Certification
Certification IndependenceServices never buy a certificate
Purchasing consulting, training, audits, software, or partnership services from GeoAI Optimization does not influence certification eligibility, assessment results, or certification decisions.
Why this matters
GeoAI Optimization both certifies GEO capability and sells GEO services. Without separation, a client could reasonably wonder whether a certificate was earned or bought. These rules remove that doubt.
What is kept separate
| Activity | Rule |
|---|---|
| Consulting and audits | Never part of an assessment. A consulting client is assessed exactly like anyone else. |
| Training | Optional and separate. Trainers do not assess candidates they trained. |
| Assessment | Scored only against published criteria by an Assessment Reviewer. |
| Certification decision | Made by the Certification Decision Authority, never by the assessor. |
| Verification | Public and automatic: the registry shows status from the certificate record. |
| Complaints | Handled by the Complaints Handler, who has no commercial target. |
| Appeals | Heard by someone not involved in the assessment or decision. |
Operational controls
- Eligibility and assessment criteria are published before anyone applies.
- Assessors declare any commercial relationship with an applicant before assessing; a declared conflict means a different assessor.
- Commercial staff cannot change a certificate. Only the certification roles can, and every change is audit-logged.
- Partner status and certification status are recorded and displayed separately.
- The agency directory lists certified agencies alphabetically. Placement cannot be bought.
While the organization is small
One person may hold more than one role, but never two roles on the same application: whoever assesses an application does not decide it, and whoever decides it does not hear its appeal. If separation on a case is not possible, the application waits until an eligible person is available.
If you think these rules were broken
Use the report form. Reports about the certification process itself are handled under the same complaints procedure as reports about certified parties.
Certification on its own terms
Apply directly. No other purchase is required or helps.