Three ways money reaches us
Every dollar we earn comes from one of three places. None of them can buy a score, a rank or a sentence.
Google puts ads on many of our pages. It pays us when an ad shows or gets a click. Google picks the ads, not us.
Some buttons go to electricity companies or plan-shopping sites. If you sign up through one, or call a number we show, that company may pay us. Each one has a label.
In Illinois only, you can ask to be connected with one licensed solar installer. That installer pays us. No one else ever gets your request.
You never pay us. Not for a guide, a tool, a score or an Illinois connection.
Who pays us, and when?
Here’s the whole picture. Follow any line to see who pays and when.
- An ad shows on the pageGoogle pays us
- You sign up through a Paid link or a Paid callThat partner pays us
- In Illinois, you ask to be connectedOne solar installer pays us
How do ads work here?
Ads help keep our guides free. Google runs them, and Google pays us.
- Google picks which ads you see. We don’t choose the advertisers.
- A company we score may show up in an ad. The ad doesn’t change its score.
- Ads never run on our trust pages, like this one, or on forms you fill out.
- We never ask you to click an ad.
- Google may use cookies to pick ads. You can manage that in our Privacy Policy and on Your Privacy Choices.
See a bad ad? Email info@theday.company with a screenshot. We can block an advertiser or a whole type of ad.
What is a Paid link?
A Paid link is a button that goes to a company that pays us if you sign up. A Paid call works the same way, by phone.
Paid linkWe get a fee if you sign up. It never changes a score.
Paid callThis company pays us if you sign up on this call.
If a button has no label, nobody pays us for it.
Who our partners are
Partners come in two kinds. Plan-shopping sites list plans from many electricity companies. Electricity companies sell their own plans. Later, we may add other home services, like roofing or air conditioning. Paid links can show up wherever you pick your own electricity company, like in our Texas guides.
We don’t list partner names on our pages, but we’ll tell you who any partner is. Just ask at info@theday.company.
What happens when you tap a Paid link
- 1You tap a labeled button
It says Paid link right next to it.
- 2You land on the partner’s site
Its own order and rules apply there, not ours.
- 3You choose, or you leave
Nothing happens unless you sign up.
- 4The partner may pay us
Only if you sign up, and only the partner pays.
- 5The partner sets your price
We never add a fee on top.
We don’t sign you up. We publish guides and scores. Partners handle sign-up, prices and service.
Some partners pay more than others
That’s fine with us, because pay never touches a score or the order of a list. Here’s a made-up example.
Company B stays on top, every time. The higher score wins, not the bigger check.
Made-up companies and scores, to show how it works.
You choose the order
On our rankings, you can sort companies by overall score, lowest price, fewest complaints, fairest contract or cleanest record. We start with the overall score. Whether a company pays us is never part of any sort. Try it on our Texas electricity ranking.
Plan-shopping sites list many companies. Some we’ve scored, and some we haven’t. If we have a score for a company, check it here before you sign.
How do Illinois solar connections work?
In Illinois only, you can ask us to connect you with one licensed, insured solar installer. Here’s what happens, step by step.
- 1You ask
You fill out a short request on our site. Nothing happens unless you do.
- 2We talk first
Our team calls or texts you to answer your questions.
- 3One partner
If you book a visit, we send your request to one installation partner.
- 4They pay us
That partner pays us. You pay us nothing.
One request, one partner. We never share your request with other companies, and we never resell it.
- Solar connections are for Illinois homes only.
- Want to know who the partner is? Ask, and we’ll tell you.
- Changed your mind? Reply STOP to any text, or email us.
- Some state privacy laws may call a paid connection a “sale” of your information. You can opt out on Your Privacy Choices.
New to solar in Illinois? Start with our Illinois solar guides. They’re free, with or without a request.
What can money never buy here?
A partner gets one thing: a labeled button. Everything else stays off the table.
- A labeled link or call button near its plans or review
- That’s it
- A listing, or a spot in any list
- A higher score, or a single extra point
- A better rank, or a softer review
- Fewer warnings, or a say in what we write
- Fake deadlines or “only 2 left” pressure. We never use them.
Our rule: No company has ever paid for a spot, a score or a ranking here, and none can.
We never score a company that pays us. Every score comes from public records and one formula you can check yourself, and every point links to its proof. See both formulas, point by point.
Up nextHow paid partners are kept apart from our ratingsHow are paid partners kept apart from your ratings?
We never score a company that pays us. Paid partners show up only in sections labeled Partner offers, set apart from our ratings and rankings.
- Scored on public records, with one formula
- Ranked by score, and you can re-sort them
- Only companies that pay us nothing
- Labeled “Paid partner” at the top
- Never scored, ranked or called the “best”
- Every button carries a Paid link or Paid call label
Why keep them apart? So you never have to wonder if a score was bought. Here, a score only exists for a company that pays us nothing.
