EST. — 2022
Officiating since day 1

The Marketing referees helping you win the game

Someone stopped paying attention, efforts are being neglected or shifted to stuff that doesn't sell, and now you're stuck in the sludge. Get an independent review of your ads, website, SEO, AI and analytics, the way a referee reviews the game: by the rulebook, with the evidence on tape, and with nothing to sell you afterward.

Independent calls on: Search & AI Visibility - Paid Media - Analytics & Tracking
🚩 FLAG ON THE PLAY · VANITY METRICS · 15-YARD PENALTY 🚩 UNTRACKED SPEND · LOSS OF DOWN 🚩 DARK-PATTERN UX · UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT 🚩 NO ATTRIBUTION · DELAY OF GAME 🚩 FLAG ON THE PLAY · VANITY METRICS · 15-YARD PENALTY 🚩 UNTRACKED SPEND · LOSS OF DOWN 🚩 DARK-PATTERN UX · UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT 🚩 NO ATTRIBUTION · DELAY OF GAME
Our services

Pick your problem. Find your play.

Each service is designed for specific challenges in your marketing game. Start with the one that sounds like you and get connected.

"Our numbers don't add up, and we don't trust the data."

Marketing Analytics

A tracking map of Events, Tags, your CMS and CRM, so you can see the gaps, double-counts and broken conversions before you trust a report.

FROM $249 · Tracking Audit
For marketing & analytics leads
Explore→

"People visit our site, but too many leave without taking action."

Customer Journey Audit

We walk the path from first click to conversion and flag the friction, confusing messages and missed moments that cost you leads.

ONE-ON-ONE · by application
For marketing & conversion teams
Explore→

"We have a cookie banner. But does it actually work?"

Cookie & Consent Audit

We check whether your banner really blocks tags until consent, and whether your tracking still works once visitors say yes.

START FREE · Free Compliance Quiz
For site owners & privacy teams
Explore→

"We need experienced marketing leadership without a full-time hire."

Fractional Marketing Advisor

Senior, independent guidance on strategy, agency oversight, budget and hiring, by the call, the block, or on retainer.

$110/HR · hours never expire
For founders, CEOs & lean teams
Explore→

Not ready to commit? Run the Free Flag Check, a 60-second homepage scan graded A to F. No card or call required.

Throw the Flags →
⎯ How It Works

From first flag to a clear fix list.

Start free. Only go deeper when the first look gives you a reason to.

01
Free

Free Flag Check

Enter your URL and get a homepage scan graded A to F, with your top flags called out. About a minute. No card, no call.

02
30-45 Mins

Scoping Call

A live review of what you're seeing, so the audit covers the right channels and nothing you don't need.

04
Ongoing

Advisor on Call

Keep the Ref close while your team or agency makes the fixes. Hourly advice, no implementation upsell.

Not sure where to start?

Tell us what's going wrong.

Pick the one that sounds most like your situation. We'll point you to the right call, and the simplest way to start.

The Ref's Call

Marketing Audit

An independent review of search and AI visibility, paid media and analytics. You get a scorecard, a prioritized fix list, a summary deck and a walkthrough call. Single-Channel, Two-Channel or Complete.

First step
Book a Scoping Call so we audit the right channels.
From $999 · 5 to 10 business days
See the Marketing Audit→
The Ref's Call

Marketing Analytics

We map every tag, event and conversion across your analytics, Tag Manager, your CMS and CRM, then flag what's missing, duplicated or misattributed. Upgrade to Core or Full for the fixes and team training.

First step
Start with the Tracking Audit, credited toward the next tier.
Tracking Audit $249 · Core $999 · Full $2,499
See Marketing Analytics→
The Ref's Call

Customer Journey Audit

We can walk every step digitally or physically your buyers take, from ad to landing page to form to follow-up, and flag the friction, mixed messages and dead ends between interest and action.

First step
Run the Free Flag Check to see your homepage grade first.
One-on-one · by application
See the Journey Audit→
The Ref's Call

Cookie & Consent Audit

We test whether your banner actually blocks tracking until consent, whether Consent Mode is wired correctly, and whether your data still flows once visitors opt in. Oh, and are you prepared for GPC yet?

First step
Run the Free Consent Check on your site.
Free check first
See the Consent Audit→
The Ref's Call

Fractional Marketing Advisor

Senior, independent guidance (or critic) on strategy, budget, agency oversight, etc. Book a single Strategy Call, a 10-Hour Block, or an Advisory Retainer. Sometimes you just need a human who gets it.

First step
Book a single Strategy Call to test the fit.
$110/hr retainer · hours never expire
See Advisory Options→
The Ref's Call

Free Flag Check

Enter your URL and get a homepage scan graded A to F across search, AI answers, site speed, tracking and messaging, with your top flags called out. It tells you where to look next. Put our process and output to the test.

First step
Just your URL and email. No card, no call.
Free · about 60 seconds
Throw the Flags→
Why The Marketing Ref

An independent call makes all the difference.

Agencies grade their own homework. Your team is too close to the play. A ref has no stake in the score, only in getting the call right.

No vendor agenda

Audits and advice only. We never recommend our own implementation inside an audit.

Straight calls

Plain-language findings, ranked by impact. No 80-page deck nobody reads.

14+ years on the field

Eight years at Apple, then agency and in-house work across B2B, B2C, and every industry and size.

⚑
Our guarantee

The Straight Call Guarantee

If your Marketing Audit doesn't show you something new, or the evidence behind what you suspected, tell us within 7 days of the walkthrough call and get a full refund.

The tape doesn't lie

Real flags. Real results.

More about the Ref →
Search & AI visibility
+1,300%
Non-branded organic traffic / day

Life Time

Continuous SEO maintenance across 10K pages built for search, AI, and whatever is next.

[4+ years · SEO & Analytics Support]
Paid media
+886%
Paid conversions · CPA $52.00 to $10.23

BombBomb

Audited and updated their paid ad campaign mix, cleaner conversions, more congruent buyer journeys

[1 year · Paid Ads Support]
Analytics & tracking
10+
Portfolio brands on one analytics SOP

Alpine Investors

A portfolio of SaaS businesses that needed SOPs for analytics, tracking, and reporting.

[9 months · Marketing Analytics Support]
Teams we've officiated for
CivicPlus
Slumberland
Brinks Home
Ametek
DoorLoop
Demio
The Bench

Expert Services

✓ Marketing Audits
✓ Strategy Calls
✓ Fractional Advisory
Book the Ref
The Archive

Knowledge Repository

✓ The Official Rulebook
✓ Flagged Campaign Library
✓ Historical Play Archive
Enter the archive
Ready for an objective call?

Stop Guessing What's Working

Book a Marketing Audit. It starts with a 30 to 45 minute Scoping Call where we tell you what we see — the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Book A Marketing Audit →