Terms of Service

Last Updated: August 29, 2026

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of EricStrate.com, its free tools, paid audits, consulting services, optimization services, reports, and related professional services provided by Eric Strate (“Eric Strate,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

By using this website, submitting information, purchasing a service, or completing checkout, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not purchase or use the applicable paid service.

1. Electronic Acceptance of These Terms

Paid services are offered subject to these Terms and to the service description displayed on EricStrate.com and during checkout at the time of purchase.

Immediately before purchasing, customers are provided notice that paid professional services are subject to these Terms and the applicable refund policy.

By clicking an Order, Buy, Purchase, or similar purchase button, proceeding to Stripe Checkout, affirmatively accepting the Terms where requested by Stripe, and completing payment, you confirm that:

• You have had an opportunity to review these Terms before purchasing.
• You understand the scope of the service being purchased.
• You understand that the service is customized for one submitted webpage unless otherwise stated.
• You understand and accept the refund and cancellation policy described below.
• You authorize the amount displayed at checkout to be charged through the selected payment method.

If you do not agree with these Terms, you must not complete the purchase.

2. Nature of the Services

Eric Strate provides professional services related to Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), Google AI search, entity clarity, answer structure, citations, structured data, content, and related search strategy.

Paid audits are individually prepared professional services. Proprietary software, automated analysis, AI-assisted research, search tools, and other technology may be used to assist the analysis, but paid deliverables are personally prepared and reviewed by Eric Strate.

3. Expert Single-Page AEO Audit

The Expert Single-Page AEO Audit applies to one submitted public webpage.

Depending on the page and the issues identified, the audit may include:

• Page-level SEO and search foundation review
• Answer readiness and extractability analysis
• Entity clarity analysis
• Citation and evidence analysis
• Structured data analysis
• Google AI Overview considerations
• AEO and GEO analysis
• AI query coverage and fan-out query research
• Buyer-intent prompt testing
• Point-in-time AI visibility research
• ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Search, or similar platform observations where applicable
• Competitive citation observations where appropriate
• Rewritten answer-first examples where useful
• Structured data recommendations or examples where appropriate
• Prioritized page-specific recommendations

Not every possible audit component will necessarily apply to every webpage. Professional judgment is used to determine which findings and recommendations are materially relevant.

4. Audit + Strategy Consultation

The Audit + Strategy Consultation includes the applicable single-page AEO audit plus a private strategy consultation with Eric Strate.

The consultation may address audit findings, implementation priorities, AI search observations, query strategy, citations, entities, content, and other matters reasonably related to the single audited webpage.

Unless separately agreed in writing, consultation time does not include implementation of the recommendations.

5. Audit + Optimization

The Audit + Optimization service includes the applicable audit, strategy consultation, and page-level implementation work for the single audited webpage.

Unless another scope is agreed in writing, implementation is limited to the highest-priority page-level improvements identified and agreed upon for the engagement.

Implementation may include reasonable changes to:

• Existing page copy
• Headings and answer structure
• Title and meta information
• Citations and supporting evidence
• Internal links
• Entity clarity
• Page-specific structured data
• Other directly related page-level elements

Unless separately agreed in writing, the following are outside the scope of the single-page service:

• Additional URLs
• Sitewide SEO work
• Website redesigns
• Theme or template development
• Major technical repairs
• Backlink acquisition
• New landing-page development
• Extensive custom programming
• Work unrelated to the submitted page

6. Submitted Webpage

Paid services are performed for the webpage submitted during checkout or otherwise confirmed in writing.

You are responsible for submitting the correct URL.

If you request analysis of a different webpage after work begins, that page may require a separate engagement or additional fee.

You represent that you own, manage, control, or are otherwise authorized to request analysis or optimization of the submitted webpage.

7. Prices and Payment

The price displayed on EricStrate.com and in Stripe Checkout at the time of purchase controls for that transaction.

All required charges will be disclosed before payment, excluding government-imposed taxes where applicable.

Payments are processed through Stripe or another disclosed third-party payment processor. EricStrate.com does not directly store complete payment-card numbers or card security codes.

