Scoring Methodology

RepAlmighty publishes this methodology to ensure full transparency in how the Practice Grader scores any business. Our scoring is neutral, data-driven, and auditable — in direct contrast to grader tools that have faced accusations of biased scoring. This page is the authoritative reference for any scoring dispute.

1. Data Sources

Every score is derived exclusively from public third-party data. We cannot manipulate these sources and do not adjust scores based on whether a business is a RepAlmighty customer or competitor.

• Google Places API: Star rating, review count, review recency, business hours, photos, GBP completeness
• Google PageSpeed Insights API: Mobile and desktop performance scores, Core Web Vitals
• SerpAPI / DataForSEO: Local search ranking for category + city queries
• Custom crawler: Website presence, booking link detection, schema markup, SSL status
• Perplexity API / OpenAI API: AI search visibility (AEO score)

2. Scoring Categories and Weights

The RepAlmighty Score is calculated across 7 categories using absolute benchmarks. Every business is scored identically regardless of website platform, marketing agency, or RepAlmighty subscription status.

Google Reviews (20 points)

• Star rating: 4.5+ = 12 pts · 4.0–4.4 = 8 pts · 3.5–3.9 = 4 pts · below 3.5 = 0 pts
• Review count: 100+ = 8 pts · 50–99 = 6 pts · 20–49 = 3 pts · below 20 = 0 pts

Local Search Ranking (20 points)

• Rank #1 = 20 pts · #2 = 16 pts · #3 = 12 pts · #4 = 6 pts · #5+ = 0 pts
• Queried against primary business category + city (e.g., "dentist Anaheim CA")

Website Performance (15 points)

• Mobile PageSpeed 70+ = 15 pts · 50–69 = 10 pts · 30–49 = 5 pts · below 30 = 0 pts
• Benchmarked against realistic small business averages — not Google's 90+ ideal

Online Booking (15 points)

• Booking link on website = 10 pts · Booking link on GBP = 5 pts · None = 0 pts

GBP Completeness (15 points)

• Business description = 4 pts · Hours set = 3 pts · Photos (10+) = 4 pts · Service menu = 4 pts

AI Search Visibility / AEO (10 points)

• Appears in ChatGPT result = 5 pts · Appears in Perplexity result = 5 pts
• Query used: "best [category] in [city]"

Review Response Rate (5 points)

• 70%+ response rate = 5 pts · 40–69% = 3 pts · 20–39% = 1 pt · below 20% = 0 pts

3. Caching Policy

API results are cached for 30 days to control costs and ensure score consistency. A business scanning twice within 30 days receives the same result. Scores refresh after cache expiry.

4. What We Do Not Do

• We do not adjust scores based on the website platform a business uses
• We do not score businesses relative to each other — all scores are absolute
• We do not penalize businesses that are competitors of RepAlmighty
• We do not give preferential scores to RepAlmighty customers
• We do not allow manual score overrides under any circumstance

5. Disputes

If you believe your score is inaccurate due to a data error, contact grader@repalmighty.com with your business name and the specific score in question. We will review raw API data within 5 business days.

6. Last Updated

This methodology was last updated January 1, 2025. Material changes will be announced with at least 30 days notice.