How YardQuote ranks companies

How does YardQuote rank companies?

YardQuote gives each company a single score built from two parts: a Bayesian-adjusted version of its Google star rating, plus small boosts for verification signals. The score is deterministic, meaning the same data always produces the same rank. We publish the formula so anyone can audit a position on any of our 1,091 listings.

What is a Bayesian-adjusted rating?

A raw star rating is misleading when the review count is tiny. YardQuote fixes this by blending each company's rating with the dataset average, treating every company as if it started with 10 imaginary reviews at the mean of 4.73 stars. A company with thousands of reviews barely moves, while a 5.0 built on 4 reviews is pulled toward the average until it earns more history.

This is the same shrinkage approach behind IMDb's Top 250 and other credible ranking systems. The effect: on YardQuote, a proven 4.8 rating over 300 reviews outranks an unproven perfect score, which is what most homeowners would pick anyway.

What verification signals boost a ranking?

After the Bayesian rating, YardQuote adds up to 0.35 in small boosts for signals that a business is real, reachable and active. These never override reputation, they only break ties between similarly rated companies. A perfect Bayesian score with zero verification still ranks below a strong one that is fully verified.

What does the ranking look like in practice?

Here are two example companies scored with the live July 2026 dataset mean of 4.73 stars. Evergreen has a perfect rating but only 8 reviews, while Maple holds 4.8 stars over 280 reviews and is fully verified. Watch how the Bayesian step and boosts settle the order.

Maple wins: 5.148 versus 5.049. The perfect 5.0 shrinks toward the mean on only 8 reviews, while Maple's high volume and full verification hold its position.

Which companies does YardQuote exclude or rank last?

YardQuote drops businesses flagged as permanently closed on Google, since sending you to a closed shop helps no one. Companies with fewer than 3 reviews or a rating below 4.0 still get a profile page for completeness, but they rank last and are kept out of the top-rated and best-of modules until they build a credible track record.

Where does YardQuote's data come from?

YardQuote pulls ratings, review counts and business details from public Google Maps profiles, then enriches each record from the company's own website for services, photos and contact details. Market pricing across 7 categories is researched separately and every figure cites a named GTA contractor or authority, so you can trace it. We do not scrape private data or buy reviews.

How often does YardQuote refresh its data?

The current YardQuote dataset is stamped July 2026. We refresh review data and re-run the ranking on a rolling basis so positions track current reputation, and every page shows a visible last-updated date. If a business is sold, closed or corrects its details, email us and we update the record between scheduled refreshes.

What are the limits of YardQuote's rankings?

A ranking is a strong starting point, not a guarantee. The reviews are Google's, not ours, so they carry Google's own biases. YardQuote does not verify a contractor's WSIB coverage, liability insurance or licences, and a high rank does not vouch for any single job. Always get 3 written quotes, check insurance directly, and read recent reviews before you hire. YardQuote helps you build the shortlist; the due diligence is still yours.