How does ABA Rank decide the order of vendors on a category page?

Every category applies the same ranker to every listing. The order is produced by three disclosed signals, weighted so qualified reviews matter most: qualified review quality and volume (the largest signal, 60% of the Index), decision facts (35%), and primary-category fit (5%). None of the three can be purchased. Sponsored entries sit above the ranked list, are visually distinct, and never reorder organic rank.

Does ABA Rank take money to change ranking position?

No. As of methodology v3.0 no paid product contributes any Index points. All 100 points are operational - qualified reviews (the largest share, 60 points), decision facts, and primary-category fit - and a vendor's subscription tier is not an input to the ranking formula at all. Sponsorship buys labeled slots that render above the ranked list, plus profile features; it does not change rank_score and it does not move a vendor within the ranked list. Earlier versions did carry a capped paid tier signal - see the methodology changelog at /how-we-rank for what changed and when. ABA Rank does not accept paid placement disguised as merit and does not run pay-to-rank ads.

Did ABA Rank ever sell ranking position?

Yes, and we stopped. Methodology versions before v3.0 (August 2026) included a tier signal worth up to 15 of the 100 Index points, which a Sponsor subscription received in full, plus an internal editorial multiplier that could raise a score by a further 10% and was not disclosed on this page. Stacked, they were worth up to roughly 24 points. Both were removed from the ranker in v3.0 rather than merely documented, and the 15 points they occupied were redistributed to qualified reviews and decision facts. The changelog on this page records the change with its effective date.

What is the difference between sponsored placement and ranked listings?

Sponsored slots appear above the ranked list, are flagged as sponsored, and are paid placements. Ranked listings appear below and are produced by the disclosed signals. The two never mix. If a sponsoring vendor also appears in the ranked list, their organic rank reflects only the operational signals - the sponsored slot sits on top of that, not instead of it, and buying one does not move the other.

What does the Sponsor tier actually buy, if not rank?

A labeled slot above the ranked list on eligible category and location pages, profile features, and quarterly print-edition inclusion. It does not contribute Index points, it is not a tie-break, and it is not an input to the ranking formula in any form. A free Claimed listing and a Sponsor listing with identical reviews, completeness, and category fit receive identical scores.

How often are rankings recomputed?

The Index is recomputed nightly. Reviewed corrections from the suggest-an-edit queue and freshly verified profiles flow into the next rerank pass. Top 10 leaderboards are republished quarterly and summarised in the print edition.

Which ranking signals matter most for vendors?

Qualified reviews are the single largest ranking signal - their quality, volume, and recency carry the most weight (60% of the Index). Decision facts are the largest lever a vendor controls directly: the facts each listing's audience decides on - insurance accepted, and a current waitlist status for clinics, pricing, and integrations for software. Each fact a listing discloses earns its published points; logos, screenshots and taglines earn none. The full fact list for every listing type is at /how-we-rank. Primary-category fit comes next. Upgrading your subscription is not on the list, because it does not affect rank.

How does the clinic finder ranking on /find-aba differ from category rankings?

It no longer differs. Since methodology v3.2, the clinic finder orders results by the same Index - score first, then, within a tie, the clinic that discloses more of the facts families decide on, then name - and lists clinics below the evidence floor after the numbered ones, without a number. Earlier versions sorted claimed clinics first, then by waitlist and the date of the last edit. A sponsor cap prevents one operator from crowding out a city or state page; it can only move a sponsor down, never up.

Can I see the exact ranking formula and weights?

Yes. ABA Rank publishes the weight of every signal - machine-readable at /api/v1/methodology - and, since methodology v3.2, the points of every decision fact for every listing type, the review-blending parameters, the evidence floor and the tie rule. The weights are qualified reviews (0.60), decision facts (0.35), and primary-category fit (0.05); they sum to 1.0, so there is no room for an undisclosed term. Every profile also shows how that listing is scored.

What can I do if I think a ranking looks wrong?

File a correction through /suggest-edit. Submissions land in the moderation queue, get reviewed by the editorial team, and reviewed corrections feed directly into the next nightly rerank pass. Corrections are about underlying facts (services, locations, credentials, pricing), not about negotiating position: there is no mechanism for an ABA Rank employee to adjust a vendor's score directly, and all 100 Index points derive from published facts. ABA Rank does not let vendors see neighbours' scores or submit counter-signals.

