Award Methodology

How VitalRecover award tags are computed

A computed ranking — not a vote

Award tags on VitalRecover listings (for example, “Top 3 In-Home Massage — Austin 2026”) are computed rankings: the output of the scoring formula published on this page, run over the verified data already shown on each listing. No customers, judges, panels, or industry bodies vote; there are no nominations, entries, or fees; and no provider can pay for a tag or a higher score. Paid featured placements (always labeled “Featured placement”) are a separate, disclosed product and have no effect on award scoring.

Who is eligible

A provider enters a ranking only when its listing carries a domain-verified Google Business identity (the listing VitalRecover matched to the provider’s own website — never a similarly-named neighbor) with a sourced Google rating across at least 10 reviews. A service-and-city pair publishes awards only when at least 6 providers are eligible there; the list size is Top N where N = min(10, max(3, floor(pool ÷ 3))). Absence from an award list is never published as a negative and never means a provider is unrated or unverified.

The scoring formula

Scores are computed from the signals below (maximum 100 points). A missing signal contributes 0 points — it is never guessed and never counted as a penalty. VitalRecover currently verifies no certification or license registry for these categories, so no registry signal exists in this formula; if a registry verification ships (for example, state license rosters), the weights will be re-derived and this page updated in the same release.

Verified Google rating (Bayesian-adjusted) — up to 60 points. The provider's sourced Google rating — counted only on a domain-verified Google Business identity — adjusted toward the directory-wide average rating with a prior weight of 25 reviews, so a perfect score from a handful of reviews cannot outrank a slightly lower score earned across hundreds. The adjusted rating is scaled linearly: 3.5 stars or below scores 0 points, 5 stars scores the full 60.

Review volume — up to 15 points. Logarithmic in the Google review count, reaching the full 15 points at 500+ reviews (log10(reviews + 1) / log10(500) x 15, capped at 15).

Verified local Google Business location — up to 15 points. Counted only when the provider's own domain-verified Google Business Profile pin sits inside the metro it is listed under (within 50 miles). An unverified or out-of-metro pin scores 0.

Verified phone on the Google listing — up to 5 points. Counted only when the domain-verified Google Business listing publishes a phone number — a reachability fact from the verified identity, never from the provider's marketing copy.

Published hours on the Google listing — up to 5 points. Counted only when the domain-verified Google Business listing publishes opening hours for at least one day.

The year, and how often this recomputes

Each award label carries the calendar year in which it was computed. Rankings are recomputed with each data refresh, so a tag can change hands or disappear as ratings, verified listings, phones, and hours change. An award tag is a dated snapshot of verified data, not a permanent title.

For award holders: embedding your badge

Providers holding a current award tag may embed it on their own site. Keep the words “computed ranking” — these tags may never be presented as a vote, a customers’ choice, or third-party recognition — and keep the rel="nofollow" attribute: the badge exists to inform your customers, not to exchange links.

<a href="https://vitalrecover.health/awards-methodology" rel="nofollow"
   title="Computed ranking from verified data — VitalRecover">
  VitalRecover: Top 3 In-Home Massage — Austin 2026 (computed ranking)
</a>