Sponsored Listing Disclosure
Last updated: June 6, 2026. We review this page periodically and will note material changes here.
This disclosure is made in accordance with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides and our own editorial standards. It explains how sponsored placements work on CPAZenith, how they are labeled, and how they are kept separate from organic rankings, reviews, and editorial coverage.
1. What "sponsored" means
A sponsored listing is a placement that a professional or firm has paid to appear in. Sponsored placements are an advertising product, not an editorial recommendation. We make no claim that a sponsored professional is the "best" choice for your situation.
2. How sponsored placements are labeled
Every sponsored placement is clearly labeled with the word "Sponsored" in plain English, in close proximity to the listing, with a tooltip or link explaining what that label means. The label is never hidden, abbreviated, or obscured by surrounding design. Sponsored placements are visually distinguishable from organic results.
3. Where sponsored placements can appear
- City, state, and specialty directory pages — up to a fixed number of slots, typically above or alongside the organic list.
- Quote-request match pages, where eligibility is limited to professionals serving the requested location and service.
- Selected resource and comparison pages, when the sponsor matches the topic.
Sponsored placements do not appear inside editorial guides, blog posts, ranking explanations, badge designations, or review content.
4. Where sponsored placements never appear
- Inside an organic ranking position — sponsored slots are always separate from the ranked list.
- Inside the verified, claimed, or any other trust badge — badges are determined by verification rules in the Verification Policy and cannot be purchased.
- Inside reviews, review counts, or average ratings — see the Review Moderation Policy.
- Inside blog posts, editorial guides, or comparison content covered by our Editorial Standards.
5. Eligibility
To be eligible for a sponsored placement, a professional or firm must:
- Have a claimed profile in good standing.
- Hold an active, verified license or credential where applicable.
- Have no unresolved disciplinary action with the relevant state board or the IRS Office of Enrollment.
- Comply with our content and conduct rules at all times the placement is live.
We reserve the right to reject or remove any sponsored placement at our discretion.
6. How sponsored placements interact with rankings
Sponsored placements have no effect on organic rank. A professional who runs a sponsored placement is not given a boost in the organic list. A professional who declines to advertise is not penalized. See How We Rank Professionals for the full ranking factors.
7. How sponsored placements interact with reviews and badges
Sponsored status has no effect on reviews, ratings, badge eligibility, or moderation outcomes. We do not remove or hide reviews because a professional is a sponsor. We do not award verified, claimed, or any other badge based on sponsorship.
8. Tracking and analytics
We measure clicks and conversions on sponsored placements for billing and reporting purposes. We do not share users' personal information with sponsors beyond what is required to fulfill a quote request or other action the user has explicitly initiated. See the Privacy Policy for full data handling.
9. Reporting an undisclosed paid placement
If you believe a placement, review, or piece of editorial content on CPAZenith is paid for and not properly disclosed, please email hello@cpazenith.com with the URL and details. We investigate every report.
10. Related policies
See also the Affiliate Disclosure, the Lead & Referral Disclosure, and the Editorial Standards for adjacent disclosures.
