How we rank

A ranking is only worth as much as the process behind it. Here is ours, in full, including the parts that are limitations rather than strengths.

1. Building the longlist

Every ranking starts with a wide sweep of the category and location — not a handful of businesses we already knew about. Candidates come from public listings, review platforms, industry associations, and local knowledge.

2. The rating floor

To reach the shortlist, a business has to clear a rating threshold on more than one platform. A single strong Google score is not enough. This filters out both the genuinely poor and the artificially inflated, since review manipulation rarely happens consistently across several sites at once.

3. Verification

Before a business is published we confirm what can be confirmed: that it is currently operating, that its contact details are correct, and — in licensed trades and regulated services — that its credentials are current. Where a claim cannot be verified, we leave it out rather than repeat it.

The date each rating was checked is printed next to it. Ratings move; a number without a date is not information.

4. Ordering

Ranking order is editorial. Ratings inform it but do not determine it, because a 4.9 from 40 reviews and a 4.7 from 3,000 are not the same signal. Consistency over time, responsiveness, pricing transparency, and how well a business serves the specific thing the list is about all factor in. Where the ordering is a close call, the entry says so.

5. Re-checking

Monthly lists are revisited every month; yearly lists every year, with corrections in between. When a ranking changes, the page is updated rather than replaced, so the URL you bookmarked stays the URL that stays current.

Independence

Placement on Top Rated cannot be purchased, and no business is given advance notice of its position. Should we introduce advertising or sponsorship in future, sponsored entries will be visually distinct and labelled on the page — never mixed silently into an editorial ranking.

What this is not

We do not have first-hand experience of every business we list, and we say so plainly. These rankings are a well-researched starting point, not a substitute for your own due diligence — particularly for expensive or safety-critical work, where you should always confirm licensing and insurance yourself before hiring.

Corrections

If something here is wrong, we want to fix it. Send the page, the detail, and any supporting evidence, and we will verify and correct it. Material corrections are noted on the page rather than made quietly.

Questions