§ Methodology

How we rank.

Every category page on ABA Rank shows a ranked list of vendors. The order comes from three published signals applied uniformly to every listing in that category. Nothing in that formula is for sale: no tier, no subscription, no editorial thumb on the scale. If a provider is above another one, it is because of their reviews, their profile, and their fit with the category.

Updated October 17, 2026

§ 01 · Signals

The signals.

Three signals, 100 points, weights that sum to exactly 1.0 - so there is no room in the formula for a term we have not listed here. We publish every weight, machine-readable at /api/v1/methodology, and apply them the same way across every vendor in a category. Qualified reviews carry the most weight (60% of the Index).

Qualified reviews - 60 points: The largest ranking signal, built only from first-party reviews published on ABA Rank - Google ratings are shown on profiles but never scored. Every review counts from the first. Each listing's average is blended with the platform-wide average as if it had 5 extra reviews at that average, so one glowing review cannot outrank a long record, and the weight of the evidence grows with each review. Reviews earn points only for an average that blends above the platform average: a listing with no reviews is treated as average, so a below-average record - even a single 3-star review - never ranks it above one with none. Recent reviews count slightly more than old ones. Profiles show a star rating once a listing has 3 reviews; that display rule does not change the score. A vendor with strong, genuine reviews outranks one that has merely disclosed more facts - and outranks one that pays us, because paying us does nothing here.
Decision facts - 35 points: The facts each kind of listing’s audience actually decides on, worth 35 points in every type, so a fully disclosed clinic and a fully disclosed software product reach the same ceiling. A listing earns a fact’s points by disclosing it; it is never rewarded for how it looks. Logos, screenshots, taglines and the number of categories a listing sits in earn nothing. Every fact can be filled in for free from the owner dashboard.
Clinics and ABA schools — what parents decide on
Fact Points Why it matters
Insurance accepted 6 The first question most families ask: will our plan or Medicaid cover it?
Waitlist status, kept current 4 Whether a child can start soon. A status nobody has confirmed in months is not an answer. Full points when updated in the last 90 days, half up to 180 days, none after that.
Ages served 4 Early intervention, school-age and teen programs are different services.
Service settings 4 In-home, center-based, school and telehealth fit different families.
BCBA supervision 3 How much of a child’s program a BCBA directly oversees.
Languages 2 Therapy and parent training in the family’s language.
Parent training 2 Whether caregiver coaching is part of the program.
NPI number 2 The federal provider identifier insurers and families can look up.
Accreditation (BHCOE or CARF) 2 Independent review of clinical quality and operations. Counts while current; an expired accreditation earns nothing.
Location or service area 2 Whether the clinic serves where the family lives.
A way to reach you 2 A website or a phone number a family can use today.
Description 2 What the program is, in the clinic’s own words.
Software — what practice buyers decide on
Fact Points Why it matters
Pricing 7 Buyers shortlist on budget first. Full points for a published starting price; 3 for pricing notes without one.
Integrations 5 Whether it connects to the EHR, billing and payroll a practice already runs.
Price checked recently 4 Software prices change; a stale price misleads a budget. Full points when checked in the last 180 days, half up to a year.
Deployment model 4 Cloud, on-premises or hybrid decides IT and security review.
Capabilities 4 Which jobs it does (data collection, scheduling, billing), as the subcategories it is listed in.
Free tier or trial 3 Whether a team can try it before buying.
Description 4 What the product does, in the vendor’s own words.
Website 4 Where a buyer verifies the claims and books a demo.
Service firms — what practice buyers decide on
Fact Points Why it matters
Engagement models 5 Project, retainer or hourly decides how a practice budgets for the work.
Minimum project size 5 Rules a firm in or out for a practice’s size before a call.
Accepting new clients 5 Whether it is worth reaching out now.
Industries served 4 Experience with ABA and adjacent therapy practices.
Typical engagement length 4 How long the work usually takes.
Pricing context 4 A starting price, pricing model or band sets expectations before a call.
Description 4 What the firm does, in its own words.
Website 4 Where a buyer checks the firm’s work.
Individual BCBAs and coaches — what families decide on
Fact Points Why it matters
BACB credential verified 8 Confirms the certification on the BACB registry.
Specialties 6 Early intervention, feeding, school consults — the fit with a family’s need.
Telehealth or in person 6 Whether sessions can happen where the family needs them.
Insurance accepted 6 Whether a family’s plan covers sessions.
Accepting new clients 5 Whether it is worth reaching out now.
Description 4 Approach and experience, in the professional’s own words.
Primary-category fit - 5 points: A vendor can live in multiple categories, but every profile names exactly one as its primary. On a category page, vendors for whom the current category is primary are a better fit than vendors listed only as a secondary match. This keeps a practice-management suite from crowding out a session-note specialist on the session-notes page. A listing that sits in only one category earns the fit there: its only category is its main one.

