Research · For customers
How to check a local business before you hire
Eight checks, each backed by what ratings, reviews and websites actually look like across the local businesses in our directory.
YOUR HIRING CHECKLIST
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Progress for this visit.A rating only means something next to its peers. In our directory, the median local business with 10+ Google reviews is rated 4.7; 4.9 or better is top quarter. Look up the line for the trade you are hiring.
Rating benchmarks by trade59.3% of the local businesses in our directory have fewer than 10 Google reviews. Among those with reviews the median is 20. A business well below its trade's median has less of a track record to judge.
Review benchmarks by trade40.7% of businesses with a perfect 5.0 have fewer than 5 reviews, and 58.4% of businesses with 1–9 reviews are rated 4.8+, against 51% of those with 100+. A 4.8 from hundreds of reviews is the stronger signal.
How rare a high rating is with many reviewsThe same businesses average 4.57 on Google and 4.06 on Yelp. A gap of about half a star is normal; a much bigger one is a reason to read the low reviews on both.
Google vs. Yelp studyThe rating is an average over years. Recent one- and two-star reviews tell you about the business as it is now, and how the owner answers them tells you how a problem would be handled.
70% of the local businesses in our directory list a website. In some trades most don't: charters & recreation (9.5% have none), restaurants (9.5% have none), damage restoration (8.6% have none). A website helps you check services, service area and licensing details, but its absence alone is not a red flag in those trades.
Websites by trade24.7% of the local business websites in our directory say the business is licensed, but only 6.9% show a license number, so "licensed and insured" on a website is a claim, not proof. Ask for the number, check it on your state licensing board's website, and ask for a certificate of insurance.
What business websites promiseDescribe the job once and compare written quotes from a few rated businesses near you. Prices and timelines vary more than ratings do.
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Answers
Common questions
How do I check if a contractor is good before hiring?
Compare the rating with others in the same trade (in our directory, the median local business with 10+ Google reviews is 4.7), check that enough reviews stand behind it, read the newest low reviews and the owner's replies, check a second review site, and get more than one quote (Page One Partner Research, November 2026).
Is a business with a perfect 5-star rating trustworthy?
Check the review count first: 40.7% of the local businesses in our directory with a perfect 5.0 have fewer than 5 reviews (Page One Partner Research, November 2026).
How many reviews should a contractor have?
It depends on the trade. Across the local businesses in our directory with reviews, the median is 20 and 74+ is top quarter; each trade's page has its own numbers (Page One Partner Research, November 2026).
Page One Partner Research · Updated November 2026. Numbers come from the linked studies; the data is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0.
For business owners
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Writing about this data?
Every figure is free to cite and chart under CC BY 4.0. Credit “Page One Partner Research” and link to this page. The numbers describe businesses listed in our directory, not every business in the country.