Which businesses are listed
Every listing starts as a public business record on Google Maps. A business is kept when it is open, has at least one Google review and does this work. Duplicates are merged, and a business with several offices gets one profile that names its other locations.
Where the details come from
Services, badges such as insured or family-owned, founding years and prices come only from the business's own website, and each one is stored with the page it came from and the exact words. When the website says too little, the profile says "Not enough info" instead of guessing. Review text is never copied; the Google rating, the review count and the star distribution link back to Google.
Profile levels
A full profile rests on a website that was read and gave enough facts. A partial profile has some. A profile marked "Not enough info" stays in the lists but is kept out of search engines until the owner adds details.
How the Top 10 is calculated
A Top 10 is built for every service in every city where at least 5 businesses qualify. To qualify, a business must be open, its own website must confirm the service, it must be in or serve the city, and it needs at least 10 Google reviews and a rating of 4.0 or more. The score adds up these parts:
- Rating quality, a Bayesian average that weighs a rating by how many reviews stand behind it: 35 percent
- Review volume, compared with the other businesses in the list: 20 percent
- Recent reviews: how new the latest ones are and how many came in the last twelve months: 15 percent
- How often the owner answers reviews: 10 percent
- Whether the website has a page for the service, or mentions it: 10 percent
- Whether the website shows hours, service area, prices and founding year: 10 percent
The lists are recalculated every quarter, and each period is kept so a business can see its movement.
Paid placements
Businesses can pay for a Featured position above a list or on a city page, and for a Premium profile. Paid positions are always marked Featured. Payment never changes a rating, a review count or a rank.
Varna SEO Agency also offers marketing services. Clients receive no ranking advantage; scores are calculated by the same formula for everyone.
Corrections and removals
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