{"schema_version":"vendar.ai.vendor-summary.v1","object_type":"vendor_decision_summary","canonical_url":"https://www.vendar.org/vendors/seo-guru-houston","machine_url":"https://www.vendar.org/ai/vendors/seo-guru-houston","last_updated_at":"2026-11-01T20:47:52.746Z","vendor":{"slug":"seo-guru-houston","name":"SEO Guru Houston","website":"https://seoguruhouston.com/","one_line":"SEO","company_type":"agency","headquarters_location":"Houston, TX, USA","service_regions":["Houston","TX","USA"],"primary_services":["SEO"],"services_in_evidence":[{"service":"SEO","work_claims":4}]},"decision":{"verdict":{"label":"Not ranked yet","summary":"No published ranking admits this vendor on documented work yet; the profile shows what is on file.","note":"Lower confidence; the profile is not verified by Vendar.","missing_for_recommended":[]},"score_out_of_100":null,"confidence":{"label":"Lower confidence","score":0.62,"capped_reason":"Rated from the evidence on file (sources, independence, confirmed quotes), not by an editor.","source":"evidence"},"best_for":["Your business matches the client types on file (B2B companies, B2C brands, small businesses) and the industries on file (b2b, smb).","You need what reviewers hired it for: SEO (15 of 29 mentions); PPC (7)."],"not_for":["Read the criticism first: \"Spamming\" (1 of 29 reviews read).","You need a published price before the first call: nothing is disclosed."],"risks":["None of the 3 documented work claims comes from an independent source; all are the agency's own account or sources it controls."],"open_questions":["Ask for the hourly rate, minimum term, setup fee: not published.","Ask for two client references you can call: no independent accounts of its work on file.","Ask who will do the work day to day and whether any of it is outsourced."],"not_published":["minimum monthly budget","project minimum","hourly rate","typical range","minimum term","setup fee","founding year","team size"],"score_basis":"Not ranked on any published question yet","profile_scores":{"version":"2026.11-profile-scores","completeness":{"data_completeness_pct":50,"label":"Data completeness, separate from the ranking score","parts":[{"key":"identity","label":"Who the company is: website, headquarters, founding year, team size, logo, regions served","points":12,"max":20,"detail":"founding year, team size"},{"key":"fit","label":"Fit: services, industries, client types","points":15,"max":15,"detail":"complete"},{"key":"commercial","label":"Commercial terms: model, entry price, hourly rate, minimum term, setup fee","points":0,"max":20,"detail":"model, entry price, hourly rate, minimum term, setup fee"},{"key":"work","label":"Documented work: cases naming a client and a result (target 5) and work claims overall (target 10)","points":15,"max":30,"detail":"3 cases with a named client and a result, 3 work claims"},{"key":"reputation","label":"Reputation: rating and review count on two or more platforms, each with 10 or more reviews","points":8,"max":15,"detail":"1 platform with a rating and 10 or more reviews"}]},"trust":{"trust_score_out_of_100":60,"label":"Trust score, separate from the ranking score","parts":[{"key":"independence","label":"Who is speaking: independent sources among work claims (full marks at 40%)","points":0,"max":30,"detail":"0 of 3 work claims are independent"},{"key":"checked","label":"Checked against the source page: confirmed, or half for partly confirmed","points":19,"max":25,"detail":"3 confirmed, 0 partly, of 4 with a source"},{"key":"quoted_numbers","label":"Numbers backed by a verbatim quote from the source","points":20,"max":20,"detail":"3 of 3"},{"key":"fresh","label":"Seen within the last 365 days","points":11,"max":15,"detail":"3 of 4"},{"key":"not_contradicted","label":"Not contradicted: claims their source no longer supports","points":10,"max":10,"detail":"0 not supported by their page"}]}},"fit_source":{"bestFor":"derived","notFor":"derived"}},"pricing":{"display":null,"model":null,"minimum_monthly_budget_usd":null,"minimum_project_size_usd":null,"pricing_range_min_usd":null,"pricing_range_max_usd":null,"hourly_rate_range":null,"public_summary":null,"secondary_options":[],"pricing_known":false,"display_basis":null,"setup_fee_usd":null,"contract_min_months":null,"engagement_models":[],"band_note":null,"status":"unknown","not_disclosed":["minimum monthly budget","project minimum","hourly rate","typical range","minimum term","setup fee"],"agency_stated_fields":[]},"evidence":{"posture":{"label":"thin","summary":"No independent source documents this vendor's work; treat it as a candidate only."},"independent_validation_scope":"independent_context","independent_validation_label":"Independent context found","independence_statement":"None of the 3 documented work claims comes from an independent source; all are the agency's own account or sources it controls.","source_counts":{"definition":"Each claim on file counted once by who wrote it. 