The Methodology

How we rank

Every list on STR Select is scored the same way, with the same printed weights. A ranking whose reasoning is hidden is an advertisement. This page is the reasoning.

The formula, in the open

Fee transparencyPublished rates beat call us
30%
Verified reviewsLinkedIn verified owners plus public scores with sources
25%
Local depthReal presence and portfolio density in the market
25%
Service scopeWhat is actually handled, verified against published pages
20%

What each input measures

Scored 0 to 10 per company, per market or category. A company can see its own scores by claiming its listing.

30% · FEE TRANSPARENCY

Can a buyer learn the price?

Published rates score highest. Ranges disclosed on request score mid. Book a call to find out scores lowest. We print what we find either way, including not published, with the date we checked.

25% · VERIFIED REVIEWS

What do verified customers say?

Only reviews from LinkedIn connected, editor approved customers count here, plus public review scores that always carry their source and date.

25% · LOCAL DEPTH

Are they really in the market?

Staffed local presence, portfolio density and years operating in market. A national brand with two listings scores below a native operator with forty. For tools, this input becomes methodology depth: how the work actually gets done.

20% · SERVICE SCOPE

What do they actually handle?

Full service versus co-hosting, filing versus tracking, coverage claims, all verified against the company's own published pages, never a sales call.

What we never do

No pay to rank

Featured placements exist, are labeled on the listing and never move a company up a list. Position is formula only.

No invented numbers

Every figure carries a source and a date. Where we cannot verify, we print not verified. A plausible guess never ships.

No anonymous reviews

Every review is tied to a real LinkedIn identity and approved by an editor. Competitor sabotage does not get published.

How review verification works in

Four steps between write a review and published. Reviews cover managers, services and tools alike.

1

Connect LinkedIn

The reviewer signs in with their LinkedIn account. Identity, not anonymity.

2

Write the review

Star rating plus experience, tied to a specific listed company.

3

Editor screening

A human editor checks for conflicts, spam and competitor sabotage. Nothing auto publishes.

4

Published and dated

Approved reviews appear with first name, verified badge and date, once a company reaches 2 approved reviews.

Featured placements, disclosed

Companies can pay for a labeled featured partner slot: extra visibility and a richer profile, never a better rank. The label appears on the listing itself, not buried in a footer. Where a featured company has a commercial relationship with our operators, the page says so in plain text.

Corrections

Every page carries dated facts. Companies can claim their listing to correct anything, and anyone can flag an error. Fixes ship with a visible updated stamp. Claim your listing