Editorial standards & methodology
How we choose experts
Local Expert is only useful if the people on it really know their trade. Here is who qualifies, what we check, how the order is set and how we make money.
Last reviewed
Every expert works at an active local business with a public review history we can read. We pick the businesses with the strongest record and show the person behind each one. Nobody pays to be chosen or to change the order.
Who can be featured
All of this must be true before a profile is featured.
Works at a real local business
The business is active, has a base in or near the city and a working phone number.
A review history we can read
The business needs enough public reviews, with a solid average rating, to judge it fairly.
Details we could confirm
We check identity, address, phone and website, and licenses or insurance where the work needs them. Each check shows on the profile with its date.
A named person where we know one
When we know who owns or leads the business, the profile leads with them. Otherwise it shows the business until the expert claims it.
How the order is set
We give each business a score from its public record: the average rating (adjusted for how many reviews it rests on), review volume, how recent the reviews are, years in business, how complete its details are and the checks we could confirm. The strongest businesses are featured, highest score first.
Ratings are for the business, not the individual, and are refreshed regularly. Every page shows the date it was last updated.
How we make money
Professionals can pay for an enhanced profile with more photos and project details, businesses can buy clearly labelled sponsored placements, and we may receive a fee when a homeowner chooses to send a quote request. None of this changes who is featured or in what order.
Corrections
Spotted a mistake on a profile or page? Request a correction and we check it against the source.
Questions about how we choose
Why do you show a person instead of a company logo?
Because you end up working with a person. When we know who owns or leads a business, the profile opens with them: how long they have done the work and what they specialise in. Until then it shows the business, clearly marked.
Does more experience always mean a higher place?
No. Years in business is one part of the score, next to the review record and the details we could confirm. A younger business with a long run of strong, recent reviews can sit above an older one.
Are the ratings about the expert personally?
No. Ratings and review counts belong to the business the expert works at, taken from public review sites. We say so on every profile, so nobody reads a team's record as one person's.
How do you know an expert understands local conditions?
We look for a base in or near the city, a review history from local customers and, where the trade needs it, an active state license. Local rules and figures sit next to each list so you can test what an expert tells you.