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Our customer acquisition cost dropped by 64% and hasn't gone up since.","source_label":"seoguruhouston.com","source_url":"https://seoguruhouston.com/seo","provenance":"first_party","verification_status":"claimed","check_status":"confirmed","observed_at":"2026-11-01T16:16:41.887Z","last_checked_at":"2026-11-01T16:17:23.052Z"},{"id":"c_028bc5d9529e1351","claim":"A client identified as David Chen, Founder, reports cost per lead dropped from $85 to $22 within the first quarter.","claim_type":"client_review","describes_work":true,"in_ledger":true,"speaker":"vendor","counts_as_independent_work":false,"needs":["by-budget","retainer","in-house-team"],"client_name":"David Chen","result_period":"within the first quarter","measured_result":true,"quote":"This isn't just marketing; it's a business transformation. Our cost per lead dropped from $85 to $22 within the first quarter.","source_label":"seoguruhouston.com","source_url":"https://seoguruhouston.com/seo","provenance":"first_party","verification_status":"claimed","check_status":"confirmed","observed_at":"2026-11-01T16:16:41.888Z","last_checked_at":"2026-11-01T16:17:23.052Z"},{"id":"c_e907a6eeec28e1b6","claim":"A client identified as Marcus Thorne, CEO, reports the company now ranks for terms it previously paid $15 per click for.","claim_type":"client_review","describes_work":true,"in_ledger":true,"speaker":"vendor","counts_as_independent_work":false,"needs":["by-budget","retainer","in-house-team"],"client_name":"Marcus Thorne","result_period":null,"measured_result":false,"quote":"The compounding effect is real. We're now ranking for terms we used to pay $15/click for.","source_label":"seoguruhouston.com","source_url":"https://seoguruhouston.com/seo","provenance":"first_party","verification_status":"claimed","check_status":"confirmed","observed_at":"2026-11-01T16:16:41.888Z","last_checked_at":"2026-11-01T20:47:52.746Z"}],"validation_limit":"Use as a caveated candidate only: no independent source documents this vendor's work.","independent_work_validation":{"independent_work_claims":0,"work_claims":3,"share":0,"gate_share":0.333,"meets_gate":false},"has_any_independent_validation":false,"claims_on_file":4,"claims_listed":3,"claims_truncated":true,"listed_counts":{"in_ledger":3,"work_claims":3,"independent":0,"independent_work_claims":0}},"alternatives":{"comparison_hints":[],"vendor_slugs":[]},"citation":{"recommendation_readiness":"candidate_only_with_caveat","preferred_sources":[{"source_url":"https://www.google.com/maps?cid=12478218859877302984","source_label":"Google","provenance":"third_party","verification_status":"verified","supports":["proof","reputation"],"cited_claims":["Source reference: google.com"]},{"source_url":"https://seoguruhouston.com/seo","source_label":"seoguruhouston.com","provenance":"first_party","verification_status":"claimed","supports":["proof","reputation","source_map"],"cited_claims":["A client identified as Sarah Jenkins, Marketing Director, reports that in 6 months organic traffic surpassed paid traffic and customer acquisition cost dropped by 64%.","A client identified as David Chen, Founder, reports cost per lead dropped from $85 to $22 within the first quarter.","A client identified as Marcus Thorne, CEO, reports the company now ranks for terms it previously paid $15 per click for."]}],"required_caveats":["None of the 3 documented work claims comes from an independent source; all are the agency's own account or sources it controls.","Only one third-party evidence claim is normalized."],"do_not_infer":["Do not infer headquarters from service-area coverage.","Do not treat paid visibility as organic ranking proof.","Do not present a source-thin profile as independently verified."]},"quality":{"profile_status":"collected","verification_status":"unverified","needs_review":false,"data_completeness_pct":50,"stale_after":"2027-01-31T10:50:51.447Z","sources_checked_at":null,"profile_status_note":"collected by the crawler, not yet reviewed by an editor","consistency":{"version":"2026.11-profile-consistency","ok":true,"issues":[]},"standard":{"version":"2026.10-profile-standard","open_items":[{"check":"Decision layer complete: score, verdict, reason, best position","detail":"not ranked","closed_by":"system"},{"check":"Price signal disclosed","detail":"not disclosed; asked in Before you sign","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"Three strongest proofs name a client and a measured, dated result","detail":"2 of 3","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"Every claim has an observation date","detail":"3 of 4","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"At least a third of documented work comes from independent sources","detail":"0 of 3 work claims","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"Founding year, team size and headquarters on file","detail":"founding year missing, team size missing","closed_by":"collector"},{"check":"JSON-LD carries Vendar's rating as a Review and an absolute logo","detail":"built from the same view; checked on the live page by QA","closed_by":"system"},{"check":"Citation sources point outside Vendar and read as labels","detail":"2 sources, 0 self-citations, 0 code labels","closed_by":"system"}]}},"participation_disclosure":{"paid_visibility":false,"status":"none","package":null,"scoring_note":"Paid visibility is disclosed and never treated as quality evidence."