GFD Rankings
How we rank firms
One rubric, public evidence only, and every fact linked to the page it came from. This page is the rulebook for every GFD ranking.
The rubric
Every firm is scored out of 100 on public evidence. Each card on a list shows the six parts of its score.
| Part | Points | What earns it |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of results | 25 | Public case studies with numbers, and named clients who say so on the record. |
| Fit for the list's buyer | 20 | Named clients in the category and stage the list is for. |
| Third-party reviews | 15 | Clutch, G2 or similar: count and average, dated. |
| Specialist depth | 15 | The service is core, not one line on a long menu, and the people doing it are named. |
| Transparency | 15 | Public pricing or minimums, named leadership and a clear location. |
| Current activity | 10 | Work, writing or hiring in the last 12 months. |
How we source and date facts
- Every fact on a firm comes from a page we opened: the firm's own site and at least two independent pages, such as Clutch, G2, a case study or press. Each card links its sources.
- Prices are the firm's published range or minimum, with its source, or "Not public" with the date we checked.
- Best for and Not for are our reading of each firm's size, minimum, clients and focus, not a statement from the firm.
- Scores use one 100-point rubric on public evidence only. Opinions and relationships are shown beside a score and never change it.
- We recheck prices and clients every quarter and log each change on the page.
Who gets left off
A list ranks seven firms or more that do the work it names, for the buyer it names. Some lists add a gate. On the link building and digital PR lists the gate is: earned links only. A firm that sells links, guest posts or placements by the unit, or runs a link marketplace, is left off this list and not named. We check each firm's own service and pricing pages for per-link prices, link packages and marketplaces.
A firm that fails a gate is not named on that list. A firm we looked at and left out for fit is named, with the reason, at the foot of the list.
How Green Flag Digital lists itself
Green Flag Digital publishes these lists, so we never score ourselves. Each list says where we stand, in one of three ways:
- Listed first. Green Flag Digital publishes this list, and it is our firm. We list it first, unnumbered and unscored, so the rubric did not put it there. No firm paid to appear here, and no listing was traded for a link.
- In a box. Green Flag Digital publishes this list, and it is our firm. It is not ranked or scored here; it sits in its own box below the list. No firm paid to appear here, and no listing was traded for a link.
- Not named. Green Flag Digital publishes this list. We do not sell this service, so our firm is not on it. No firm paid to appear here, and no listing was traded for a link.
Where a firm on a list also names Green Flag Digital on a list of its own, its card says so. That never changes its score. We do not show our own prices on these pages.
Opinions and relationships
Scores come from evidence only. Where we quote an editor's or our founder's first-hand view of a firm, it is labeled and credited, and it sits beside the score. No firm pays to appear, and no listing is traded for a link.
Ask for a correction
If a fact about your firm is wrong or out of date, tell us through our contact page with a link to the page that shows the right fact. We check it, update the list and note the change in its update log.
Update log
- : Rubric v1 published, with the earned-links gate for the link building and digital PR lists.