Fact	Points	Why it matters
Insurance accepted	6	The first question most families ask: will our plan or Medicaid cover it?
Waitlist status, kept current	4	Whether a child can start soon. A status nobody has confirmed in months is not an answer. Full points when updated in the last 90 days, half up to 180 days, none after that.
Ages served	4	Early intervention, school-age and teen programs are different services.
Service settings	4	In-home, center-based, school and telehealth fit different families.
BCBA supervision	3	How much of a child’s program a BCBA directly oversees.
Languages	2	Therapy and parent training in the family’s language.
Parent training	2	Whether caregiver coaching is part of the program.
NPI number	2	The federal provider identifier insurers and families can look up.
Accreditation (BHCOE or CARF)	2	Independent review of clinical quality and operations. Counts while current; an expired accreditation earns nothing.
Location or service area	2	Whether the clinic serves where the family lives.
A way to reach you	2	A website or a phone number a family can use today.
Description	2	What the program is, in the clinic’s own words.

Fact	Points	Why it matters
Pricing	7	Buyers shortlist on budget first. Full points for a published starting price; 3 for pricing notes without one.
Integrations	5	Whether it connects to the EHR, billing and payroll a practice already runs.
Price checked recently	4	Software prices change; a stale price misleads a budget. Full points when checked in the last 180 days, half up to a year.
Deployment model	4	Cloud, on-premises or hybrid decides IT and security review.
Capabilities	4	Which jobs it does (data collection, scheduling, billing), as the subcategories it is listed in.
Free tier or trial	3	Whether a team can try it before buying.
Description	4	What the product does, in the vendor’s own words.
Website	4	Where a buyer verifies the claims and books a demo.

Fact	Points	Why it matters
Engagement models	5	Project, retainer or hourly decides how a practice budgets for the work.
Minimum project size	5	Rules a firm in or out for a practice’s size before a call.
Accepting new clients	5	Whether it is worth reaching out now.
Industries served	4	Experience with ABA and adjacent therapy practices.
Typical engagement length	4	How long the work usually takes.
Pricing context	4	A starting price, pricing model or band sets expectations before a call.
Description	4	What the firm does, in its own words.
Website	4	Where a buyer checks the firm’s work.

Fact	Points	Why it matters
BACB credential verified	8	Confirms the certification on the BACB registry.
Specialties	6	Early intervention, feeding, school consults — the fit with a family’s need.
Telehealth or in person	6	Whether sessions can happen where the family needs them.
Insurance accepted	6	Whether a family’s plan covers sessions.
Accepting new clients	5	Whether it is worth reaching out now.
Description	4	Approach and experience, in the professional’s own words.

Numbered, tied, or listed

Scores are whole points, and every ranked list is ordered by score, highest first. Listings with the same score share a rank, shown as “T-3”. Within a tie, the listing that discloses more of its type’s decision facts comes first, then names in alphabetical order. Payment, plan and claim status never break a tie.

A listing is numbered once it has a published review, or discloses enough of the 35 decision-fact points for its type: 16 for clinics and schools, 18 for software, 12 for service firms. Below that it is still listed, under the ranked list as "Not yet ranked - not enough information", because a number computed from almost nothing would claim more precision than the Index has. Plan, payment and claim status play no part.

