Every business on TradeScore is scored out of 100 with the same formula, from public data. No business can pay to be scored, opt out of being scored, or influence its number. This page is the full method — weights, formulas and sources — because a ranking you can't check is just an opinion.
Methodology v1.0, published September 2026. When the formula changes it gets a new version number and a note on this page, and every business is rescored under the new version at once.
| Signal | Weight | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 30% | Google Business Profile star rating and review count |
| Review volume | 30% | Google Business Profile review count |
| Search visibility | 40% | Google rankings for a fixed keyword set, via Ahrefs |
Each signal is scored 0–100. The TradeScore is the weighted average of the three, rounded to a whole number.
Rating. A business's Google star rating is adjusted toward the category average as if it carried 20 extra average reviews. A perfect 5.0 from six reviews gets pulled most of the way to the average; a 4.8 from two hundred barely moves. The adjusted rating then maps to 0–100 on a straight line from 3.5 stars (0) to 5.0 stars (100).
Review volume. Total Google reviews on a log scale, so going from 10 to 50 reviews counts for far more than going from 200 to 240. The business at the category's 90th percentile for review count scores 100, and anyone above it is capped at 100.
Search visibility. We check where each business's website ranks on Google for 10 common local searches, on the scoring date and the same date one, two and three years earlier. Position 1 scores 100, sliding evenly to 5 at position 20; anything below position 20 scores 0. The 40 checks are averaged, then scaled so the strongest business in the category scores 100. Looking back three years rewards businesses that have held their position, not just ones that spiked last month. Ranking data comes from Ahrefs.
Businesses without a website we can match aren't ranked yet, because search visibility can't be measured for them. If that's you, send us your site and you'll be scored in the next update.
Roofers in Perth — search keywords. roof repairs perth, roof restoration perth, roof plumber perth, roof replacement perth, roofing perth, perth leaking roof repairs, roof painting perth, tile roof restoration perth, emergency roof repairs perth, roof cleaning perth. Chosen as the highest-volume Australian searches for this trade and city that name a service, excluding products, job ads, cost and how-to questions, other licensed trades, and near-duplicate wordings.
Garage Door Companies in Perth — search keywords. garage door repairs perth, garage door installation perth, emergency garage door repairs perth, garage door service perth, garage door replacement perth, garage door maintenance perth, garage door perth, perth garage door company, commercial garage door repairs perth, residential garage roller door repairs perth. Chosen as the highest-volume Australian searches for this trade and city that name a service, excluding products, job ads, cost and how-to questions, other licensed trades, and near-duplicate wordings.
Tree Removal Services in Perth — search keywords. tree removal perth, tree pruning perth, tree lopping perth, tree loppers perth, perth tree service, tree stump removal perth, tree trimming perth, palm tree removal perth, tree arborist perth, tree felling perth. Chosen as the highest-volume Australian searches for this trade and city that name a service, excluding products, job ads, cost and how-to questions, other licensed trades, and near-duplicate wordings.
Tilers in Perth — search keywords. tilers perth, tiling perth, commercial tiling services perth, bathroom tiling perth, perth tiling company, bathroom tiler perth, floor tilers perth, floor tiling perth, tiling contractor perth, pool tiling perth. Chosen as the highest-volume Australian searches for this trade and city that name a service, excluding products, job ads, cost and how-to questions, other licensed trades, and near-duplicate wordings.
Smash Repairers in Perth — search keywords. smash repairs perth, panel beaters perth, bumper repair perth, dent repair perth, car scratch repair perth, scratch and dent repair perth, car paint repair perth, auto body shop perth, paintless dent repair perth, insurance smash repairs perth. Chosen as the highest-volume Australian searches for this trade and city that name a service, excluding products, job ads, cost and how-to questions, other licensed trades, and near-duplicate wordings.
Computer Repairers in Perth — search keywords. macbook repair perth, laptop repair perth, data recovery perth, pc repair in perth, computer repair in perth, hard drive data recovery perth, laptop screen repair perth, raid data recovery perth, external hard drive data recovery perth, usb data recovery perth. Chosen as the highest-volume Australian searches for this trade and city that name a service, excluding products, job ads, cost and how-to questions, other licensed trades, and near-duplicate wordings.
Welders in Perth — search keywords. metal fabrication perth, custom steel fabrication perth, mobile welding perth, steel fabrication perth, custom metal fabrication services perth, welding perth, onsite welding perth, stainless steel welding perth, stainless steel fabrication perth, aluminium welding perth. Chosen as the highest-volume Australian searches for this trade and city that name a service, excluding products, job ads, cost and how-to questions, other licensed trades, and near-duplicate wordings.
Couriers & Freight Companies in Perth — search keywords. courier perth, freight forwarder perth, international courier perth, freight company perth, courier service perth, freight forwarding companies perth, express courier perth, road freight perth, freight perth to melbourne, freight brisbane to perth. Chosen as the highest-volume Australian searches for this trade and city that name a service, excluding products, job ads, cost and how-to questions, other licensed trades, and near-duplicate wordings.
Who gets ranked. A business needs at least 5 Google reviews and a website we can match. Rating and review volume are measured against the other ranked businesses in the same trade and city. Ties go to the business with more reviews.
Every number is shown. Each business has a scorecard page with its raw inputs — star rating, review count and every tracked Google position — so you can check the maths yourself.
TradeScore is an independent project, not affiliated with any business it ranks. No business pays to appear or to rank. If a listed business ever has a commercial relationship with TradeScore, it will be marked on its listing, scored by exactly the same formula, and can lose its ranking like anyone else.
Scores are recomputed monthly, in the first week of each month. Rankings move — that's the point.
Public data lags reality: a business under new management carries its history, and a great new operator starts with a thin record. Review platforms can contain fake or unfair reviews we can't detect. Search visibility measures how findable a business is online, not the quality of its work — a roofer who gets every job through word of mouth will score lower on it. Ranking data is Ahrefs' estimate of Google results and can differ from what you see in your own search. TradeScore doesn't check licences or insurance: confirm those yourself before hiring. The score is the best available public evidence, not a guarantee — use it alongside itemised quotes and your own judgement.