- A partner never appears inside a ranking or a “best” list.
- If a company we rate becomes a partner, it leaves our rankings. We show its last independent score and the date.
- Partner offers describe the partner’s own plans and terms, so you can judge them yourself.
Want to compare on your own? Our Texas ranking and plan calculator work the same whether or not you ever tap a partner button.
Is The Day Company really free?
Yes. You pay us nothing for our guides, tools, scores or Illinois connections.
So who pays? Companies do, out of their marketing budgets. Every business spends money to find customers. When a company pays us, that money comes from its side. We don’t add anything to your bill.
That’s why we make it easy to check our work, instead of asking you to trust us:
How can you tell if a comparison site is biased?
Many comparison sites earn money when you sign up through them. That’s normal. What matters is whether money changes what you see. Ask these five questions on any site, including ours.
Does it say who pays it, in plain words?
Our answer: Yes. See the three ways we earn.Is every paid button labeled right next to it?
Our answer: Yes. See our labels.Can you see companies that don’t pay it?
Our answer: Yes. Our rankings only include companies that pay us nothing.Does it publish how it scores or ranks?
Our answer: Yes. Read both formulas.Does it say money can’t buy a better spot?
Our answer: Yes. See what money can’t buy.
Your result shows up here as you tap.
Questions about how we make money
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How does The Day Company make money?
Three ways: Google ads, labeled paid links and call buttons, and one licensed solar installer in Illinois. That installer pays us when an Illinois homeowner asks to be connected. You never pay us, and no company can pay for a listing, a score or a rank.
Do partners get better scores or spots?
No. Partners don’t get scores at all. We only score companies that pay us nothing, with one public formula. Partners show up in labeled Partner offers sections, never inside a ranking, and they get no say in what we write.
What does a partner get for paying you?
A labeled spot in a Partner offers section, with a Paid link or Paid call button. That’s all. It never touches a score, a rank or the order of any list.
Do you score companies that pay you?
No. We never score a company that pays us. Paid partners appear only in sections labeled Partner offers, set apart from our ratings. That way, no score on this site can ever be bought.
What does the Paid link label mean?
It means the company behind that button may pay us if you sign up. A Paid call label means the same thing for a phone number. If a button has no label, nobody pays us for it.
Do I pay more if I use your link?
We never add a fee. The partner sets the price. Before you sign, check the plan’s fact label or contract and compare it at your own monthly use.
Who are your partners?
Three kinds: plan-shopping sites, electricity companies and, in Illinois, one licensed solar installer. We don’t list names on our pages, but email info@theday.company and we’ll tell you who any partner is.
What happens if a company you rate becomes a partner?
It leaves our rankings and moves to Partner offers. We show its last independent score and the date we checked it, so you can see where it stood before any money changed hands.
Do you sell my information?
We never share or resell an Illinois solar request. It goes to one partner only, after you ask and book a visit. Some state privacy laws may call that paid connection a sale, so you can opt out on our Your Privacy Choices page. Outside Illinois solar requests, we don’t sell names, phone numbers or emails.
Do you sign me up for electricity?
No. We publish guides and scores. If you tap a Paid link or make a Paid call, the partner handles sign-up, prices and service.
Why are there ads on the site?
Ads help keep our guides free. Google picks the ads and pays us. Ads never change a score, and they never run on our trust pages or on forms you fill out.
What do you want to do next?
Sources and updates
The rules behind this page, and what changed on it.
Show all 7 sources
- Federal Trade Commission, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255): why a paid tie must be disclosed clearly, close to the recommendation.
- Federal Trade Commission, FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking: plain labels, like “paid link,” placed right next to the link.
- Federal Trade Commission, .com Disclosures: How to Make Effective Disclosures in Digital Advertising (2013): labels that are close, easy to see and easy to read on a phone.
- Google Search Central, Qualify your outbound links to Google: how paid links are marked for search engines.
- Google AdSense, AdSense Program policies: sites that show Google ads can’t ask people to click them.
- The Day Company, How we score companies: the two public 100-point formulas, for electricity and solar companies.
- The Day Company, Best electricity companies in Texas: the ranking and its re-sort buttons, with scores as of October 2026.
Changelog · last updated October 14, 2026 · 1 update
- October 14, 2026: Page published: every way we earn, the money map, our Paid link and Paid call labels, how partner offers are kept apart from our ratings, how Illinois solar connections work and a 60-second site check.
How to cite: The Day Company review team, “How does The Day Company make money?,” The Day Company, updated October 14, 2026. https://theday.company/how-we-make-money
This page explains how The Day Company is paid as of October 14, 2026. It’s general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Partners set their own prices and terms, so check the plan’s fact label or contract before you sign.