Each listing’s profile shows how it is scored: its points in each signal, which decision facts it has disclosed and which it is missing, and how its rank has moved since last month.

§ 02 · Money

What money buys.

ABA Rank sells subscriptions, so the honest question is what they change. The answer is reach and verification - never position in the ranked list. Two vendors with identical reviews, decision facts, and category fit receive an identical Index score whether one of them pays us nothing and the other pays us $1,490 a year.

What a paid tier buys

A labeled slot above the ranked list
An independent credential and ownership review
A verification badge with a public date
Profile features and a prospect inbox
Quarterly print-edition inclusion

What it does not buy

Index points - tier is not a term in the formula
A higher position in any ranked list
A tie-break against an equally-scored free listing
Placement in the clinic finder ahead of a free claimed clinic
Removal or suppression of a competitor

What we don’t do.

We don’t take money to reorder the ranked list. We don’t hand-tune the order for customers or prospects - there is no admin control that adjusts a vendor’s score, because we removed the one that existed (see the changelog below). We don’t let vendors see their neighbors’ scores or submit counter-signals. We don’t promise top-five placement as part of any commercial agreement. The methodology is applied consistently.

These are testable claims, not promises. The weights sum to 1.0 and are published, so an undisclosed term would have to displace a disclosed one. The scoring function takes three inputs and a subscription tier is not among them. Editorial reorders on cluster pages are logged with a required justification and any vendor can request the entries affecting their listing.

See a ranking that looks wrong? Tell us - the suggest-an-edit form goes to the moderation queue and reviewed corrections flow directly into the next rerank pass (nightly).

Conflicts of interest

ABA Rank’s operator also runs Higglo Digital, a digital agency listed in our marketing and IT categories. Higglo Digital is ranked by the same published Index formula as every other vendor; the affiliation is not an input to its score.

Any other listing affiliated with the operator is disclosed on its profile and not ranked: it holds no Index position on any list, earns no ranking badges, never appears on the home leaderboard, and is never shortlisted when a buyer asks Get Matched for vendors. Where it belongs on a page, it is shown below the ranked list in a separate, unnumbered row labeled “Operator-affiliated listing — not ranked”, and the firms around it are numbered as if it were absent. Paid placements an affiliated listing buys appear only in labeled Sponsored slots above ranked lists, on the same terms as any other vendor.

§ 04 · Clinic finder

Clinic finder ranking.

Results on Find ABA are ordered by the same Index as every other ranked list: score first, then, within a tie, the clinic that discloses more of the facts families decide on, then name. Equal scores share a number. Clinics below the evidence floor are still listed, after the numbered ones and without a number.

Before methodology v3.2 the finder sorted claimed clinics above unclaimed ones, then by waitlist status and the date of our last edit to the listing. Claiming is still free and still how a clinic adds its insurance, ages, waitlist and other facts, so a claimed clinic often scores higher - but it earns that fact by fact, not as a group. Paying changes nothing here. Sponsor clinics carry a visible Sponsored chip, and we cap how many can appear near the top so a single multi-site operator can’t crowd out a city page. That cap can only move a sponsor down the list - it is a diversity guard, not a ranking signal - and a moved sponsor is numbered where it sits.

State pages, plan-only pages, and state-plus-plan pages use the same order as city pages, applied to the broader result set.

Source · lib/rank/clinics-search.ts

§ 05 · FAQ

Methodology questions, answered.

The questions vendors, families, and reporters ask most often about how the directory is ranked - answered against the same disclosed methodology described above.

