Can a commercial relationship affect placement?

No. No business pays Ottawa Service Directory for its listing or for its position, and there is no way to buy either. Some listed businesses are also Velogics clients for website and SEO work; that relationship is disclosed on this page and it earns them nothing here. Until 2026-08-12 those listings were labeled “Sponsored Partner” and did appear first — that label described a payment for placement which never actually existed, so it was removed along with the advantage it claimed to disclose.

Who runs Ottawa Service Directory, and what does “Claimed” mean?

Ottawa Service Directory is operated by Velogics, an Ottawa-based web design, local SEO, and custom software company serving home service businesses. “Claimed” means the business itself has signed in and taken responsibility for its listing details. It is free, any listed business can do it, and it is the only thing that moves a listing ahead of the rating formula. A claimed listing's displayed rating still comes from the named public source and is not changed by claiming.

How do I correct or update my business listing?

Use the “Claim or update this listing” link on your profile, or reach us through the contact form. Corrections are usually made within 2 business days.

How do I have my business removed from the directory?

Any business can be removed on request from a verifiable owner or manager, usually the same day. There is no fee and no retention pitch attached to a removal request.

Are the licence and insurance checks still valid today?

Verification is point-in-time: it reflects what we confirmed on the date shown, not a live feed from the issuing registry. Confirm current coverage and licensing directly with the business before you hire, the same way you would with any contractor.

Where do the photos on each profile come from?

Photos come from each business's public Google Business Profile. An owner can ask us to replace or remove any photo, usually the same day, no reason required.

Nothing here is for sale. Here is exactly how every listing is ordered.

This page states, in full, how a business gets listed on Ottawa Service Directory, how the order on every trade and area page is computed, what the “Claimed” badge means, and what happens when something needs to be corrected or removed. Nothing here is marketing copy: the ranking formula below is the same one the site runs.

Last reviewed July 2026.

Getting listed

What a business must be to appear here

Every listing meets these before it is published. None of them can be satisfied with a payment.

An Ottawa business presence

Each listing had a reviewable Ottawa service presence when added. Because operating status can change, confirm current availability directly before hiring.

Public, sourced reviews

Ratings shown come from a named public source — Google, Houzz, or TrustedPros, whichever the business is rated on — with the review count and the date we last checked them. The source is named on every rating, and a rating with no named source is never shown.

Local track record

We favour businesses with a real, verifiable history of working in Ottawa over a brand-new page with no history.

Credentials need direct confirmation

Credential details may come from a public record, certificate, or the business. A verified marker records a point-in-time check; it is not a guarantee that licensing, insurance, or WSIB status remains current. Confirm it directly before hiring.

Ranking

The exact order, in four steps

This is the whole formula, not a summary of it. The same four steps run on every trade and area page.

1. Claimed listings appear first
A listing whose owner has claimed it — signed in and taken responsibility for its details — appears first on trade and area pages, and carries a “Claimed” badge. This is a data-quality signal, not a commercial one: a claimed listing is the one most likely to be accurate and current. Claiming is free, it is open to every business listed here, and no business can buy it.
2. Featured tier next
Featured listings (a curated shortlist per trade) are shown next. Featured status reflects local track record and review strength, never a payment.
3. Everyone else, by a published formula
The remaining order is a confidence-weighted average of the real rating: (10 × 4.5 + reviewCount × ratingValue) ÷ (10 + reviewCount). The “10 × 4.5” term is a mild prior, so a brand-new 5.0 from one review does not outrank a 4.8 built on 150 reviews. No business can change this by paying us.
4. Name, as the final tie-break
When two businesses would otherwise tie, the list falls back to alphabetical order. Nothing about tie-breaking can be purchased either.

Ownership

Who runs this, and what our clients get here

Ottawa Service Directory is built and operated by Velogics, an Ottawa-based web design, local SEO, and custom software company serving home service businesses. Some businesses listed here are also Velogics clients. That relationship is worth stating plainly, and so is its effect on this directory: none. They pay us for websites and SEO, not for a listing or a position, and the order above is the whole order — there is no second, hidden ranking behind it.

Until 2026-08-12 those listings were labeled “Sponsored Partner” and did sort ahead of everyone else. We removed both. The label described a payment for placement that was never actually made, and an advantage nothing had earned is not made acceptable by disclosing it.

Policies

Corrections, removal, and photo requests

Correction process: Found something wrong on a listing? Use the “Claim or update this listing” link on the profile, or the contact form. Corrections are usually made within 2 business days.
Delisting policy: Any business can be removed from the directory on request from a verifiable owner or manager, usually the same day. No fee, no retention pitch.
Insurance and licensing disclaimer: Where a licence or insurance check is shown, verification is point-in-time: it reflects what was confirmed on the date shown, not a live registry feed. Confirm current coverage and licensing directly with the business before you hire.
Media policy: Photos on a profile come from that business’s public Google Business Profile. An owner can ask us to replace or remove any photo, usually the same day, no reason required.
Rating freshness: Every sourced rating carries the date we last checked it, shown on the business profile next to the rating itself. Ratings are never estimated or carried forward without a real recheck.

Common questions

Methodology, answered

Can a commercial relationship affect placement?: No. No business pays Ottawa Service Directory for its listing or for its position, and there is no way to buy either. Some listed businesses are also Velogics clients for website and SEO work; that relationship is disclosed on this page and it earns them nothing here. Until 2026-08-12 those listings were labeled “Sponsored Partner” and did appear first — that label described a payment for placement which never actually existed, so it was removed along with the advantage it claimed to disclose.
Who runs Ottawa Service Directory, and what does “Claimed” mean?: Ottawa Service Directory is operated by Velogics, an Ottawa-based web design, local SEO, and custom software company serving home service businesses. “Claimed” means the business itself has signed in and taken responsibility for its listing details. It is free, any listed business can do it, and it is the only thing that moves a listing ahead of the rating formula. A claimed listing's displayed rating still comes from the named public source and is not changed by claiming.
How do I correct or update my business listing?: Use the “Claim or update this listing” link on your profile, or reach us through the contact form. Corrections are usually made within 2 business days.
How do I have my business removed from the directory?: Any business can be removed on request from a verifiable owner or manager, usually the same day. There is no fee and no retention pitch attached to a removal request.
Are the licence and insurance checks still valid today?: Verification is point-in-time: it reflects what we confirmed on the date shown, not a live feed from the issuing registry. Confirm current coverage and licensing directly with the business before you hire, the same way you would with any contractor.
Where do the photos on each profile come from?: Photos come from each business's public Google Business Profile. An owner can ask us to replace or remove any photo, usually the same day, no reason required.

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