Ethics and quality criteria
The Laika code
This code isn't a statement of intent for the website: it's what we apply when an uncomfortable decision has to be made. We publish it so you can hold us to it and so you know, before signing, what you'll get and what we will never do.
Book a callThe ten criteria
01
Honesty comes before the sale
If your project doesn't need what you came to ask for, we say so, even when that shrinks the scope or rules us out. We'd rather lose a contract than hold up an expectation that won't be met.
02
We don't promise rankings or fixed numbers
Nobody controls Google's algorithm or what an AI model answers. We work with hypotheses, scenarios and ranges, and we explain what each one depends on.
03
Every decision is justified by business impact
Before proposing anything we tell you what it moves: revenue, acquisition, conversion or risk avoided. If an action has no defensible impact on your business, it doesn't make the plan, even if it's a best practice.
04
The person who sells is the person who works
The senior team that presents the proposal is the team inside the project. There's no silent handover to junior profiles after signing.
05
Your data is yours and stays with you
Minimal, traceable access, confidentiality by default and deliverables inside your own tools. Nothing from your project becomes a public example without your explicit permission.
06
No tactics that put your brand at risk
No link farms, no cloned content, no review manipulation, no tricks that could end in a penalty. If an action wouldn't survive public scrutiny, we don't do it.
07
AI with human judgement in front
We use AI to speed up analysis and production, never to decide or publish unreviewed. Every piece that goes out under your brand has been reviewed by an accountable person.
08
Sectors we don't work in
Gambling and adult content are out. We also turn down projects whose model depends on misleading the end user, whether through opaque pricing or false claims.
09
No hidden conflicts of interest
We never recommend tools or providers for a commission.
10
We leave capability, not dependency
We document decisions, train your team and leave the reasoning written down. Success is you being able to continue without us and still wanting to continue with us.
What we commit to in writing
High-quality service shows up in concrete things, not adjectives. These four apply to every project, whether it's a twelve-month consultancy or a two-week second opinion.
A considered reply within 48 hours
Every enquiry is read by a senior person who replies with an initial reading of your case, not a brochure.
Proposals with explicit scope and exclusions
What's in, what's out, who executes it and by when. No small print and no surprise add-ons.
One accountable project lead
You know who to ask and who answers for the decisions taken, from the first call to the last.
Honest measurement, including when it fails
We report what worked and what didn't, with the learning and the next step. A report isn't an image exercise.
If this fits you, let's talk
Tell us about your project and we'll honestly say whether we're the right fit and where we'd start.