8. All Sales Final and Refund Policy

Paid services reserve professional availability and may involve custom research, analysis, testing, planning, preparation, or implementation specifically for the purchaser and submitted webpage.

Buyer remorse, a change in business priorities, failure to use the report, disagreement with a professional recommendation, changes made by a search engine or AI platform, or a decision not to implement recommendations do not create a right to a refund.

Nothing in these Terms limits any refund, cancellation, or other right that applicable law does not permit the customer to waive.

Unsuitable Page or Engagement

Eric Strate reserves the right, in his discretion, to cancel an engagement and issue a full refund if initial review determines that:

• The submitted page is not reasonably suitable for the purchased service;
• The engagement cannot responsibly be completed;
• The requested work presents an unacceptable legal, ethical, security, or technical concern; or
• There are insufficient material opportunities to justify the purchased audit.

This discretionary refund provision does not create a general customer right to cancel a completed purchase.

9. Consultations, Scheduling, and No-Shows

Consultation appointments may generally be rescheduled once with at least 24 hours’ notice.

Missed appointments or cancellation or rescheduling requests made less than 24 hours before the scheduled consultation may result in forfeiture of the consultation portion of the service unless Eric Strate agrees otherwise.

10. Delivery and Fulfillment

Paid AEO audits are custom professional services and are not promised as instant automated reports.

Reports may be delivered through email, a private download link, PDF, private online document, or another reasonable electronic method.

Delivery estimates displayed on the website are good-faith estimates rather than guaranteed deadlines unless a written agreement expressly states otherwise.

You are responsible for providing a valid email address and monitoring that address for communications relating to the engagement.

11. Proof of Delivery and Service Completion

For purposes of documenting fulfillment, Eric Strate may retain reasonable business records relating to the engagement, including:

• Order and payment confirmation
• The URL submitted for audit
• Checkout information supplied by the customer
• Customer communications
• Audit research records
• Delivery timestamps
• Email delivery records
• Private report or file-access logs where available
• Consultation scheduling and attendance records
• Implementation records and change logs where applicable

12. Payment Disputes and Chargebacks

If you believe there is an error involving a charge or a problem with fulfillment, you are encouraged to contact Eric Strate promptly so the matter can be reviewed.

Nothing in these Terms eliminates any dispute right that cannot legally or contractually be waived.

If a payment dispute or chargeback is filed relating to a legitimate purchase, Eric Strate may provide the payment processor, acquiring bank, card issuer, card network, or other appropriate party with relevant evidence concerning the transaction and fulfillment of the purchased service.

Such evidence may include:

• The service description presented at purchase
• The price presented at purchase
• The refund and cancellation policy
• Evidence of acceptance of these Terms during checkout
• Customer information supplied during checkout
• Email and other customer communications
• Audit or consultation records
• Evidence of report delivery or access
• Evidence of implementation work
• Other information reasonably relevant to the dispute

13. AI Search, Citation, and Prompt Testing

Paid audits may include point-in-time testing of prompts, queries, brand visibility, cited sources, or related behavior across platforms such as Google Search, Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT, Perplexity, or other search and answer-engine systems.

These systems are dynamic. Results may vary based on:

• Date and time
• User location
• Prompt wording
• Account state
• Personalization
• Search history
• Model version
• Index updates
• Platform experiments
• Third-party system changes

Screenshots and observations in an audit document what was observed during the research period. They do not promise the same result for every user or at a later date.

14. No Ranking, Citation, Traffic, or Revenue Guarantee

Eric Strate does not control Google, OpenAI, Perplexity, Microsoft, Anthropic, other search engines, answer engines, AI models, or third-party platforms.

No service guarantees:

• A specific Google ranking
• Google AI Overview inclusion
• A ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, or other AI citation
• A specific brand mention
• Increased organic traffic
• Increased leads or conversions
• Increased revenue
• Continued visibility after optimization

Recommendations are professional opinions based on the information and conditions reasonably available at the time of the engagement.

15. 30-Day or Other Retesting

Certain services may include a later retest of selected queries, prompts, citations, or search observations.

