How we make money

Last updated Oct 6, 2026

SMB SEO is free to use. It earns money in three ways, and none of them changes a score, a test result or the order of a list.

Affiliate commissions

Some vendors pay us a commission when someone buys after following our link. Those links are marked as sponsored, and every page that has them says so near the top. Several tools we list pay nothing, and they’re listed and scored the same way.

Sponsored placements

Vendors can pay for a fixed slot labeled “Sponsored”. These slots sit outside our rankings, they end on a set date, and they never come with a better score or a badge.

Introductions to agencies

If you’d rather hire someone, you’ll be able to ask us for an introduction. We send your request to at most three agencies we’ve vetted, chosen by how well they fit your answers, never by who pays. The agencies pay us a fee for each qualified introduction, and you’ll see their names before anything is sent.

What we won’t do

• Sell followed links, rankings, scores, badges or places in lists.
• Take affiliate deals from vendors that sell paid links.
• Let payment decide which agencies receive a request.
• Publish fake reviews, or reviews someone was paid to write without saying so.