recognized nonprofit or community health organizations.

Locator tools such as CDC Get Tested, HRSA Find a Health Center, or Planned Parenthood location search can help identify resources, but locator-only research is not enough for an index-ready city guide.

What we verify for each clinic or resource

For city pages, we look for the clinic or resource name, official source URL, address or service area, STI/HIV service relevance, cost or eligibility notes when available, appointment or walk-in caveats, and the date the source was checked.

If a source does not clearly state cost, eligibility, appointment rules, or treatment availability, we avoid guessing. The page should tell readers to confirm those details directly with the clinic or provider.

City page research statuses

• Complete: the guide has enough local and official source support to be treated as a reviewed city page.
• Needs-review: the guide has some local information but still needs more source checking, local context, or content review.
• Representative: the guide is an early research sample or locator-based draft and should remain noindexed until clinic data is fully reviewed.

Index-ready standard

A city guide is considered index-ready only when it meets the quality rules used by our city audit process. The practical standard includes:

• noindex === false
• researchStatus === 'complete'
• verified local or official sources, not only broad locator pages
• at least 3 sources
• at least 3 clinic or resource listings
• at least 3 local context sections
• at least 5 FAQs
• no internal notes, placeholder claims, or template-only wording in indexable content

Source verification table

Item checked	Preferred source	Required before indexing	Notes
Clinic name and location	Official clinic or public-health page	Yes	Locator pages can support discovery, but official pages are preferred for final listings.
STI/HIV service relevance	Clinic service page, county page, provider page	Yes	We avoid implying a clinic offers STD testing unless a source supports that relationship.
Cost or eligibility	Official clinic, public-health, or program page	When available	If cost is not stated, we mark the detail as uncertain instead of guessing.
Walk-in or appointment rules	Official clinic or scheduling page	When available	Readers should call or check the official page because schedules can change.
Treatment and follow-up availability	Clinic, public-health, or provider page	When claimed	Testing-only options are not described as treatment providers unless the source supports it.
Last checked date	Page-level editorial record	Yes	The visible date should represent source checking, not just the site build date.

How testing paths are compared

We compare options by practical user criteria: cost, insurance use, privacy trade-offs, scheduling, result timing, sample collection, follow-up care, and whether symptoms or site-specific testing may require clinic guidance.

Affiliate isolation

Affiliate links are labeled with disclosure language and sponsored or nofollow attributes where appropriate. Public clinic inclusion is independent from affiliate relationships and does not depend on whether a clinic or public-health resource pays us.

Paid testing options are framed as options to compare when speed, upfront self-pay pricing, or avoiding insurance billing matters. They are not presented as universal medical recommendations or as the default answer for every “free STD testing” search.

Medical limits and corrections

STD Test Options is informational only and is not a medical provider. Content is not medically reviewed unless a page explicitly says otherwise. Users should contact a licensed clinician, clinic, or public health department for symptoms, pregnancy concerns, known exposure, treatment, urgent HIV exposure questions, or site-specific testing needs.

Availability, price, insurance rules, appointment rules, and clinic hours can change without notice. Readers should confirm details directly with the clinic, lab, or provider before making a testing decision.