How we rank consultants
Every ranked list on this site uses the same published formula. It’s recalculated every day. Nobody can pay to change it.
The score, out of 100
- Google rating, adjusted for review count40
- Number of Google reviews (levels off at 150)20
- Feedback from parents on this site15
- How complete the listing is15
- How recent the latest review is10
In detail
Rating. We blend the Google rating with a typical rating of 4.5 as if there were 10 extra reviews (a Bayesian average), then scale 3.0–5.0 to 0–1. This stops a perfect score from two reviews outranking hundreds of good ones.
Volume. More reviews count for more, on a log scale that stops rising at 150 reviews.
Parent feedback. Moderated feedback left on this site, blended the same way. Listings with no feedback get a neutral middle score, so they aren’t penalised.
Completeness. Eight checks: a website or social page, a phone number, a description, qualifications, ages served, a published price, whether they visit or work online, and whether the business has claimed the listing. Claiming is free.
Freshness. Mostly how recent the latest Google review is: the score halves for every six months since then. A smaller part reflects when we last confirmed the listing’s details (it halves every 90 days). We re-rank every day, so this changes gradually.
Near me. When you search by location we multiply the score by a distance factor, so a strong consultant 5 km away usually sits above a similar one 40 km away. Consultants who only give an area, not an address, are placed at the centre of that area.
Paid placement
Consultants can pay A$39 a month to be Featured. Featured listings appear in up to two clearly labelled slots above the ranked list. They keep their organic position in the list too, and their score is calculated exactly like everyone else’s. Top-rated pages show no paid placements. See our ranking and advertising disclosure.
Where the data comes from
Business details, Google ratings and review snippets come from public Google Maps listings. Ratings are refreshed at least every two weeks, we look for new and closed businesses every month, and we check every website monthly. Some consultants are found through certification-body directories, web search or their own submission. We hide businesses Google marks as permanently closed, and listings whose website has failed two checks in a row. Each listing shows the date its details were last checked. Once a business claims its listing, its own edits are never overwritten by the refresh.
Does paying for Featured change the ranking?
No. Payment is not an input to the ranking. Featured listings appear in a separate slot labelled "Featured · paid", and top-rated pages leave them out entirely.
Why is a consultant with a 5.0 rating below one with 4.8?
Ratings from a handful of reviews are less reliable, so we blend each rating with a typical rating of 4.5 as if there were 10 extra reviews. A 4.8 from 90 reviews usually beats a 5.0 from 3.