How Results Are Ordered on ServiceScout
Updated
We list every local business that meets a few basic checks, then order the results by a best-match score built from ratings, reviews, experience and profile completeness. Payment never changes the order. Sponsored spots are labelled and shown outside the results.
Who gets listed
ServiceScout is a directory, not a shortlist. We try to list every business that offers the service in the area, using public business listings that we keep up to date. To appear in results, a business needs to be active, reachable by phone, and have enough public reviews (at least 10, averaging 4.0 or higher) for the record to mean something.
How “Best match” works
Best match is the default order. Each business gets a score from 0 to 100, made of these parts:
| Part | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 30% | Average rating, adjusted for how many reviews it is based on |
| Review volume | 20% | How many reviews the business has |
| Recency | 20% | How many new reviews it received recently |
| Experience | 15% | Years in business, from registration records |
| Completeness | 10% | Phone, website, address, hours and services filled in |
| Checks | 5% | Records we could confirm, such as license and insurance |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
On a results page you can also filter by rating, verification, free estimates and years in business, and sort by highest rated, most reviewed or most experienced.
What does not affect the order
- Payment. Premium profiles, Sponsored spots and quote-request fees are not part of the score.
- Claiming a profile. Claimed and unclaimed businesses are scored the same way.
- Answering quote requests through us.
What “Verified” means
A Verified badge means the state license and the business registration were found active in public records, with the source, reference and date shown on the profile. Other checks are listed separately:
| Check | What it confirms | Usual source |
|---|---|---|
| License | The trade license is active on the state licensing board's public lookup. | State licensing board |
| Registration | The company is an active entity on the state business registry. | State business registry |
| Permits | Building permits have been pulled under this license in county permit records. | County permit records |
| Insurance | A current certificate of insurance supplied by the business; we check the dates. | Certificate from the business |
| Identity | The business name and owner match across public records. | Public records |
| Address | The business address exists and matches the records. | Public records |
| Phone | The listed phone number reaches this business. | Test call |
| Website | The website belongs to this business. | Website check |
Insurance is marked “From the business” because the certificate is a document the business sends us. Verification confirms records, not the quality of work; that's what ratings and reviews are for.
Data sources and updates
- Ratings and review counts come from public review sources and are rechecked regularly.
- Local facts come from public and government sources, such as census data, state statutes and county open data. Figures tagged “Sample figure” show what our live public-data feed will fill in.
- Opening hours and services come from the business's public listings, or from the business itself once it claims its profile.
Sponsored placements
A business can pay for a Sponsored spot above the results. It is labelled Sponsored, has a dashed border and is never part of the numbered results. How we make money
Something wrong?
Anyone can report a listing error. Business owners can claim their profile to fix details themselves.
Questions about the directory
Does ServiceScout list every business in an area?
We aim to. Every active business with a working phone and at least 10 public reviews averaging 4.0 or more is listed. Businesses below that line are left out until their public record grows.
Can I filter results by service and area?
Yes. Each results page covers one service in one city or neighbourhood, and you can filter by rating, verification, free estimates and years in business, or sort by rating, reviews or experience.
What do the fields on a listing mean?
Rating and review count come from public review sources. Years in business come from registration records. Verified means the state license and business registration were found active in public records, with the source and date on the profile.
How do I get a business listed or a field corrected?
Owners can claim the listing for free and edit hours, services and photos. Anyone can report a wrong field on the corrections page; we check it against the source.