A retest compares point-in-time observations. It does not promise that search engines or AI systems will crawl, process, rank, cite, mention, or display the submitted page within any particular period.

16. Free AEO Checker

The Free AEO Checker and other free tools available through EricStrate.com are provided for informational and educational purposes.

A free AEO Readiness Score is a proprietary diagnostic and is not a score issued by Google, OpenAI, Perplexity, or another search or AI platform.

Free tools may be rate-limited, modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time.

17. Proprietary Methodology

Eric Strate may use proprietary software, scoring systems, research methods, internal prompts, automation, AI-assisted tools, manual analysis, and other methods in performing services.

Purchasing a service provides the customer with the agreed findings, recommendations, and deliverables. It does not transfer ownership of or provide access to:

• Internal scoring formulas
• Weighting systems
• Software source code
• Internal prompts
• Detection rules or thresholds
• Private research frameworks
• Other confidential methodology

18. Client Use of Deliverables

You retain ownership of your pre-existing website, content, trademarks, and materials.

Upon full payment, you may use page-specific recommendations, rewritten content, structured data examples, and implementation materials prepared specifically for your engagement for your own business purposes.

Reports may be shared with your employees, developers, agencies, contractors, attorneys, and other professional advisers as reasonably necessary to evaluate or implement the recommendations.

You may not resell, white-label, publicly redistribute, license, or commercially reproduce Eric Strate’s proprietary audit system, scoring framework, methodology, report structure, or substantial portions thereof as a competing service without written permission.

19. Website and CMS Access

Optimization services may require temporary access to a content management system or website.

Access arrangements will be handled separately after purchase. Customers should not place passwords, API keys, private keys, or other sensitive credentials in Stripe custom fields or ordinary website forms.

Customers are responsible for maintaining appropriate website backups before implementation work begins.

20. Confidentiality

Non-public client information provided for an engagement will be used as reasonably necessary to perform the requested service and manage the business relationship.

Public webpages submitted for an audit are, by their nature, publicly accessible.

Customers should not send unnecessary sensitive personal information, financial account credentials, passwords, private keys, or card information.

21. Third-Party Services

Services may involve or reference third-party platforms including Stripe, Google, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Perplexity, WordPress, hosting providers, analytics services, or other technologies.

Eric Strate does not control and is not responsible for third-party outages, algorithm changes, policy changes, security incidents, account restrictions, availability, model changes, or other third-party conduct.

22. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, Eric Strate will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from the website or services, including lost profits, revenue, rankings, traffic, data, or business opportunity.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, aggregate liability arising from a particular paid engagement will not exceed the amount actually paid for that specific engagement.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that applicable law does not permit to be excluded or limited.

23. No Legal, Tax, Accounting, or Financial Advice

SEO, AEO, GEO, AI-search, website, and marketing recommendations are not legal, tax, accounting, investment, or financial advice.

Customers are responsible for obtaining appropriate professional advice concerning regulatory compliance, privacy, accessibility, intellectual property, tax, and other matters outside the scope of the engagement.

24. Refusal or Termination of Service

Eric Strate may refuse or discontinue an engagement where reasonably necessary due to unlawful activity, fraud, abuse, harassment, security concerns, conflicts of interest, inability to perform the work responsibly, or requests materially outside the purchased scope.

Any discretionary refund following termination will be determined according to the circumstances, work already performed, these Terms, and applicable law.

25. Changes to These Terms

These Terms may be updated periodically. The Last Updated date at the top identifies the most recent revision.

The Terms and service description presented at the time of purchase generally govern that transaction unless otherwise required by law or separately agreed in writing.

26. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where applicable law requires otherwise.

Subject to rights or jurisdictional requirements that cannot legally be waived, disputes arising from these Terms or services will be handled in the appropriate state or federal courts located in San Diego County, California.

27. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain effective to the fullest extent permitted by law.

28. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the service description presented at purchase and any applicable written proposal, invoice, project brief, or separately agreed scope of work, constitute the agreement governing the applicable service.

If a separately signed written agreement expressly conflicts with these Terms, the separately signed agreement controls with respect to that conflict.