--- title: How Selection Works: From Everyone to a Few | Shortlist url: https://theshortlistlocal.com/how-selection-works/ updated: 2026-10-29 --- Skip to content [Shortlist*.*](https://theshortlistlocal.com/) - [How selection works](https://theshortlistlocal.com/how-selection-works/) - [For businesses](https://theshortlistlocal.com/claim/) 1. [Home](https://theshortlistlocal.com/) 2. Methodology Methodology # How selection works A shortlist is three to five businesses, each a clear answer to one kind of job. Here is exactly how we get from everyone to those few, and how you can tell us when we get something wrong. Updated **October 29, 2026** How we make money Corrections 01 The promise ## The promise Position on a shortlist is never for sale*.* Not the place, not the order, not a “featured” slot inside the list. 02 Step one ## Everyone we can find **All** We list every business offering the service in the area, from public business listings, state and county records and review sites. Each business is linked to the services it offers and the areas it serves. 03 Step two ## Hard filters **4** - An active, operating business with a working phone number - Enough real customer reviews to judge it fairly - A solid average rating across those reviews - It is based in, or regularly serves, the area of the list 04 Step three ## Comparing the record **6** For everyone who passes, we compare the rating (adjusted for how many reviews it rests on), review volume, how recently reviews keep coming in, years in business, how complete the business details are, and which checks (identity, address, phone, website, license, insurance) we could confirm. Businesses are not told in advance that they are being compared. 05 Step four ## The shortlist **3–5** A business makes the shortlist only if it is a clear answer to a kind of job, which becomes its “best for”. Never more than five. **Order.** No. 1 is the business we would call first for the most common version of the job. The others follow by how strongly we recommend them overall. Editors can hold a pick in place after review; paid status never changes rank. 06 Upkeep ## How lists stay current - Ratings and review counts are refreshed regularly, with the update date on every page - Checks are re-run, and a business whose checks fail drops off - Every change of fact can be corrected through a public form 07 Money ## How we make money Shortlist is paid by businesses in a few ways, all labelled where they appear: - **Enhanced profiles** : more photos, project details and listing monitoring - **Quote requests** : a flat fee when a business accepts a request a reader chose to send it - **Tools for owners** : review requests and lead follow-up, sold separately None of these change who is on a shortlist or in what order. Paying businesses drop off lists like any other when they no longer meet the bar. [More on how we make money](https://theshortlistlocal.com/how-we-make-money/). 08 Corrections ## Corrections If a fact is wrong, tell us. We check it against a second source and fix it. [Send a correction](https://theshortlistlocal.com/corrections/) 09 FAQ ## Questions about selection ### How do you get from dozens of businesses to a handful? Hard filters first: a working phone, enough real reviews, a solid rating. Then we compare the record. Then we keep only the ones that are a clear answer to a kind of job. Most lists end with three to five. ### Two shortlisted pros look the same. How do I pick? Read the “best for” line. Pick the one that matches your job. Still level? Ask both for a written quote and compare the scope, not just the price. ### What knocks a business off the list? An expired license. A rating that drops below our bar. A phone that stops working. A pattern of recent complaints about the same problem. Any one is enough. ### How fast should I decide? Call two or three this week. Most good businesses reply within two working days. If one is slow to quote, expect it to be slow on the job too. ## Homeowners - [All shortlists](https://theshortlistlocal.com/) - [Ask for quotes](https://theshortlistlocal.com/quote/) ## Shortlist - [How selection works](https://theshortlistlocal.com/how-selection-works/) - [Corrections](https://theshortlistlocal.com/corrections/) - [How we make money](https://theshortlistlocal.com/how-we-make-money/) - [About](https://theshortlistlocal.com/about/) - [Contact](https://theshortlistlocal.com/contact/) ## For businesses - [Claim your free profile](https://theshortlistlocal.com/claim/) - [Fix a fact](https://theshortlistlocal.com/corrections/) Shortlist is an independent guide. Businesses can pay for an enhanced profile or for quote requests; no one can pay for a place on a shortlist or for its order. [How we make money](https://theshortlistlocal.com/how-we-make-money/). © 2026 Shortlist · theshortlistlocal.com · [Privacy](https://theshortlistlocal.com/privacy/) · [Terms](https://theshortlistlocal.com/terms/)