Methodology
How checks and scores work
Every listing gets a score from 0 to 100. It measures how much independent, checkable information we found about the business. It is not a rating of quality, honesty or service, and a low score is not evidence that anything is wrong.
What the score means
Think of the score as "how much can be confirmed from the outside". A long-established business with a working website, a listed phone number and records in several datasets will usually score higher than a new or home-based business, even if both are equally good at what they do.
Absence of data is not evidence of wrongdoing. Many legitimate businesses have no website, are too new to appear in datasets, or simply haven't been picked up yet. We never label a business as a scam, and neither should you based on this score alone.
| Score | Label | What it usually means |
|---|---|---|
| 80 to 100 | Strong signals | Most checks passed, usually including a working website and owner verification or long domain history. |
| 60 to 79 | Good signals | Several independent checks passed. |
| 40 to 59 | Some signals | Basic details are listed, but little else could be confirmed. |
| 0 to 39 | Few signals | We found little checkable information. Do your own checks before paying. |
Part 1: listing data (up to 60 points)
These points are calculated from the listing data when we build the directory.
| Check | What we look at | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Listing source | The business appears in at least one independent dataset that feeds Overture Maps (for example Meta, Microsoft, Foursquare, BrightQuery or AllThePlaces). | +8 |
| Business records | The business appears in BrightQuery's business-records dataset, which is compiled from public filings. | +8 |
| Brand store locator | The location appears in AllThePlaces, which collects locations from brands' own official store locators. | +8 |
| Phone number | A valid 10-digit US phone number is listed. | +10 |
| Website | A website is listed. Social media pages and listing sites don't count as a website. | +8 |
| Full address | A street address with a ZIP code is listed. | +6 |
| Operating status | Data sources report the business as open. | +6 |
| Data confidence | Overture's confidence that the place exists as listed: 6 points at 0.90 or higher, 3 points at 0.75 or higher. | +6 |
| Maximum from listing data | 60 | |
Part 2: live checks and verification (up to 40 points)
When someone runs a live check on a listing that has a website, our checker visits the website and looks up the domain's registration record. Results are saved and shown with the date they were checked. Checks older than 30 days are marked for re-checking.
| Check | What we look at | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Website loads | Our checker requested the homepage and got a normal response (HTTP 200 to 399). | +10 |
| Secure connection | The website loads over HTTPS with a valid certificate. | +6 |
| Domain age | Based on the registration date the domain registry publishes (RDAP): 5 points at 1 year or older, 10 points at 2 years, 14 points at 5 years or older. | +5 to +14 |
| Owner verified | The owner has claimed the listing and passed our verification review. | +10 |
| Maximum from live checks and verification | 40 | |
Closed businesses: if data sources report a business as permanently closed, its score is capped at 25, whatever else it has.
Our checker identifies itself as CheckThisBizBot, requests only the first few kilobytes of the homepage, and gives up after a few seconds. A website that is briefly down when we check will show as "did not load" until it is checked again.
What we don't do
- We don't use customer reviews or star ratings.
- We don't judge quality, pricing, licensing or service.
- We don't accept payment to change a score. Paid plans never affect it, and any paid placement is labeled "Sponsored".
- We don't infer anything from missing data. A missing website or phone number means only that none is on record.
How owners can improve their score
- Claim and verify your listing (+10). It's free.
- Make sure your phone number, street address and website are correct on your listing.
- Keep your website online and serve it over HTTPS.
- Keep your details up to date on the major map and listing services, since our listing data comes from them. See data sources.
Disputes and corrections
If a check result is wrong, for example your website loads but shows as down, ask for a re-check from the listing page or report the problem. If listing details are wrong or the business has closed, use the same form. Owners can also request removal. We review every report.