{"id":1978,"slug":"rule-r2-quarantine-vendor-retention-survivor-only","title":"R2 — Treat every vendor retention number as survivor-only and quarantine it","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["page-builders","editorial-discipline","citation-practices","customer-retention"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** When citing GoDaddy ~85%, Wix 105% NRR, or any builder vendor retention figure, **always pair it** with (a) the survivor-only caveat, (b) the independent SMB-SaaS churn range ([[smb-saas-monthly-churn-3-to-7-percent]]), and (c) the .com/.net domain-renewal proxy ([[com-net-domain-renewal-75-percent-q4-2025-verisign]]).\n\n**Why:** Every vendor retention statistic excludes never-launched and abandoned accounts ([[survivorship-bias-central-threat-diy-evidence]]). Citing a vendor figure without the comparator misrepresents the category.\n\n**How to apply:** No client-facing or article text should quote a vendor retention figure alone. Quarantine triple = (vendor figure) + (survivor-only flag) + (independent comparator). Cross-link [[godaddy-fy2025-retention-85-percent-quarantined]], [[wix-fy2025-nrr-105-percent-nrr-vs-logo]], [[nrr-vs-logo-retention-distinct-metrics]].","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"godaddy-fy2025-retention-85-percent-quarantined","title":"GoDaddy FY2025 10-K — ~85% customer retention (84% in 2024 due to divestitures); 90% for >3-year cohort","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"wix-fy2025-nrr-105-percent-nrr-vs-logo","title":"Wix FY2025 net revenue retention 105% (Q4 earnings call) — NRR is not logo retention","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"survivorship-bias-central-threat-diy-evidence","title":"Survivorship bias is the central, recurring threat in DIY-builder evidence — vendor stats and active-site surveys both exclude failures","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-diy-page-builder-effectiveness-longevity-june-2026","title":"Research brief: effectiveness and longevity of DIY / page-builder websites for SMBs (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T12:08:39.402Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T12:08:39.402Z"}