Terms of Service
1. About these terms
These terms govern your use of the Searchlight website and the SEO and Google review management services provided by Searchlight ("Searchlight", "we", "us"). Searchlight is a small business run by its owner, so "we" and "us" mean Searchlight and its owner. By using the site or buying a service, you agree to them. If you sign a separate written agreement or proposal with us, that document controls where it conflicts with these terms.
2. Using the website
You may use this site for lawful purposes only. Do not attempt to disrupt it, scrape it at scale, or submit false or misleading information through our forms. The free audit is provided for information and may be limited to one per business. Do not submit other people's personal information through our forms without their permission. Content on the site is for general information and is not professional advice.
3. Our services
We provide the services described in your proposal or order, which may include local SEO, technical SEO, content and on-page work, link building, AI search optimization, and Google review management (requesting, monitoring and responding to reviews). Anything not described in your proposal is out of scope unless we agree to it in writing. We may use trusted contractors and software tools, including AI tools (such as Claude), to help prepare audits and drafts. The owner reviews the work before it is delivered, and we remain responsible for it.
4. No guarantees of results
Search engines such as Google control their own rankings and change their algorithms and policies without notice. We do not guarantee any particular ranking, traffic level, number of leads, number of reviews, review rating, or revenue. Any figures on our website or in conversations (including example dashboards and our own results) are illustrations, not promises, and results vary by business, market and competition. What we do commit to is performing the agreed work with reasonable skill and care and reporting on it honestly.
5. Review services rules
We help you earn genuine reviews from real customers, as explained in our Review Policy. In providing review services:
- We do not write, buy, sell or post fake reviews, and we do not ask anyone to.
- We do not offer or permit incentives (discounts, gifts, entries or payment) in exchange for reviews.
- We do not "gate" reviews. Review requests go to all customers you choose, not only those likely to be happy, and everyone is directed to the same public Google review link.
- We cannot remove reviews. Only Google decides what is removed; we can help you flag reviews that appear to break Google's policies and draft professional replies.
- We may decline or stop any task that we reasonably believe breaks the law or platform rules, and doing so is not a breach of these terms.
You confirm that you have the right to contact the customers whose details you give us, that those customers have given any consent the law requires for email or text messages, and that you will honor opt-outs.
6. Your responsibilities
- Give us timely access to your website, analytics, Google Business Profile and other accounts we need, and keep that information accurate.
- Give us timely feedback and approvals. Delays on your side may delay results.
- Make sure the content, products, claims and licenses on your site and listings are lawful and accurate.
- Keep ownership of your accounts. We will ask for the least access needed, and you may remove our access at any time.
7. Fees and payment
Fees are as stated in your proposal or on our pricing page at the time you sign up. At the time of writing, one-time services are Review Kickstart ($99), Review + Profile Setup ($199) and SEO Cleanup ($400 to $600, confirmed before work starts); monthly plans are Local Starter ($299 per month), Growth ($699 per month) and Scale (quoted). Add-on jobs are scoped and priced up front. Prices can change for new clients, but not for an active client during a locked-in period. Monthly fees are billed in advance on the same date each month by card or bank transfer. One-time setup fees are due upfront, before work starts. Third-party costs (such as software, directory fees or ad spend) are not included unless stated. Late payments may delay or pause work, and we may charge 1.5% per month or the legal maximum, whichever is less on overdue balances. Founding-client pricing (for example, Growth at $499 per month for the first three Growth clients) is locked for 12 months from the start date and then moves to the regular price unless we agree otherwise in writing. Founding pricing starts with the same 90-day initial term. We may ask founding clients for an honest testimonial after the work is delivered; giving one is optional, is never a condition of the price or the service, and is never required to be positive.
8. Term and cancellation
- Initial term: Monthly plans begin with a 90-day minimum term.
- After 90 days: The plan continues month-to-month. You may cancel at any time after the initial term by giving us at least 30 days' written notice (email is fine). You will pay for services through the end of the notice period.
- During the initial term: If you cancel before the 90 days end, the remaining months of the initial term are still due, except where we materially fail to deliver the agreed services and do not fix the problem within 15 days of your written notice.
- One-time services (such as Review Kickstart and Review + Profile Setup) are non-refundable once work has started, except where we fail to deliver what was agreed.
- By us: We may end the service on 30 days' notice, or immediately if you do not pay, break these terms, or ask us to do something unlawful or against platform rules. We will refund any prepaid fees for work we did not perform.
- After ending: We will return or remove our access to your accounts, give you a copy of reports and deliverables you have paid for, and delete customer contact lists as described in our Privacy Policy.
9. Ownership of work
You own the website content, Google Business Profile, reviews and data that belong to you. Once you have paid in full, you own the content and deliverables we create specifically for you (such as articles and page copy). We keep ownership of our own tools, templates, processes, and general know-how, and we may reuse them for other clients. We may mention that you are a client only with your written permission, and we may use your testimonial or a case study only if you have agreed in writing.
10. Confidentiality and privacy
Each of us will keep the other's non-public business information confidential and use it only for the services. This does not cover information that is public or that must be disclosed by law. How we handle personal information is explained in our Privacy Policy.
11. Disclaimers
The website and services are provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent the law allows, we disclaim all warranties not stated in these terms, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We are not responsible for actions of Google or other third parties, including ranking changes, penalties, listing suspensions, review removals or outages.
12. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent the law allows, Searchlight will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue, data or goodwill, even if we were told they were possible. Our total liability for any claim relating to the services or these terms is limited to the fees you paid us for the services in the 12 months before the event giving rise to the claim.
Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, such as for fraud or willful misconduct. Some states do not allow certain limits, so parts of this section may not apply to you.
13. Indemnity
You agree to cover reasonable losses and costs we incur from third-party claims arising from content, access or customer contact lists you provided, or your breach of these terms or the law. We will do the same for claims that our work, as delivered by us, infringes a third party's rights, other than material you supplied.
14. Governing law and disputes
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. We will try to resolve any dispute informally first: write to us and allow 30 days. If that fails, disputes will be decided in the state or federal courts located in Dallas County, Texas, and both of us consent to that venue.
15. General
These terms, together with any signed proposal, are our entire agreement on this subject. If a part is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect. Not enforcing a term is not a waiver of it. You may not transfer your rights without our consent. We may update these terms; changes apply to new engagements immediately and to existing ones after 30 days' notice. Neither party is liable for delays caused by events beyond its reasonable control. Notices to us go to the email below.
16. Contact
Searchlight · Dallas, Texas
Reach us through the form on our site. A mailing address is available on request.
Searchlight is based in Dallas, Texas. Searchlight is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google LLC.