How does ABA Rank decide the order of vendors on a category page?: Every category applies the same ranker to every listing. The order is produced by three disclosed signals, weighted so qualified reviews matter most: qualified review quality and volume (the largest signal, 60% of the Index), decision facts (35%), and primary-category fit (5%). None of the three can be purchased. Sponsored entries sit above the ranked list, are visually distinct, and never reorder organic rank.
Does ABA Rank take money to change ranking position?: No. As of methodology v3.0 no paid product contributes any Index points. All 100 points are operational - qualified reviews (the largest share, 60 points), decision facts, and primary-category fit - and a vendor's subscription tier is not an input to the ranking formula at all. Sponsorship buys labeled slots that render above the ranked list, plus profile features; it does not change rank_score and it does not move a vendor within the ranked list. Earlier versions did carry a capped paid tier signal - see the methodology changelog at /how-we-rank for what changed and when. ABA Rank does not accept paid placement disguised as merit and does not run pay-to-rank ads.
Did ABA Rank ever sell ranking position?: Yes, and we stopped. Methodology versions before v3.0 (August 2026) included a tier signal worth up to 15 of the 100 Index points, which a Sponsor subscription received in full, plus an internal editorial multiplier that could raise a score by a further 10% and was not disclosed on this page. Stacked, they were worth up to roughly 24 points. Both were removed from the ranker in v3.0 rather than merely documented, and the 15 points they occupied were redistributed to qualified reviews and decision facts. The changelog on this page records the change with its effective date.
What is the difference between sponsored placement and ranked listings?: Sponsored slots appear above the ranked list, are flagged as sponsored, and are paid placements. Ranked listings appear below and are produced by the disclosed signals. The two never mix. If a sponsoring vendor also appears in the ranked list, their organic rank reflects only the operational signals - the sponsored slot sits on top of that, not instead of it, and buying one does not move the other.
What does the Sponsor tier actually buy, if not rank?: A labeled slot above the ranked list on eligible category and location pages, profile features, and quarterly print-edition inclusion. It does not contribute Index points, it is not a tie-break, and it is not an input to the ranking formula in any form. A free Claimed listing and a Sponsor listing with identical reviews, completeness, and category fit receive identical scores.
How often are rankings recomputed?: The Index is recomputed nightly. Reviewed corrections from the suggest-an-edit queue and freshly verified profiles flow into the next rerank pass. Top 10 leaderboards are republished quarterly and summarised in the print edition.
Which ranking signals matter most for vendors?: Qualified reviews are the single largest ranking signal - their quality, volume, and recency carry the most weight (60% of the Index). Decision facts are the largest lever a vendor controls directly: the facts each listing's audience decides on - insurance accepted, and a current waitlist status for clinics, pricing, and integrations for software. Each fact a listing discloses earns its published points; logos, screenshots and taglines earn none. The full fact list for every listing type is at /how-we-rank. Primary-category fit comes next. Upgrading your subscription is not on the list, because it does not affect rank.
How does the clinic finder ranking on /find-aba differ from category rankings?: It no longer differs. Since methodology v3.2, the clinic finder orders results by the same Index - score first, then, within a tie, the clinic that discloses more of the facts families decide on, then name - and lists clinics below the evidence floor after the numbered ones, without a number. Earlier versions sorted claimed clinics first, then by waitlist and the date of the last edit. A sponsor cap prevents one operator from crowding out a city or state page; it can only move a sponsor down, never up.
Can I see the exact ranking formula and weights?: Yes. ABA Rank publishes the weight of every signal - machine-readable at /api/v1/methodology - and, since methodology v3.2, the points of every decision fact for every listing type, the review-blending parameters, the evidence floor and the tie rule. The weights are qualified reviews (0.60), decision facts (0.35), and primary-category fit (0.05); they sum to 1.0, so there is no room for an undisclosed term. Every profile also shows how that listing is scored.
What can I do if I think a ranking looks wrong?: File a correction through /suggest-edit. Submissions land in the moderation queue, get reviewed by the editorial team, and reviewed corrections feed directly into the next nightly rerank pass. Corrections are about underlying facts (services, locations, credentials, pricing), not about negotiating position: there is no mechanism for an ABA Rank employee to adjust a vendor's score directly, and all 100 Index points derive from published facts. ABA Rank does not let vendors see neighbours' scores or submit counter-signals.

§ 06 · Editorial policy

Editorial policy.

Cluster pages (our “best of” software guides) layer editorial judgment on top of the ranked Index. To keep that layer accountable, every editorial action is governed by the four rules below - and the rules themselves are public.

Cluster seed rules

Every cluster roster starts from the same place: the ABA Rank Index for the cluster’s target category (the rank order recorded in vendor_category.rankPosition). For cross-category clusters like Best ABA Software, we seed from the top-N vendors by global rank score. Editors may reorder vendors after seeding, but any insertion outside the seeded top-N requires an editorial blurb explaining the move - and the override is logged (see below).

