How agencies get listed on the Growth Partner Index
The Growth Partner Index is not an open marketplace. Records are collected from public sources, mostly automatically, and assessed against a published set of pillars. Those assessments are curated readings of public evidence rather than audits. Listings are never paid placements.
A different kind of directory
Most directories accept anyone willing to pay. We don't work that way.
The Growth Partner Index exists to serve buyers who need to trust every agency they see — founders, in-house growth leads, and procurement teams running real selection processes. That trust starts with how we decide who appears here.
No pay-to-play
Agencies cannot purchase a listing, a higher ranking, or removal of a competitor. There is no priced tier.
Editorial selection
Candidates are found through a mix of automated collection from public sources and editorial research. Not every qualified agency will be listed.
Merit-based ranking
Position is determined by the public methodology — credentials, portfolio, reputation — never payment.
Sources on file
Every listed agency is mapped to public source material you can open and judge yourself. We link the evidence; we don't audit the results in it.
What we look for
Four signals we weigh
These are not checkboxes, and they are not a pass/fail gate. They describe what an assessment looks for in the public evidence attached to a record.
Demonstrated Expertise
A real track record in a defined specialization. We look for case studies with named clients, disclosed outcomes, and operators behind the work — not adjective stacks.
Professional Credibility
Corroborated identity across the open web. Active LinkedIn presence, third-party reviews, press, podcasts, and conference appearances that line up with what the website claims.
Clear Specialization
Agencies that excel in a narrow surface area rather than promising every service. Deep expertise in a category we cover, with named senior operators retained on the account.
Buyer Readiness
Operational maturity to serve growth-stage and enterprise buyers: clear processes, measurement literacy, contractual hygiene, and the capacity to onboard a complex engagement.
How the process works
How a record gets here
The same pillars and the same public arithmetic apply whether we found the agency or it asked to be considered. How much attention any individual record has had varies, and the profile shows its review status where one is documented.
- 1
Discovery
Most records come from continuous, largely automated collection of public sources — case-study libraries, conference rosters, podcast guests, press and public references. Self-submissions are queued alongside them.
- 2
Evidence on file
Public source material is gathered into the record: case studies, press mentions, podcasts, conference talks, and directory listings. Each source is linked on the profile so you can open it. Agency-supplied PDFs are not treated as evidence.
- 3
Assessment
Records are assessed against the published pillars — proof of outcomes, category fit, creative-media integration, reputation, operating maturity, buyer fit, and freshness. These are curated assessments of public evidence, not audits, and legacy assessments stay provisional until reviewed in substance.
- 4
Published & maintained
Accepted agencies appear in category, location, and top-list pages. The published score is the arithmetic sum of the pillars, so it moves when a pillar assessment changes. Anyone can file a sourced correction.
What a listed agency gets
A spot that carries weight with real buyers
A limited set of partners per category — so each listing is meaningful — in front of founders, growth leaders, and procurement teams actively shortlisting.
Buyer visibility
Surfaced in category, location, and top-list pages where buyers shortlist.
Editorial profile
A structured profile with methodology score, evidence links, and disclosures.
AI-discoverable
Indexed for LLM-based research via structured data and llms.txt.
Linked evidence
Your sources shown next to your score, so buyers can check the basis for it — not a self-serve badge.
Request consideration
Think your agency belongs here?
Submissions are assessed against the same public pillars as records we collect ourselves. They are queued, and inclusion is selective and not guaranteed. We may follow up for additional public source material.
- Public evidence drives the review — share what's verifiable.
- Scored against the public methodology, not your pitch deck.
- Free to submit. There is no paid path to inclusion.
Frequently asked
Common questions about getting listed
Can I pay to be listed or rank higher?+
No. The Growth Partner Index does not accept payment for listings, position, or removal of competitors. Ranking is determined entirely by the public methodology score.
How long does the review take?+
Timelines vary with volume. We do not provide status updates on queued submissions. If a profile is added, you will be notified before it goes live.
Our agency is already listed — how do we update our profile?+
File a correction through the corrections page and include a source URL. Corrections that change a pillar assessment change the published score, because the score is the sum of the pillars.
Why might a qualified agency not be listed?+
We deliberately limit the number of agencies per category to keep the index useful for buyers. Not every qualified agency will be listed at any given time.
Already listed?
File a correction to update facts about your agency.