Editorial policy

Comparisons are written by the editorial team from vendor documentation and first-hand account work. Every fact is hedged, dated, and left out when it cannot be checked.

How comparisons are researched

Guides comparing tools and agencies describe what each option is built for, who it suits and what to check before paying. Facts such as pricing tiers, features, integrations and supported platforms are taken from each vendor's own site and documentation at the time of writing. Where the site itself is unclear, the fact is described in general terms (for example "a self-serve tool with a free tier") rather than as a specific number. The method and the questions every option is compared on are on how we grade.

What first-hand use means

The people who write here run e-commerce ad accounts every day, across Google, Meta, Amazon and the platforms stores sell on. That experience shapes the questions asked and the practices described. It does not mean every tool in a guide has been used by the team. A guide says plainly when a tool was not used for it, and a product, tool or agency only receives a letter grade on the evidence of first-hand use, with the page saying so.

How facts are hedged and dated

• Prices and plan limits are described as models and bands, never quoted as a figure unless the vendor publishes it, and always with "check the vendor's pricing page".
• Every guide and every listed item carries the date its facts were last checked. When a fact changes, the page is updated and the date moves with it.
• Worked examples use round, illustrative numbers and say so. They are not client results.
• Case study results are the publisher's own claims, attributed to them as reported, and are not verified by Ecom Graded.
• When a fact cannot be confirmed, it is left out rather than guessed.

Grades

Letter grades from A to F are given to setups and practices, such as campaign structures, tracking setups or feed rules, with the reasons written next to every grade. Companies, products and tools are compared, not graded.

How listings are reviewed for fit

Submitting a tool, agency, freelancer or learning resource is free. Every submission is read and checked against the category it would sit in: does it do the job the category describes, for online stores, with a public site that states what it does and how it is priced? If it fits, it is listed with the date its facts were last checked. If it does not, it is not listed. Listings are facts about the option, not grades.

How corrections work

If something on a page is wrong or out of date, tell us on the contact pagewith the page and the fact. Corrections that check out against the vendor's own site are made and the last checked date moves. Disagreements about judgement are noted where the page allows it.

Who writes this

The site is run by the founder of an e-commerce marketing agency, and written by the Ecom Graded editorial team. More on the about page.