Sourcing
If we did not see it ourselves, we name the source.
- Every external fact carries a link. The link sits right after the claim, and each article lists its sources at the end.
- Primary sources come first. Official documentation from Google, Meta, OpenAI, and other platforms. Rules and guidance from regulators such as the FTC. Court records and company newsrooms.
- Trade outlets fill the gaps. When the primary document is not public, we cite established outlets such as Search Engine Land, Adweek, Digiday, Reuters, and the AP.
- Nothing invented. No made-up statistics, quotes, studies, dates, or links. If we cannot verify a fact, it stays out.
- Numbers come with dates. A figure appears with the date it describes and the source that published it.
Attribution
- Company claims stay company claims. When a figure comes only from an agency or a platform, we say so: "the company says" in articles, "company-reported" on agency profiles.
- Allegations stay allegations. Claims in lawsuits, complaints, and charges are attributed to the filing or the outlet that reported them, and we call them allegations.
- Quotes are exact. We quote only what we can link to. We never invent quotes, people, or case studies.
- Our math is labelled as ours. When we calculate a figure, we show the inputs and say the calculation is ours.
How we use AI
AI tools help us research and draft. People decide what publishes.
- AI-assisted research and drafting. AI tools gather source material and write first drafts.
- Human review before publishing. An editor checks each claim against its source and approves the page. Claims we cannot confirm come out.
- One desk byline. Pages run under the Marketing Agency News Desk. We do not invent writers, photos, or credentials.
- Illustrations, not photos. Article covers are illustrations generated from the article's topic. They do not show real people or events.
How we cover agencies
- Only the index scores agencies. Guides and news explain how to hire an agency and what to check. They do not rank, score, or recommend named agencies.
- One rubric for everyone. Every agency in the index gets the same four criteria and weights, set out in the methodology.
- Relationships are disclosed. Marketing Agency News has a business relationship with AI Guys, which appears in this ranking. The disclosure appears next to every ranking, and the methodology explains how we handle it.
- Scores follow evidence. An agency can ask us to fix a fact. A score changes only when the public evidence changes.
Information, not advice
We explain what a rule, a policy, or a contract term says, and we link to it. We do not give legal, tax, or financial advice. Where the stakes are high, confirm the details with your own lawyer or accountant.
Updates and corrections
We separate new information from mistakes, so the record stays honest.
- Update. New information arrives after we publish, for example a platform changes a policy. We revise the page and show an updated date.
- Correction. We got a fact wrong. We fix the page, add a dated note that says what changed, and log it on the corrections page.
- Clarification. The facts were right, but the wording gave the wrong impression. We rewrite the passage, note the change on the page, and log it.
- Typo or layout fix. Spelling and formatting fixes that change no meaning go in without a note.
Tone
We write like a trade desk, not a sales page. No hype, no invented urgency, and no superlatives we cannot source. We state the trade-offs and say who a choice fits.