Ranking & Trust Score Methodology
How we collect data, calculate scores, and rank local contractors on GrowLocal Hub.
Last updated: March 2026
Two Different Scores
GrowLocal Hub calculates two separate scores for every contractor. They measure different things and should not be confused.
Ranking Score
Determines position on our city and industry ranking pages. It is a market-relative score — a business ranks higher when it has more reviews and a better rating than other businesses in the same market. The same business could rank #1 in a small city and #15 in a competitive one.
Trust Score
Measures the absolute quality and completeness of a contractor's public profile. It does not change based on who else is in the market. A business with 80 reviews at 4.7 stars earns roughly the same Trust Score whether it is in Dallas or Duluth.
Ranking Score Factors
| Factor | Weight | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Review Count | 50% | Primary ranking signal. Higher review volume signals sustained market presence. |
| Average Rating | 30% | Minimum 3.5 stars required for Featured tier consideration. |
| Review Recency | 20% | Businesses with recent review activity ranked higher than stagnant profiles. |
Trust Score Formula
Trust Score is calculated from six weighted components. Each component has a fixed maximum. A penalty layer then subtracts points for objectively missing or weak signals. The final score is capped at 100, though the maximum achievable through standard scoring is 95.
| Component | Max Points | What It Measures |
|---|---|---|
| Rating Quality | 25 | Fine-grained mapping from 4.0–5.0 stars. 4.9+ earns full marks; below 4.0 earns few or none. |
| Review Volume | 20 | Diminishing returns. First 5 reviews matter a lot; going from 250 to 500 adds only 1 point. |
| Review Recency | 15 | Higher-volume profiles are used as a proxy for recent activity (review timestamps not yet in our dataset). |
| Profile Completeness | 15 | Website, phone, address, hours, description, photos, and category — each field adds points. |
| Business Activity | 10 | Dual-channel reachability (phone + website), consistent review accumulation, maintained rating quality. |
| Credibility Signals | 10 | Address present, multi-category listing, years in business, insured status, defined service areas. |
| Base Score Total | 95 | Maximum achievable before penalties. |
Penalty Layer (up to −20 total)
Penalties are applied independently and capped at a combined −20 points.
| Trigger | Deduction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| No website | −3 | — |
| No phone number | −2 | — |
| No address | −3 | — |
| Hours absent on GBP (confirmed) | −3 | Only applied when profile data has been fetched |
| Description absent on GBP (confirmed) | −2 | Only applied when profile data has been fetched |
| Fewer than 5 reviews | −3 | — |
| Near-perfect rating, under 10 reviews | −2 | — |
| Rating below 4.0 with 10+ reviews | −4 | — |
Formula: Trust Score = min(100, max(0, Base Score − Penalties))
Trust Score Bands
| Range | Label | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| 92–95 | Excellent | Near-perfect across all factors. Requires strong ratings, substantial reviews, a complete profile, and solid credibility signals. |
| 85–91 | Strong | Well above average. Minor gaps in a few areas but broadly trustworthy profile. |
| 75–84 | Good | Solid profile. Worth considering — some signals to verify before hiring. |
| 60–74 | Fair | Below average. Noticeable gaps in reviews, profile data, or rating quality. |
| 0–59 | Limited | Significant gaps detected. Insufficient public data to assess confidently. |
Scores of 92+ require strong performance in every category with no penalty triggers. A business with a 4.8 rating, 150 reviews, a complete profile, and full credibility signals would score around 88–91 (Strong).
Ranking Process
Data Collection
We use automated crawlers to collect publicly available Google Maps listings for local service businesses in each city and industry category. Data points collected include business name, category, rating, review count, address, and business hours.
Normalization
Raw data is normalized to remove duplicates, standardize city names, convert numeric fields, and generate URL-safe slugs. Businesses that appear across multiple data pulls are deduplicated using a combination of name and address.
Ranking Score Calculation
Each business receives a Ranking Score based on market-relative signals: review count, average rating, and review recency. This score determines position on our ranking pages within each city and industry.
Trust Score Calculation
Each business also receives a separate Trust Score based on absolute quality signals: rating quality, review volume, profile completeness, business activity, and credibility markers. Trust Score is not influenced by market position.
Tier Assignment
Businesses are assigned a listing tier (Featured, Enhanced, or Free) based on their review count benchmark within their local market. Tier assignment is automatic and does not involve payment.
Publication and Updates
Ranking pages are published and updated on a rolling basis. Each page displays a last-updated indicator. We aim to refresh ranking data every 30 days for active markets.
What We Do Not Measure
Our current methodology does not include:
- License verification (though we display license numbers when available)
- Insurance verification (though we show insured status when it appears in data)
- Background checks or criminal history
- Customer complaint history beyond Google reviews
- Per-review timestamps (review recency is currently approximated from review volume)
We recommend homeowners independently verify license and insurance status before hiring any contractor. See our contractor hiring guide for tips on what to check.
Data Sources
See our dedicated Data Sources page for a complete list of data providers and collection methods.