Trust CenterHow certification earns its credibility

The GeoAI Optimization GEO Standard is a proprietary professional framework developed by GeoAI Optimization. It defines ten assessment areas (the GEO-10 Framework), measurement requirements and ethical requirements. It is not an ISO standard and is not issued or endorsed by any government or AI provider.

Every certificate states the Standard version it was assessed against. Read the GEO Standard v1.0 and the changelog.

Certification decisions follow a fixed path: eligibility review, assessment, then a separate certification decision. Each step is performed by a defined role. See certification governance.

The Assessment Reviewer who scores an application never makes the certification decision on it. The Certification Decision Authority reviews the scores and the evidence and records the decision. Every decision is written to an audit log with the decision-maker and time.

Purchasing consulting, training, audits, software or partnership services from GeoAI Optimization does not influence certification eligibility, assessment results or certification decisions. Certification can be pursued without buying anything else. See certification independence.

Every certificate has a permanent public record at /verify/{certificate ID} showing its current status. Badges are rendered live from that record, so a suspended, expired or revoked credential stops showing as valid wherever the badge is embedded. Verify a certificate.

Certified professionals and agencies accept the code of conduct. Ethics is an assessed requirement, not a pledge: agencies must fully demonstrate it to be certified. See Ethical GEO.

Anyone can complain about a certified party, a badge, or GeoAI Optimization itself using the report form. Reports can be anonymous. The Complaints Handler acknowledges named reports and investigates every report.

Applicants may appeal a certification decision within 30 days. An Appeals Reviewer who was not involved in the original assessment or decision hears the appeal and gives the outcome in writing within 30 days of receiving it.

A certificate may be suspended while a credible complaint is investigated or for non-payment, and revoked for a confirmed breach of the code of conduct or certification terms, or for misrepresentation in an application. Revocation is final. The registry shows the status; reasons are not published.

Certificates are valid for 12 months. Renewal opens 60 days before expiry and reassesses the holder against the current Standard version. Agencies are also sampled on recent client reporting.

Minor versions clarify requirements; major versions change them. Proposed changes are published for at least 30 days of public comment before adoption. See how the Standard is developed.

Statistics on applications, decisions, suspensions, revocations, appeals and complaints will be published from system records once a full reporting period has passed. See the transparency page.