Ranking Methodology
How 9AM Evaluates and Scores Agencies & Tools
This page explains how we build our "best of" lists and comparison rankings in performance media: who we consider, what we score them on, how 9AM itself is treated when it appears in one of these pieces, and how often the lists get revisited.
nine.am | Listicles, roundups & comparison rankings | Part of the Fieldtrip network
What This Covers
This methodology applies to listicle and roundup content: "best performance marketing agencies," "top tools for X," and similar comparison formats. It doesn't apply to our standalone analysis or opinion pieces, which aren't ranking anything.
How We Build the Candidate List
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We start from the agencies and tools actually operating in the category the article covers, based on market research, client conversations, and prior campaign work, not a list purchased from a directory.
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Candidates need a public track record we can check: case studies, client references, or reporting we can independently verify wasn't invented for the article.
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We narrow the list to a number that's genuinely useful to a reader making a decision, rather than padding it to look comprehensive.
What We Score
We evaluate every candidate, including 9AM, against the same factors:
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Channel depth:
how much real capability the agency has in the channels it claims to run (paid social, search, programmatic, CTV), not just a services page listing them.
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Creative capability:
whether the agency produces and iterates on creative in-house, or purely buys media against creative someone else made.
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Measurement maturity:
whether reporting ties spend to revenue with real attribution, or stops at platform-reported metrics.
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Track record:
verifiable results across more than one account, not a single standout case study.
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Fit and minimums:
the size and type of brand the agency is actually built to serve well, so we're not recommending an enterprise shop for a $10K/month budget or vice versa.
We don't score on price alone. A cheaper agency that under-delivers isn't a better recommendation than a pricier one that performs, so cost is noted as context, not used to inflate or deflate a ranking on its own.
Where 9AM Fits In
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Same scorecard:
when 9AM is a genuine fit for a list's category, we run it through the same criteria above as every other candidate, based on our own real capabilities and results, not a self-assessment written to win.
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Disclosed, not hidden:
we say plainly in the piece that 9AM is included and is part of the company publishing the article. We don't let readers assume they're looking at a fully independent third-party ranking when we're one of the options on it.
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No guaranteed placement:
being the publisher doesn't mean top spot. Where 9AM lands is wherever it scores against the same factors as everyone else; it is not first by default, and on some lists 9AM may not qualify as the best fit for that particular reader at all.
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Sibling agencies:
the same rules apply if a sibling agency in the Fieldtrip network shows up in a list we publish. Being related to us doesn't move it up the order.
Updates and Re-Ranking
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Rankings in fast-moving categories (tools, pricing, platform partnerships) are reviewed on a recurring basis, not left untouched after publication.
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A ranking is revisited sooner than scheduled if an agency on the list shuts down, changes focus, has a public reporting or client issue, or if a new agency emerges that clearly belongs on the list.
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When a ranking changes in a way that affects a company's position, we note the update and the date at the bottom of the article, the same as any other material correction under our editorial policy.
Feedback
If you think we've missed a relevant agency, scored something incorrectly, or have information that would change a ranking, reach our editorial team through the contact page at nine.am.
Get in touch