How we rank
How TelfordRanked finds candidates, checks eligibility, scores providers and corrects errors.
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, [editor.name], 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, and manual checks of the relevant 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:
- Identity confirmed. Trading name, legal entity where one exists, website, phone number and service area agree across at least two independent sources.
- 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.
- 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.
| Criterion | Id | What it measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customer evidence | C1 | 30% | |
| Qualifications and accreditations | C2 | 25% | |
| First-hand responsiveness | C3 | 15% | |
| Trading history | C4 | 10% | |
| Insurance and safeguards | C5 | 10% | |
| Pricing transparency | C6 | 5% | |
| Website and service information | C7 | 5% | |
| Total | 100% |
| Requirement | Id | What we check |
|---|---|---|
| Identity confirmed | G1 | |
| Trading and contactable | G2 | |
| Mandatory registration where claimed | G3 |
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 looks at ratings, review volume and distribution, recency, the spread of sources, and how the business responds — adjusted so that a handful of reviews cannot outshine hundreds. Snapshots carry the source, the scale and the date we saw them. Qualifications and accreditations record current register status and qualified scope, checked by hand against the issuing register with the check date kept. Trading history uses incorporation and documented trading evidence, with care: an incorporation date tells you when a company was registered, which can differ from how long the current brand has traded, and sole traders are scored on their own trading evidence instead. Insurance and safeguards reflect confirmed cover, warranties and a complaints route — we ask the provider to confirm current cover, and we score the confirmation. 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.
Ties
Providers whose scores land within a narrow published margin of the group above them form a tie group, shown as joint positions in alphabetical order. That margin is part of the published scoring system. Joint positions share one rank, because the evidence does not support putting one above the other.
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.
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.
Sources
TelfordRanked provider research and rating data sources — places, registers and acquisition policy.
TelfordRanked research: data rights as the operational constraint; review-site terms and non-commercial-use limits.
TelfordRanked research: eligibility requirements and category-specific registration requirements.
Think we got something wrong?
Questions and corrections go directly to the editorial team.