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Editorial transparency

Disclosures

Affiliate relationships, AI-generated content, editorial independence, and how to read recommendations on RankingHacks.

Last updated: May 2026.

The short version: I run a portfolio of websites for a living, RankingHacks is one of them, and some links on this site pay me. The recommendations come first, and the affiliate links follow recommendations I’d make either way. Here’s the long version.

Many of the tools, vendors, and services I cover are linked through affiliate programs. If you click an affiliate link and sign up or buy, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

This compensates me for the time spent testing, writing, and maintaining the site. It does not influence which tools I recommend or how I rank them. I refuse affiliate offers from products I don’t use myself, and I list tools without affiliate links when they earn the slot anyway (the Tools page is the cleanest example).

If you’d rather not use an affiliate link, every vendor mentioned on the site is one Google search away. The recommendation stands either way.

Programs I’m enrolled in

Programs I currently or recently use to monetize content across the portfolio (RankingHacks plus the other sites):

  • Amazon Associates — see Amazon disclosure below
  • Impact — multiple advertisers
  • Awin — multiple advertisers
  • CJ Affiliate (Commission Junction) — multiple advertisers
  • Sovrn Commerce — content monetization
  • Partnerize — direct partnerships
  • Rakuten Advertising — direct partnerships
  • Direct programs — vendor-direct affiliate links where the vendor runs their own program

The exact programs that apply to any given post depend on which products it covers. I do not maintain a per-post audit trail, but if you have a specific question about a specific link, I’ll answer.

Amazon Associates disclosure

RankingHacks.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com and international Amazon marketplaces. As an Amazon Associate, RankingHacks earns from qualifying purchases. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Editorial independence

  • I don’t accept payment for inclusion in roundups, “best of” lists, or recommendations.
  • I don’t accept guest posts, sponsored posts, or “thought leadership” placements.
  • Vendors don’t pre-review or approve coverage before publication.
  • I don’t take free products in exchange for reviews. Tools I cover, I bought (or use on a free tier).
  • I publish negative or skeptical takes when I have them. The Tools page labels tools I dropped, and posts regularly disagree with industry consensus.

If a relationship with a vendor compromises my ability to cover them honestly, I either disclose it inline or stop covering them.

AI-generated content notice

A meaningful portion of RankingHacks’s archive consists of structured summaries of conference presentations, podcasts, and YouTube videos by other practitioners. These summaries are produced with AI assistance — I review and edit each one before publication, but the underlying source is the speaker’s own presentation, not original analysis from me.

Where a post is primarily summarizing someone else’s published work, the speaker, conference, or source is named in the post. The intent is to make their thinking searchable and skimmable, not to claim it as my own.

Posts written from my own first-person experience (case studies, opinion pieces, the GEO Audit on My Own Site, portfolio commentary) are written by me — sometimes drafted with AI assistance for structure or copy-editing, always reviewed and substantively rewritten before publication.

Endorsement and “expert” claims

When I describe someone as an “expert,” “authority,” “leading voice,” or similar, I mean: in my judgment, based on the work I’ve seen them produce, they’re worth listening to in their domain. It’s editorial assessment, not a credential vouchsafe. Industry titles change; pay attention to the work, not the framing.

Conflicts of interest

I run a portfolio of websites that compete for affiliate revenue against other publishers. When I cover tactics, tools, or platforms used by competitors, I disclose the conflict where it’s material. I try not to write about direct competitors unless it adds something to the conversation.

Questions

If something on this site looks like an undisclosed conflict, or if a recommendation feels off, write to me — andreas@rankinghacks.com or via the contact form. I’d rather hear it.