We believe in earning trust through transparency. Here's how we decide which businesses to show you first.
We evaluate businesses based on signals that matter to you as a customer:
How customers rate their experience. Higher ratings generally mean better service.
More reviews give us confidence. A 5-star rating with 100 reviews is more reliable than 5 stars with 2 reviews.
Businesses that show their work, share their services, and provide clear information rank better.
We prioritize businesses with verified contact info, accurate hours, and confirmed locations.
To help you quickly identify quality, we assign badges based on reputation:
Exceptional businesses with outstanding reviews and high customer satisfaction. These are the best of the best.
Highly-rated businesses with strong reputations. Consistently delivering quality service.
Good businesses building their reputation. Positive reviews with room to grow.
Newer businesses or those working to improve. May have fewer reviews but show promise.
When you search, we aim to show you the most relevant, highest-quality options first. Here's how results are organized:
We find businesses that match your location, category, and search terms.
Within matches, higher-tier businesses appear first. Diamond before Gold, Gold before Silver, and so on.
Within each tier, we consider rating, review count, and profile completeness to determine order.
Some businesses pay for premium membership. Here's what that means (and doesn't mean) for you:
Bottom line: Premium is a set of business tools, not a ranking booster. Quality always determines where a business appears.
Every great business starts somewhere. We believe in giving new businesses a fair chance:
New businesses appear in a dedicated “New & Growing” section so you can discover fresh options.
As they collect reviews and build reputation, they move up tiers naturally.
New businesses aren't penalized-they simply haven't earned higher tiers yet. Quality takes time.
We show business owners exactly what they can do to improve their ranking.
No amount of money can buy a higher position.
All businesses are searchable-quality determines order, not visibility.
We actively work to detect and remove fraudulent reviews.
Size doesn't matter. A solo artist can outrank a chain if quality is better.
Our ranking is just a starting point. You can always customize your search:
We provide the quality signals. You make the final choice.
We're committed to transparency. If you have questions about how we rank businesses or concerns about a specific listing, please reach out:
support@thelocalgem.com
Use the feedback form in your account