Methodology
How We Rank
Our rankings follow a published, repeatable process. This page explains what we evaluate, where the evidence comes from, and what we deliberately don’t claim.
The short version
- We evaluate providers against criteria that are published on every ranking page.
- Facts about a provider are linked to where we found them. If we can’t verify something, we leave it out.
- Where we haven’t established a defensible order, we list providers without rank numbers and say so.
- Payment never buys a position. Sponsored placements, if offered, are labeled and kept apart from the editorial list.
1. Building the long list
For each service and market we identify providers that genuinely serve it. Sources include provider websites, published case studies, industry directories, professional profiles and provider submissions. Being on the long list is not a recommendation; it only means a provider is in scope.
2. What we evaluate
Each ranking applies the criteria below to its category and market, and may weight them differently. For example, a local SEO ranking puts more emphasis on location-specific experience than a national enterprise ranking does.
- Relevant expertise
- Depth in the specific service, shown through published work, methodology and the experience of the team as described publicly.
- Service specialization
- Whether the service is a core focus or one of many offerings.
- Evidence of work
- Case studies, portfolios and work examples that can be reviewed. We note when results are self-reported by the provider.
- Industry experience
- Demonstrated work in the industries and business sizes the ranking is aimed at.
- Transparency
- Clarity about services, process, team, contracts and, where available, pricing.
- Public client feedback
- Feedback from attributable public sources. We don’t publish star ratings or review counts of our own.
- Geographic and industry fit
- Whether the provider actually serves the market in question and the type of client the page is written for.
- Quality of public information
- How much of the above can be verified from the provider’s own materials and independent sources.
3. Ordering and rank numbers
Rank numbers reflect an editorial judgment of how well each provider meets the published criteria for that page’s buyer. They are not a score, and we don’t convert the criteria into a numerical rating. When the evidence doesn’t support a clear order, the page lists providers without numbers and says so at the top of the comparison.
4. What we don’t claim
Unless a page states otherwise, we have not hired the providers, interviewed their clients, audited their results or verified reviews. Case-study results are as reported by the provider. We say this plainly because buyers deserve to know how much weight a recommendation can bear.
5. Sponsored placements
If we offer sponsored placements, they appear in a separate, labeled section and in the comparison table with an “Ad” label. A provider that pays for visibility is evaluated in the editorial list on exactly the same terms as one that doesn’t. See our advertising disclosure.
6. Updates and corrections
Pages show a review date only when they have actually been reviewed. Providers can submit corrections or claim their profile; we verify claims before granting any access and we check corrections against public sources before changing a page. Request a correction.