The 14-day SLA
No GMB competitor uses one. We borrow a pattern from productized web design into a category that hasn't caught up.
- Zero GMB competitors offer a delivery SLA with refund teeth.
- Pattern borrowed from: DesignJoy, Flowout, The Logo Company, WP Buffs (productized design/web).
- Why 14 business days: covers audit (~3d) + access wait (~2d) + implementation (~5-7d) + buffer.
- Honest substitute for outcome guarantees: falsifiable, calendar-testable, addresses the agency-disappears fear.
The competitor gap
Across the productized GMB competitor scan (see Competitive landscape), zero competitors offer a delivery SLA with refund teeth:
- GMB Gorilla: vague "fast turnaround" language, no commitment.
- Review Overhaul: no SLA.
- SearchBerg: no SLA.
- 1Solutions: no SLA.
- GMBJet: has a reinstatement guarantee ("if we can't get your suspended profile back, full refund") but not a delivery SLA on new work.
That gap is the opening.
Adjacent productized service categories DO use timed delivery
The pattern we are borrowing has been validated in adjacent productized service categories:
| Service | Timed promise | Refund mechanism |
|---|---|---|
| DesignJoy (productized design subscription) | "First design within 48 hours" | Unlimited revisions, cancel anytime |
| The Logo Company | "Logo in 24-48 hours" | Money back if not delivered |
| WP Buffs (WordPress maintenance) | Tiered response SLAs | 30-day money-back |
| Webflow agencies (e.g., Flowout) | "Site in 14 days" | Refund if missed |
Why this works as differentiation
The pattern (timed delivery plus refund teeth) is proven in design and web development. GMB-optimization has not yet adopted it. New Limits is therefore importing a credibility mechanic from a more mature productized-service category into a less mature one. Clean differentiation via borrowed credibility.
Why 14 business days specifically
- Conservative compared to adjacent industry norms (48 hours to 14 calendar days).
- Covers the full operational chain: written audit (~3 business days), wait for owner to grant Manager access (~1-2 business days), implementation (~5-7 business days), buffer (~2-3 business days for verification holds or owner-side delays).
- Sounds finite. "14 days" maps to a real-world fortnight a shop owner can hold in their head.
The honest higher-end comparison
HigherVisibility and Searchbloom (higher-end SEO agencies) offer a "30-day satisfaction guarantee" tied to results, not delivery time. Northcutt offers timed audit delivery. Neither is a direct competitor at our price point, but their guarantee mechanics inform ours.
Clock-pause clauses (protect without weakening)
The clock must pause for events outside our control:
- Google verification holds. If a save triggers a re-verification cycle, the clock pauses until Google releases the profile back to us.
- Owner non-response over 24 hours. If we need a piece of information from the owner (a photo, a service description, a category clarification) and they do not respond within 24 hours, the clock pauses.
- Scope changes. If the owner mid-renovation asks for work outside the original audit, the clock resets on the modified scope.
These clauses protect the SLA from abuse without weakening the headline promise. Most clients never trigger them.
The 14-day clock is the honest substitute for outcome guarantees
With no measured outcome data yet (SGA deployed 2026-05-07, Konkin deployed 2026-05-14), promising results would be dishonest. A performance-based refund (call uplift, ranking change, lead volume) is operationally impossible inside 14 days. The delivery SLA is the substitute mechanic that:
- Is falsifiable (either we delivered by day 14 or we did not).
- Is operationally testable on day 1 (we know the calendar).
- Maps to a real customer fear (agency takes the money and disappears).
- Costs us very little once delivery process is dialed in.