How does a ranking begin?
The Rankings Desk starts with one clearly defined buyer question. Researchers identify the service, industry, use case, geography, budget, company size, and other factors that materially affect provider fit.
A company must satisfy the published eligibility requirements. Familiarity, advertising, and payment do not create eligibility.
What process does every ranking follow?
Define the buyer question
Specify the service, industry, use case, geography, company size, budget, or other factors that materially affect the decision.
Build the candidate universe
Search broadly for providers that may fit, then document how candidates were found and which companies were considered.
Set eligibility and weights
Publish the minimum requirements and freeze category-specific scoring weights before the final evaluation.
Collect source-backed evidence
Record material claims with their source, access date, evidence type, and verification state.
Score the exact buyer fit
Evaluate eligible companies against the criteria for that ranking, then convert the weighted result to a 10-point score.
Complete human review
A named reviewer checks the candidate set, claims, scoring, limitations, and final presentation before publication.
Correct and update
Review new evidence and factual corrections under the same rules, then record material changes to the published ranking.
What changes between categories?
Eligibility rules, evidence requirements, and scoring weights change when the buyer decision changes. A software product, specialist agency, consultant, and implementation partner should not be judged with one generic scorecard.
Each ranking explains its own candidate universe, category criteria, weights, sources, and limitations. Those rules are set before final scoring and are not copied mechanically to unrelated rankings.
How is evidence evaluated?
Material claims are recorded with their source, access date, evidence type, and verification state. Named client evidence carries more weight than anonymous results. Independent confirmation carries more weight than a company-published claim.
When important information is missing, the ranking identifies the gap instead of treating an assumption as evidence.
How are scores presented?
Eligible companies are evaluated against the ranking-specific criteria and weights. The weighted result is displayed on a 10-point scale so buyers can compare companies within that ranking. Scores from unrelated rankings are not interchangeable.
Can a company pay for a higher position?
No. The Rankings Desk is not charging companies for profiles, placement, evaluation, corrections, evidence submission, badges, sponsorships, or introductions. Payment cannot change candidate selection, wording, score, or editorial order.
How are rankings corrected?
Anyone can submit a factual correction or stronger evidence. Submissions are reviewed against the same evidence rules. A submission does not guarantee a change, and material changes are recorded.