Override logging

Every editorial reorder writes an auditLog row with action cluster_roster_override, recording the previous and new sort positions and the editor’s required justification text. The audit trail is permanent and any vendor can request access to entries that affect their listing.

Takedown process

Vendors who believe their inclusion on a cluster page is inaccurate, or who prefer not to be listed, can request removal by emailing editor@abarank.com. We respond within five business days. Approved removals are reflected on the next publish cycle.

Review cadence

Each cluster’s last_reviewed_at timestamp is touched whenever the cluster is (re)published. After 90 days without a re-review, the cluster surfaces a staleness warning in our admin console; editors revisit pricing, integrations, and editorial copy before re-publishing. The “Reviewed {month year}” chip on each cluster page reflects the most recent review.

§ 07 · Changelog

Methodology changelog.

We disclose substantive methodology changes here so vendors and reporters can see exactly how rank inputs evolve over time. Effective dates are when the change began affecting rank order, not when the document was published.

Methodology v3.2 - effective October 2026

Methodology v3.2 keeps the three weights and changes what two of them measure, so the Index says something about each listing instead of how fully its profile was filled in.

Decision facts replace profile completeness. Each listing type is scored on the facts its buyers or families decide on - insurance, ages, settings and a current waitlist for clinics; pricing, integrations and deployment for software; engagement terms for service firms. Clinics had been scored on a block written for software. Logos, screenshots, names, taglines and the number of categories a listing sits in no longer earn anything.
Reviews count from the first one. The three-review floor is gone. Each listing’s average is blended with the platform average, so early reviews count without any one of them deciding a rank, and only a record better than average earns points - a single 3-star review never beats having none. The verified-interview bonus, which only paid plans could earn, is removed.
Ties are shown, and broken by a published rule. Scores are whole points and equal scores share a rank. Exact ties used to be broken by an internal ID.
Listed, not numbered. Listings below the evidence floor appear without a number until they disclose enough or earn a review. In a simulation against the live directory, most service firms - which had disclosed a description and a website and little else - moved into that group.
Ranking badges. From the next monthly badge run, “Best” is reserved for a sole, untied #1 among at least five numbered listings; other badges read “#3 of 41”, and a group needs three numbered listings to award any. Badges already issued keep the wording they were issued with.
The clinic finder now uses the Index order instead of claim groups and last-edit dates.

Methodology v3.1 - effective September 2026

Methodology v3.1 retires the verification-recency term. It was worth 0.15 - 15 of 100 Index points - and it did not measure what its name said.

The input was never maintained. The term scored the recency of a listing’s last verification date. In practice that date was only ever written when a listing was first researched, in April 2026. Nothing wrote it afterwards, so no provider could change this part of their score by any action at all.
It rewarded the wrong listings. Because the dates landed on the listings that happened to be researched in that window, 644 listings carried one and 657 did not - and 640 of those 644 were unclaimed, against 4 claimed. A term named for verification was paying about 6.6 points to listings whose operators had never engaged with ABA Rank, and nothing to the operators who had claimed theirs and kept it current.
Redistribution: the freed 0.15 goes the same way v3.0 sent the tier term - qualified reviews 0.50 → 0.60, profile completeness 0.30 → 0.35. Primary-category fit (0.05) is unchanged. The Index is now three signals and still sums to 1.0.
What this changed in the ranked lists. About 51% of scored listings moved at the first recompute after this version took effect, a median of 2 positions. Claimed listings gained an average of 3.8 Index points and the seeded unclaimed listings lost about 3.5. If a listing moved, this is why.
What it means for Verified. ABA Rank Verified no longer touches the Index at any point, and pages that previously said a verification refreshed a scoring component have been corrected. Verification publishes a dated, independently checked record; it buys no position.
Clinic finder: unaffected. It is a separate ranker and still uses verification date as a tie-break within a result group, which is disclosed in its own section above.

