Trust
How the score works
One equation, applied to every business, recomputed every time a review changes. Here it is in full, with an example you can check on a calculator.
The formula
score = (C × m + Σ wᵢ × ratingᵢ) / (C + Σ wᵢ)
m = 3.5 starting point for every business
C = 8 weight of that starting point, in reviews
wᵢ = recency × verification
recency = 0.5 ^ (age in days / 365)
verification = 1.0 if verified, 0.7 if organicEvery business starts at 3.5. That starting point counts as if it were 8 reviews, so one 5-star review moves a new business only a little, and it takes a handful of consistent reviews to reach a high score. This is why a business with two glowing reviews does not outrank one with two hundred good ones.
Each review carries a weight. A verified review posted today weighs exactly 1. The same review a year from now weighs 0.5, and two years from now 0.25. Organic reviews start at 0.7 and decay the same way. Old reviews never drop to zero, they just matter less than recent ones.
The score is rounded to one decimal place and shown with a label: 4.3 and above is Excellent, 3.8 is Great, 2.8 is Average, 1.8 is Poor, and anything below that is Bad.
A worked example
Four reviews, computed live against today's date so the numbers below are exact.
| Review | Rating | Type | Age | Recency | Weight w | w × rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Verified | 12 days ago | 0.977 | 0.977 | 4.887 | |
| B | Organic | 3 months ago | 0.843 | 0.590 | 2.360 | |
| C | Verified | 1.1 years ago | 0.468 | 0.468 | 0.936 | |
| D | Organic | 1.9 years ago | 0.265 | 0.185 | 0.926 | |
| Totals | 2.221 | 9.109 | ||||
score = (8 × 3.5 + 9.109) / (8 + 2.221)
= 37.109 / 10.221
= 3.6 (Average)A plain average of the same four ratings would be 4.00. The score is lower because four reviews are not enough to move far from the starting point, and the two older reviews count for less.
Why it is built this way
- Verified reviews weigh more, organic reviews still count.
- A review tied to an order is harder to fake, so it gets full weight. We do not throw organic reviews away, because plenty of real customers never get an invitation.
- Recent reviews weigh more.
- Businesses change. A run of bad months three years ago should not follow a company that has fixed the problem, and a good reputation from 2021 should not cover for a bad 2026.
- Nothing else goes in.
- Not the plan the business pays for, not how many invitations it sends, not whether it replies. Reply rate is shown on the profile because readers find it useful, but it does not touch the score.
Fraud checks
Every new review is scored against the signals below. Points add up. A total of 40 or more holds the review for a person to read within one business day. A total of 90 or more blocks it outright. Anything below 40 publishes at once. The signals that fired are written to the transparency log in plain words, never the underlying data.
| Signal | Fires when | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Disposable email address | Account email is on a known throwaway domain | 40 |
| Account created less than a day ago | Account under a day old and the review is not verified | 10 |
| Several reviews from the same account in 24 hours | Three or more reviews from the account in 24 hours | 25 |
| Several reviews from the same network in 24 hours | Three or more reviews from the same network in 24 hours | 30 |
| Several reviews from the same device in 24 hours | Three or more reviews from the same device in 24 hours | 30 |
| Repeat reviews of this business from one network | Two or more reviews of this business from one network in 30 days | 35 |
| Submitted from the network that claimed the business | Submitted from a network the business's own team has signed in from | 60 |
| Text matches another review | Body text identical to another review of the same business | 45 |
| Contains a link | Contains a link or web address | 15 |
| Very short | Fewer than 40 characters | 5 |
| Extreme rating with little detail | 1 or 5 stars, under 60 characters, not verified | 10 |
Network addresses and device fingerprints are stored only as keyed hashes. We can tell two reviews came from the same place; we cannot tell where that place is. Details in the privacy policy.
Questions about the score
Why does a business with two five-star reviews not score 5.0?
Every business starts at 3.5, and that starting point carries the weight of 8 reviews. Two verified five-star reviews posted today move the score to about 3.8. It takes a run of consistent reviews to reach the top of the scale, which is why two glowing reviews do not outrank two hundred good ones.
Do old reviews still count?
Yes, but less each year. A review's weight halves every 365 days: a verified review weighs 1.0 today, 0.5 after a year and 0.25 after two. Old reviews never drop to zero, they just matter less than recent ones.
Why do verified reviews weigh more than organic ones?
A review tied to an order is harder to fake, so it weighs 1.0. Organic reviews are written by anyone with a confirmed account and weigh 0.7. Both are shown on the profile and both are labelled.
When is a review held instead of published?
Each new review is scored against 11 signals with published point values. 40 points or more holds it for a person to read within one business day; 90 or more blocks it. Anything below 40 publishes at once, and the signals that fired are written to the transparency log in plain words.
What is an Editor's review?
A review written by a member of the TheReviews team after visiting or buying from the business, paid for by us and never by the business. It carries a gold tick, sits first on the profile, is signed by the team, and weighs the same as a verified review. There is never more than a handful per business and they are never sold.
Think a score is wrong?
Recompute it from the reviews on the profile using the formula on this page. If the numbers do not match, that is a bug and we want to know through the contact form. If the reviews themselves look suspicious, report them from the review card and a person will look.
Think a score is wrong?
Recompute it from the reviews on the profile. If the numbers do not match, that is a bug and we want to know: contact us. If the reviews themselves look suspicious, report them from the review card and a person will look.