Selected Projects: the public references worth your time first

The almanac has no client work of its own to show, so this page is a short reading list instead. Each source is a public document that a small business owner can open and check for themselves. Nothing here is a case study, and nothing here is a sales page. Read them before you pay anyone for search or online marketing help. Each one is there for a specific question a buyer tends to ask.

A short looped clip. The reading itself starts below.

We would rather point you at a document you can check than at work we cannot show you.

What the almanac can honestly point to

The five sources on this page were picked for one reason: each answers a question a small business owner is likely to face. Three describe what a provider should say and what a provider must never do. The other three describe the rules that come with the work, from the listing platform a business uses, the federal regulator for reviews, and the state law on advertising. None of them ranks firms, and none of them recommends a business. We chose them because a reader can check each claim against the source itself. This is one owner’s selection, not a complete library, so a reader who finds a better source should use it instead.

Why these five made the cut and the others did not

Two people at a whiteboard covered in sticky notes, one of them pointing at a plan drawn on it — A plan on a whiteboard is only as good as the reasons written beside each step, and that is the test this list applies to every source.

Three people laughing together over an open laptop at a wooden table — A source made the cut when a reader could take it into a meeting with a provider and use it as a shared reference.

Walking through the five, column by column

What a provider should answer

Google’s guide Do you need an SEO? says the best time to bring in help is while you are considering a site redesign. It lists questions to put to a provider, including whether they follow Google Search Essentials, what results to expect and in what timeframe, and how success is measured. It also says that no one can guarantee a number-one ranking. What it leaves out is price, so it cannot tell you what a fair fee looks like.

What a provider must not do

Google’s spam policies define link spam as links made mainly to manipulate rankings. They also explain that paid links are acceptable when they carry rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored”. The FTC’s questions and answers on its reviews rule note that the rule took effect on October 21, 2024, and allows courts to impose civil penalties for knowing violations. Together they cover fake and bought reviews and paid links. Neither one judges the quality of the work a provider does.

The rules that come with the work

New Hampshire’s Consumer Protection Act, RSA 358-A:2, makes unfair or deceptive acts in trade or commerce unlawful. It names advertising goods or services with intent not to sell them as advertised. The FTC’s CAN-SPAM compliance guide covers business-to-business email too, and requires honouring opt-outs within 10 business days. Penalties reach $53,088 for each violating email. Neither document says how a court would read a particular claim, so a lawyer is the right person for that.

The method for judging a whole offer, line by line, is set out on the Tech Explained page. Read that first if you are about to sign anything. Come back here for the public sources behind the questions. Each source above is a starting point for a question, not a verdict on any business.