No business can pay to rank higher. Here is exactly how it works.
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 “Partner” label 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.
A real, operating business
Each listing is a genuine, currently-operating Ottawa company, not a dead page, a lead-gen shell, or a business we could not confirm still operates.
Public, sourced reviews
Ratings shown come from a named public source (currently Google), with the review count and the date we last checked them. 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 shown as checked, not assumed
A licence, insurance, or WSIB line on a profile is marked verified only after we (or the business) confirm it directly against the issuing registry or a certificate, with the date of that check. Anything not yet checked is shown plainly, never hidden and never marked verified by default.
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. Partner label first
Businesses that are also Velogics clients are labeled “Partner” and shown first on trade and area pages, and we say so plainly rather than hide it. That label is the only placement advantage a Partner gets.
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 Partner means
Ottawa Service Directory is built and operated by Velogics, an Ottawa web studio. Some featured businesses are Velogics clients; they are labeled “Partner” and shown first, and we disclose that plainly rather than hide it. Beyond that one disclosed label, placement cannot be bought by anyone, Partner or not. No business can pay to change its rating, move up the list, or have a competitor removed. The formula above is the whole story; there is no second, hidden ranking behind 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 business pay to rank higher?
- No. Never. The only placement advantage any business can hold is the disclosed “Partner” label for Velogics clients, which is fixed and does not vary with spend. Every other position follows the published rating formula above, which anyone can recompute from the review count and rating shown on each profile.
- Who runs Ottawa Service Directory, and what is a “Partner”?
- Ottawa Service Directory is operated by Velogics, an Ottawa web studio. “Partner” means a business is also a client of that studio. Partners are always labeled and shown first; beyond that label, their placement follows the exact same formula as every other listing, and their scores are computed the same way.
- 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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