Understanding Why Unstructured Documents Put Your Brand at Risk

In a recent CMSWire article, CEO Lawrence Shaw shares his perspective from years of working in digital compliance. Shaw highlights that the landscape has shifted as regulations continue to evolve and generative AI becomes a force for both good and bad in this space.

He explains how outdated documents, especially PDFs that are difficult to update, can quietly harm a company’s reputation. Many teams focus on keeping their websites compliant but overlook the documents stored online across different departments.

If those files contain outdated or incorrect information, AI may repeat it as if it were still true, which can lead to reputational damage and even regulatory issues.

The Issues Organizations Face

Shaw outlines several key issues that every organisation needs to address in its roadmap to digital compliance:

• Regulations evolve constantly, but many documents don’t, which may create legal and compliance risks.

• AI and search engines can show outdated information from old documents, which can lead to incorrect details being repeated.

• Static PDFs are difficult to maintain, often inaccessible, and easy for AI to misinterpret.

• Unstructured documents are costly, because every update has to be made manually in each version.

• Structured, markup-based documents allow updates to flow consistently across all versions, making accuracy far easier to maintain.

Overall, documents are no longer finished once they are published. They form part of a living environment where accuracy, structure, and traceability matter more than ever.

What Companies Should Do Next

Shaw encourages organizations to move toward structured documents. These are designed so they can be updated easily, made accessible, and interpreted correctly by AI. With modern tools, converting older PDFs and producing structured content going forward is becoming far more achievable, bringing clear benefits for consistency, compliance, and brand protection.

How AAAtraq can help

For more than 25 years, AAAtraq has helped organizations take control of their digital compliance. Using deep data analysis and automation, our platform shows where risks lie in your online content. This helps you build lasting confidence in your digital performance and ensures your online content aligns with EAA and WCAG standards.

Contact lshilstone@AAAtraq.com for more information.

Test Your Website for Free

You can check your website right now to see where you stand and take the first step toward meeting your accessibility and compliance obligations.

https://aaatraq.com/confirm/

Deep Dive into the Topic

To explore the full picture, you can read the complete CMSWire article here:

How Unstructured Documents Quietly Erode Your Brand’s Credibility https://www.cmswire.com/digital-experience/how-unstructured-documents-quietly-erode-your-brands-credibility/ (opens in a new window)