How we rank
Criteria and weights
We judge every agency on the same 10 criteria. The same list, with the same weights, is the free scorecard we suggest you use yourself.
| # | Criterion | Weight | What we look at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portfolio relevance | 20% | Does the public work show the kind of project you are hiring for, in a similar market? |
| 2 | Case-study evidence | 10% | Do case studies state the problem, the agency's role, the date and an outcome? |
| 3 | Who does the work | 10% | Are the people who will do the work named, and are senior people involved after the pitch? |
| 4 | Service fit | 10% | Is your project the agency's core service, or a side offer? |
| 5 | Process clarity | 10% | Is the working process described, with phases, reviews and decision points? |
| 6 | Pricing and engagement transparency | 10% | Does the agency publish prices, budget bands or at least its engagement models? |
| 7 | Verified San Francisco presence | 10% | Does the agency's own site give a San Francisco street address? |
| 8 | References and track record * | 10% | Will past clients on similar projects talk to you, and do they rehire the agency? |
| 9 | Ownership and handoff terms * | 5% | Do you own the work and source files on payment, and is the handoff list written down? |
| 10 | Communication and responsiveness * | 5% | How fast and how clearly did they answer during the pitch? |
* Criteria 8 to 10 need a conversation with the agency or its clients. Our public rankings use criteria 1 to 7 only (80% of the total), rescaled to 100. Criteria 8 to 10 are for you to score during the pitch.
Who gets in
An agency appears in a San Francisco ranking only if its own website gives a San Francisco street address, or names San Francisco as an office and we can confirm it another way. Firms that call themselves "San Francisco" but list an address elsewhere (San Jose, Mountain View, Daly City, San Rafael) are named in an "excluded" note instead.
Data sources
We use what each company publishes itself: its website, case studies, contact page and any public pricing. We do not use paid placements, anonymous reviews or ratings we cannot trace. When a fact cannot be confirmed we say so.
Prices
Few San Francisco agencies publish prices. When an agency does not, we may show the minimum project size and hourly band from its Clutch profile, dated and linked. We only use a directory profile that has client reviews or whose address matches the agency's own website; otherwise we write "Not published". Directory figures are what the agency entered on its profile, not quotes.
Update cadence
Each entry shows a "Last verified" date. We re-check every ranking at least once a quarter and whenever an agency or reader sends a correction with a public source.
Full policy: editorial policy.