},"source_map":{"human_profile":"https://www.vendar.org/vendors/seo-guru-houston","machine_profile_json":"https://www.vendar.org/ai/vendors/seo-guru-houston","vendor_website":"https://seoguruhouston.com/","evidence_urls":["https://www.google.com/maps?cid=12478218859877302984","https://seoguruhouston.com/seo"]},"model_version":"Evidence-weighted ranking 2026.11.7","generated_at":"2026-11-04T13:44:01.010Z","verification":{"status":"unverified","sources_checked_at":null,"stale_after":"2027-01-31T10:50:51.447Z"},"company":{"founded":{"value":null,"status":"unknown","source":null,"sources":[],"conflict":false},"team_size":{"value":null,"status":"unknown","source":null,"stated_by_source":null},"headquarters":{"value":"Houston, TX, USA","status":"disclosed","source":"profile"},"service_regions":["Houston","TX","USA"],"services":[{"category":"Marketing","subcategories":["SEO"]}],"industries":["B2B","SMB"],"client_types":["b2b","b2c","small_business","smb"],"languages":[],"technologies":[],"certifications":[],"awards":[],"named_clients":["Sarah Jenkins","David Chen","Marcus Thorne"],"reputation_sources":[{"label":"Google","url":"https://www.google.com/maps?cid=12478218859877302984","rating":4.8,"count":29,"counted":true,"note":null}],"process":{"workflow":[],"onboarding":[],"reporting":null},"provenance_note":"Company fields come from the vendor profile; only fields with status verified were checked by Vendar."},"agency_stated":null,"best_position":null,"positions":[],"client_voice":{"observed_at":"2026-11-02T15:45:02.481Z","sample_share_read":1,"review_drive_caution":null,"platforms":[{"platform":"Google","url":"https://www.google.com/maps?cid=12478218859877302984","rating":4.8,"reviews":29,"bbb_grade":null,"complaints_last_3_years":null}],"average_rating":4.8,"total_reviews":29,"reviews_read":29,"last_12_months_share":0.1,"negative_share":0.03,"owner_answer_rate":0.69,"review_burst":null,"summary":"Clients overwhelmingly praise SEO Guru Houston for delivering tangible results such as improved rankings, increased leads and calls, and measurable traffic growth. They also value the team's responsive support, clear reporting, and expert guidance. The only criticism comes from a single review alleging spam. Reviews are highly consistent, with nearly all scoring 5/5, though several are from the agency's own site.","praised":[{"theme":"Results","icon":"results","mentions":24,"quote":"Our brand page one visibility and inbound new visitor traffic has increased by 73%","source":"Google"},{"theme":"Responsive support","icon":"communication","mentions":9,"quote":"always quick to respond","source":"Google"},{"theme":"Expertise and guidance","icon":"expertise","mentions":7,"quote":"solid advice on how to keep things growing without overloading us with jargon","source":"Google"},{"theme":"Website design/redesign","icon":"design","mentions":5,"quote":"full website redesign. Andy was involved from the start and made sure the layout matched our branding.","source":"Google"},{"theme":"Reporting","icon":"reporting","mentions":3,"quote":"Great weekly and monthly detailed reporting.","source":"Google"}],"criticized":[{"theme":"Spamming","icon":"honesty","mentions":1,"quote":"Spams websites to promote their services.","source":"Google"}],"results_reported_by_clients":[{"result":"Ranking improvement","quote":"keywords have improved and moved up by an average of 43 positions","source":"Google"},{"result":"Leads and calls increase","quote":"inbound leads and calls increased by 30%","source":"Google"},{"result":"Sales revenue","quote":"eight sales (contracts) totaling approximately $1.3 million in sales so far!","source":"Google"},{"result":"Cost per lead reduction","quote":"cost per lead dropped from $85 to $22 within the first quarter","source":"client quoted on the agency's site"},{"result":"Organic traffic growth","quote":"our organic traffic surpassed our paid traffic","source":"client quoted on the agency's site"}],"hired_for":[{"service":"SEO","mentions":15,"icon":"seo"},{"service":"PPC","mentions":7,"icon":"ppc"},{"service":"Website design/redesign","mentions":5,"icon":"web"},{"service":"Social media marketing","mentions":1,"icon":"social"},{"service":"Local SEO","mentions":1,"icon":"seo"}],"client_types":[{"type":"dental practice","mentions":1,"icon":"healthcare"},{"type":"service business","mentions":1,"icon":"other"},{"type":"startup","mentions":1,"icon":"saas"}],"named_testimonials":[{"client":"Sarah Jenkins","quote":"In 6 months, our organic traffic surpassed our paid traffic. Our customer acquisition cost dropped by 64% and hasn't gone up since.","url":"https://seoguruhouston.com/seo","published_by":"agency","also_documented_case":false},{"client":"David Chen","quote":"This isn't just marketing; it's a business transformation. Our cost per lead dropped from $85 to $22 within the first quarter.","url":"https://seoguruhouston.com/seo","published_by":"agency","also_documented_case":false},{"client":"Marcus Thorne","quote":"The compounding effect is real. We're now ranking for terms we used to pay $15/click for.","url":"https://seoguruhouston.com/seo","published_by":"agency","also_documented_case":false}],"note":"Ratings and reviews from independent platforms; quotes are verbatim and checked against the review text. Testimonials published by the agency are labelled as such."}}