--- title: How We Pick Favorites: Labels and Criteria | City Favorites url: https://thecityfavorites.com/methodology/ updated: 2026-10-29 --- Skip to content [City *Favorites*](https://thecityfavorites.com/) [How we pick](https://thecityfavorites.com/methodology/)[For businesses](https://thecityfavorites.com/claim/) [Free quotes](https://thecityfavorites.com/quote/) [Choose city](https://thecityfavorites.com/) 1. [Home](https://thecityfavorites.com/) 2. Methodology Methodology # How we pick favorites We don't rank businesses from 1 to 10. We give a few of them a label that says what they're best for, and every label has a written test. Here's the whole thing. - Updated October 29, 2026 ## In one minute 1. **Find everyone.** We start from public business listings for the service in the city, so every business is considered, claimed or not, paying or not. 2. **Apply the minimum bar.** The business must be open, reachable by phone, rated 4.0 stars or more and have at least 10 public reviews. 3. **Gather evidence.** Rating and review count, how recently customers review it, years in business, how complete its details are, and the checks we could confirm (identity, address, phone, website, license, insurance). 4. **Score and shortlist.** We combine that evidence into one score out of 100. The five strongest become the favorites. 5. **Award labels.** Each label has its own test (below). One label per business per list, and each label at most once. 6. **Publish and recheck.** Every list shows when it was last checked. Ratings, reviews and checks are refreshed regularly. ## Label criteria A label is only awarded to a business that clears the minimum bar. If no favorite fits a label, we leave it out. Overall Favorite Highest combined score on this list: rating (weighted by review count), review volume, recent reviews, years in business, complete details and confirmed checks. Customer Favorite The favorite customers talk about most: the largest number of public reviews among this list's favorites, with a strong rating. Best for Value Fair, clear pricing: the lowest public price level among this list's favorites, with a strong rating. Best for Premium For bigger, design-led projects: the highest public price level among this list's favorites, with a strong rating. Best Newcomer The strongest younger business on the list: the fewest years in business, weighed against its rating. ## How the score is built Rating counts most (30%), adjusted for how many reviews it rests on, so a 5.0 from four reviews doesn't beat a 4.8 from four hundred. Then review volume (20%), recent review activity (20%), years in business (15%), complete business details (10%) and confirmed checks (5%). ## What money can't change Businesses can pay for an enhanced profile or a clearly marked sponsored slot, and we may be paid when a quote request reaches a business. None of this changes who is a favorite or who gets a label. [How we make money](https://thecityfavorites.com/how-we-make-money/). ## Corrections Spotted something wrong? [Tell us](https://thecityfavorites.com/corrections/). We check within five working days and note significant changes on the page. Questions ## Questions about our labels What makes a business a favorite? It clears the minimum bar (open, reachable, at least 4.0 stars from 10 or more public reviews) and then scores among the strongest five on rating, review volume, recent reviews, years in business, complete details and confirmed checks. A label then says what each favorite is best for. Why does review volume matter so much? A high rating means more when hundreds of customers agree. We weight each rating by how many reviews it rests on, so a 4.8 from four hundred people outranks a 5.0 from four. Do repeat customers count? Indirectly. Businesses that keep customers coming back tend to collect a steady stream of recent reviews, and recent review activity is a fifth of the score. We never count private reviews or testimonials we can't verify. Do labels change with the seasons? They can. Busy seasons bring more reviews for some trades, so a list re-run after a peak may look different. Every list shows the date it was last checked. [City *Favorites*](https://thecityfavorites.com/) Local favorites for the things you need. Every pick carries a label with published criteria, a date, and a reason you can check. ## Explore - [All cities and lists](https://thecityfavorites.com/) - [Get free quotes](https://thecityfavorites.com/quote/) - [How we pick favorites](https://thecityfavorites.com/methodology/) ## Trust - [Corrections](https://thecityfavorites.com/corrections/) - [How we make money](https://thecityfavorites.com/how-we-make-money/) - [Privacy](https://thecityfavorites.com/privacy/) - [Terms](https://thecityfavorites.com/terms/) ## About - [About us](https://thecityfavorites.com/about/) - [For businesses](https://thecityfavorites.com/claim/) - [Contact](https://thecityfavorites.com/contact/) Labels are editorial. Businesses can't buy a label or a better position. Sponsored placements are always marked. © 2026 City Favorites · thecityfavorites.com · Lists rechecked regularly, this page updated October 29, 2026.