Insights · Field note · Method and principles
What we decline, and why
A short list of work we do not take, because taking it would make the rest of our work worth less.
We decline engagements that would compromise what we are for. We do not guarantee citations, rankings or leads, because engines and buyers are not ours to control and a guarantee would be a lie. We do not publish under experts who will not review and sign. We do not run programmatic page generation without substance, paid link schemes or placements for payment. We do not operate the controls we are asked to assess. We do not take a percentage of advertising spend or work for both sides of a transaction. Each refusal is explained, and most prospective clients see why it is in their interest too.
In detail
What the evidence shows.
Guarantees
No one controls what an answer engine cites or what a buyer does. A firm that guarantees outcomes it cannot control is either planning to redefine the outcome or planning to disappoint. We state the method, the baseline, the lag and the measurement, and we report what happened. That is the promise we can keep.
Content without accountability
Pages published under a professional’s name that the professional never read, content with claims nobody verified, volume without substance. Each is a liability to the client and a contradiction of our editorial standards. We decline it rather than publish it.
Conflicted work
Assessing controls we operate. Validating products we sell. Governing spend we are paid on. Acting for the buyer and the seller in the same diligence. Each produces a finding nobody should rely on. See independence as a discipline.
Work we are not qualified for
Legal advice, which counsel gives. Certification, which accredited bodies perform. Financial advice. Where an engagement needs these, we say so and work alongside the people qualified to provide them. See how we qualify a growth client and the editorial standards.
By David Selakovic · Published 2026-10-16 · Revised 2026-10-16 · Reviewed every 180 days