Methodology v3.0 - effective August 2026

Methodology v3.0 removes every paid input from the ranked list. Until this version, a Sponsor subscription bought real Index points, and an internal flag could raise a score further without appearing in any public disclosure. Both are deleted from the scoring code rather than merely documented, because a disclosure cannot fix a formula that families are relying on to compare care providers.

The tier signal is gone. v2.0 weighted listing tier at 0.15 and gave a Sponsor subscription the full value of that term - 15 of 100 Index points, bought. Subscription tier is no longer an input to the ranking formula in any form: not a weighted term, not a tie-break, not a filter.
The undisclosed editorial multiplier is gone. A per-vendor bonus_ranking flag, settable by ABA Rank staff, multiplied a vendor’s finished score by 1.1. It was not described on this page or in /api/v1/methodology. It has been removed from both rankers and the admin control that set it has been deleted.
Stacked, those two mechanics were worth up to 24.1 of 100 Index points to a vendor positioned to benefit from both. That is the number this change removes.
Redistribution: the freed 0.15 went to the two signals that reflect provider quality - qualified reviews 0.40 → 0.50, profile completeness 0.25 → 0.30. Verification recency (0.15) and primary-category fit (0.05) are unchanged. Weights still sum to 1.0.
Clinic finder: the four result groups collapse to three. “Paid & claimed” and “claimed free” merge into a single claimed group, so a paying clinic no longer outranks an equally-complete free one. The hidden 10% completeness bonus that applied within groups is removed.
What sponsorship still buys: labeled slots above the ranked list, profile features, and print-edition inclusion. Those were always rendered separately from organic rank and still are.
Expect rank movement. Vendors who were benefiting from the tier signal or the editorial flag will fall; well-reviewed vendors on the free tier will rise. This is the intended effect, and the first nightly rerank after the effective date applies it.
Effective date: August 2026.

Methodology v2.0 - effective July 2026 (superseded)

Methodology v2.0 makes qualified reviews the center of gravity. Earlier versions weighted profile completeness most heavily; v2.0 rebalances so a vendor’s customers, not the length of its profile, drive rank. The published weights below now exactly match the scoring engine.

Index weights (each signal’s share of 100 points): qualified reviews 40, profile completeness 25, verification recency 15, capped tier signal 15, primary-category fit 5. Machine-readable at /api/v1/methodology.
Qualified reviews (quality, volume, freshness, and verified-interview presence) are now the single largest signal, up from an effective ~13% in v1.x.
The Sponsor tier signal is capped at 15 of 100 Index points; per-page sponsored placements render in labeled slots above the ranked list and never change rank_score. The two mechanics are disclosed separately.
Effective date: July 2026.

Methodology v1.6 - effective May 2026 (superseded)

Methodology v1.6 published the coach (provider) ranking inputs and disclosed a paid-boost ceiling for Featured coaches. In retrospect that disclosure was incomplete: the “at most ~1.5% of the final score” figure below was accurate for the Featured tier but not for Sponsor, which received the full 15-point tier term. v3.0 removes the tier term entirely, which makes the distinction moot.

Coach ranking score = verified credentials + profile completeness + responsiveness + recency.
Paid boost is capped and disclosed: a Featured coach receives at most a +0.10 tier boost (FEATURED_BOOST_MAX), Pro receives +0.05 - the tier component is weighted at 0.15, so tier lifts a coach by at most ~1.5% of the final score and can never override the unbuyable base score.
Featured search results are labeled “Featured - paid” so families can see paid placements.

Methodology v1.5 - effective May 2026

Methodology v1.5 adds five new vendor profile fields, normalizes the integrations table, and rewards vendors who publish more transparent product data.

Five new vendor profile fields: pricing_starting_usd, pricing_notes, deployment_model, free_tier, and last_price_verified_at. Each is rendered on the public profile where set.
Normalized vendor_integration table - vendors list their integrations once and they surface across every cluster the vendor appears on, instead of being re-typed per cluster.
+5 points added to the 50-point profile-completeness portion of the Index, capped at one point each across the five fields above (free tier explicitly set, deployment model disclosed, at least one pricing field present, at least one integration recorded, and a price-verification date set).
New cluster-page editorial process - every cluster roster is seeded from the Index and every reorder is logged. See editorial policy above for the full rules.
Effective date: May 2026.