Why can RanqaScore differ from the Schema average?

RanqaScore weights newer reviews more. AggregateRating is the unweighted mean used for search structured data.

Does a new company start at 5.0?

No. Small samples are tempered, and pages with zero published reviews show a display placeholder (2.0) that is not a customer rating and is not emitted as AggregateRating.

Can I buy a higher RanqaScore?

No. Scores come only from published reviews. The Recommended badge also cannot be purchased.

RanqaScore

How RanqaScore works

RanqaScore is the public rating on every company page. Newer reviews weigh more than older ones. A few ratings alone cannot create a perfect score.

Newer reviews weigh more

Each review’s weight roughly halves every 180 days. A recent review affects the score more than one from several years ago.

Few reviews do not create extreme scores

When the sample is small, the result is tempered. A new page does not reach 5.0 after only a handful of ratings.

The average is stored separately

For search engines we publish the arithmetic average via Schema.org. RanqaScore is the rating visitors see on the page.

RanqaScore vs AggregateRating

RanqaScore is recency-weighted for readers. Schema.org AggregateRating uses the plain arithmetic mean of published reviews so Google and other crawlers get a standard signal. Both appear on the same company page when reviews exist; empty pages omit AggregateRating and show a starting display value of 2.0 that is not a customer rating.

One review per email counts

If the same email leaves several reviews for the same company or product, only the latest published review counts toward RanqaScore, the average, and the star mix. Older reviews stay available via direct links and show that a newer review counts.

Transparency rules

Negative reviews are not hidden. Companies cannot pay to remove ratings. The default view does not bury low scores.

Summary

RanqaScore combines a cautious baseline with a time-weighted average of published reviews (half-life 180 days) and is shown between 1.0 and 5.0.

Recommended badge

Companies with at least 10 published reviews and a RanqaScore of 4.0 or higher receive the Recommended badge. It cannot be purchased.

FAQ

Why can RanqaScore differ from the Schema average?: RanqaScore weights newer reviews more. AggregateRating is the unweighted mean used for search structured data.
Does a new company start at 5.0?: No. Small samples are tempered, and pages with zero published reviews show a display placeholder (2.0) that is not a customer rating and is not emitted as AggregateRating.
Can I buy a higher RanqaScore?: No. Scores come only from published reviews. The Recommended badge also cannot be purchased.

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