How we rank

Who ranks, and on what basis

Every ranked list on TelfordRanked is produced the same way. We build a broad list of candidates, check each business against our eligibility requirements, then score the ones that qualify on the things buyers actually care about, using our published scoring system. Our editor, Douglas Franco, checks the facts and decides the final order. This page describes each step, so you can see how any ranking was reached.

The candidate universe

For each trade we start wide, drawing on several independent sources, so that no single source decides who gets considered. The universe is built from Google Places searches for the trade in Telford and its surrounding towns, Companies House name and activity matching, the providers' own websites, the trade registers and official records ^[1].

Third-party ratings appear in our prose with the source, the scale and the date we saw them. Our own ratings come from the scorecard alone ^[2].

Our eligibility requirements

Before any scoring, each candidate must meet the same three requirements:

1. Identity confirmed. Trading name, legal entity where one exists, website, phone number and service area agree across at least two independent sources.
2. Trading and contactable. The business is active and reachable now — its website and directory evidence are current, and its Companies House record is active where a limited company is claimed. We check reachability during the round.
3. The right registration for regulated work. Regulated work needs the matching registration: Gas Safe for regulated gas work, the relevant electrical or building scheme only where that scope is claimed, and the sector regulator (such as the CQC or Ofsted) for regulated care, health and childcare services ^[3].

A business that does not meet one of these requirements is shown as "researched, not yet assessed", with the reason given, and no score is shown.

How scoring works

Businesses that meet our eligibility requirements are scored with our published scoring system. The system and its weights are public, so you can see exactly what counts and how much. Each trade is scored on the version of the system built for its category; home trades start on the version below, and the weights shown are always the ones behind the current rankings.

We fix the weights before looking at any provider's results, so the things that matter most to buyers always count the most. A change creates a new version of the system, and each ranking round records exactly which version it used.

Customer evidence is the star rating customers give across the public sources we can read, with each source, scale and date shown. A business with fewer than five reviews counts a little less until more come in; past that, a five-star firm with twenty reviews stands level with one that has two hundred. Qualifications and accreditations record the registrations and scheme memberships we can source for each business, from the issuing registers, the business's own website and platforms such as Checkatrade and Which? Trusted Traders, with the date we looked kept alongside. Where none can be sourced, the page says so. Trading history asks one question: has the business been trading for at least two years, on the Companies House record or its own documented trading evidence? Two years or more counts in full; under two years counts less; where we cannot tell, it stays neutral. Insurance and safeguards are scored on whether cover is stated, not on the amount, alongside any warranty or complaints route. Pricing transparency rewards clarity (call-out fees, quote method, VAT, written estimates), not the lowest price. Website and service information carries a deliberately light weight, so that excellent offline firms stand on their trade record.

Insufficient evidence is neutral

Where we cannot verify something, it stays neutral: the page shows "Insufficient evidence" and the gap counts as missing information, not as a failing. A small sole trader with no published insurance details is scored as unverified on that point, and the page says so.

Order

Providers are listed in order of composite score, first to last. Where two scores are close the order still stands, and the score beside each name shows how close it was.

The first-hand enquiry test

Scores are not built from desk research alone. For each ranking round we contact the finalists with the same standardised enquiry, in the same time window, and record what happened: how fast they replied, whether the reply answered the question, and how professional it was. The method, date and outcome are recorded on the provider's scorecard and summarised on their page. We run genuine enquiries, treat every finalist the same, and keep correspondence private.

Business responses

After a ranking is published, any business on the page can send us a response, and we print it alongside our assessment, labelled as the business's own words. Where a response corrects a fact, we check it against the provider record before the page updates. The editor makes the final assessment.

How often rankings are refreshed

Ratings, review volume, register status and responsiveness are rechecked every quarter. Full ranking rounds run at least once a year, re-scoring every listed provider. Every trade page shows its evidence date, so you can judge how current the research is. If a round passes its promised refresh date without a new round, the year comes off the page title until the new round is published.

Commercial policy

Every rank comes from the scorecard. Any sponsored feature sits outside the ranking and carries a label: clearer display of a phone number, opening hours or service area, for example. Editorial scoring and sponsored features are separate systems.

Verified customer reviews

You can also read reviews from customers on each provider's page. To leave one, you send the editor your review with a copy of the invoice for the job, as a PDF or a photo. The editor matches the invoice to the business before anything is published, and each published review carries an invoice-checked mark.

We publish your review text, your rating and your first name with your last initial, for example Sarah M. Your email address and your invoice stay with the editor, and the invoice file is deleted 12 months after the decision.

Reviews sit alongside our assessment so you can see real customer experiences in the round. Our reviews policy sets out who can review and how we check.

Corrections and appeals

If you spot an error, use the request-a-change page or the correction link on any provider page. Tell us the provider, the field, what it should say, and a link to the evidence, and we check it against the provider record. We aim to answer substantive requests within five working days. Accepted corrections update the record, and the page rebuilds from it.

If you are a listed business and believe your assessment is unfair, the same route is your appeal: send evidence, and the editor re-examines the scorecard. Where we were wrong, we correct and say so. Where the evidence stands, we explain why, with dates and sources.