How we choose businesses
There are two steps: being listed, which is about whether a business is genuine, and being shortlisted, which is our editors' judgement for a trade in a town.
To be listed
- The business is trading and we've confirmed its contact details with it
- Limited companies are active on Companies House
- Where a trade needs an accreditation, such as Gas Safe for gas work, we check it on the official register
- The business has agreed to be listed
Each listing shows what we checked and when. Being listed doesn't depend on how many reviews a business has, so new and small businesses are welcome.
To be shortlisted
- Covers the town in question
- Review record, judged by our editors when the shortlist is reviewed
- How long the business has been trading
- Relevant, verified accreditations
Shortlists show the date they were last reviewed. Until a shortlist has been reviewed, businesses are listed alphabetically, without numbers, and the page isn't called a "best of".
Payment and our other services
Businesses can't pay to be listed higher. Paid placements appear separately and are labelled as paid. Some listed businesses also pay us for review or marketing services; that never changes their place in a shortlist.
Last updated November 2026