The ranking
We start with the businesses we find on Google Maps under the trade, in and around Winnipeg. A plumbers list only includes businesses Google lists as plumbers.
Each one is ranked by its Google rating, weighted by how many reviews it has. In practice, every business is treated as if it already had 25 average reviews, then its own reviews are added on top. That keeps a 5.0 from three reviews from outranking a 4.8 from 900. Only businesses with at least 25 reviews can be ranked, and each guide ranks the top 12.
What we check on business websites
For the top picks we check hours, service area and posted prices on each business's own website, and record the date we checked. Anything we can't confirm stays off the page. We don't publish a price unless the business posted it or confirmed it with us.
What customers say
On each profile we read the business's most recent Google reviews, up to 100, and count how many mention things like arriving on time or explaining the price first. A script does the counting so the numbers are exact, and we read a sample of every theme to make sure it means what it says. Complaints are counted the same way as praise.
The wording is our summary. We don't copy review text onto the site unless the business or the reviewer has given permission.
Money
Listing is free for any Winnipeg business. No business can pay to be ranked or to move up. Businesses can pay for extras, like a featured spot, a founding member badge or a photo gallery on their profile. Anything paid is labelled as paid wherever it appears, sits outside the ranked list, and never changes a business's place in it. Claiming your profile is free and never changes your place either. For business owners
How we stay independent
Bobby Rocha, who edits Winnipeg Picks, also runs Rocket Fuel Reviews, a marketing company that helps local businesses collect more Google reviews. Some of those businesses may show up in our guides, and more reviews can move a business up our rankings. So we follow these rules.
- Clients are ranked by the same formula as every other business. Nobody's place is moved by hand.
- Every client has a "Rocket Fuel Reviews client" label beside its name, everywhere it appears on the site.
- A client can be a top pick only on the same terms as everyone else: each "best for" line has to be backed by counted reviews, Google hours or prices the business posts.
- No business, client or not, can pay to be ranked or to move up.
AI use
We use AI tools for research and first drafts. The header images are AI-generated illustrations, not photos of any business we list, and the image files are tagged as AI-made. Every hour, price and review count we quote is checked against its source before a page goes live.
Corrections
If something is wrong or out of date, email [email protected] and we'll check it.