A tidy 'best local pro' badge that its own contract says you can pay to wear.
What it's really for A local-pro lead-gen directory; ranked providers pay a monthly fee to be featured.
What our grade covers The grade on this page is about its 'best [pro] in [city]' lists, not everything the site does.
High Scoring Confidence Checked against primary sources. We are confident in the facts and the grade here.
The parties it ranks are exactly who pays it the most: Expertise.com's own Marketing Agreement says a listed provider "shall pay SP the amount agreed to per the Expertise.com invoice in exchange for placement in the corresponding category" (monthly, 90-day initial term), and its Terms admit these paid "Featured/Sponsored" ads "will appear above, or otherwise prioritized over, any organic search results."
Source →- Operating since
- 2015 (11 years) · source
- What it costs you
- Free to read The reviews are free to read.
- How they make money
- It makes money from advertising and lead generation: ranked providers pay monthly for "Featured"/"Sponsored" placement and paid lead delivery, plus affiliate/referral commissions.
- What they do
- It publishes algorithmically generated "best [profession] in [city]" lists across 200+ categories (including accountants and lawyers), scored from public data, reviews, and license records.
- What to watch for
- The businesses shown at the top may be paying for that spot: the site sells "Featured" and "Sponsored" placements that sit above its supposedly merit-based picks, so a top listing is not proof a pro is actually the best near you.
- Composite score
- 2.00 / 5.00 → grade C-
How the grade was reached
Does the site take money from the very entities it ranks? Pay-for-placement, vendor-funded data, and affiliate commissions all pull this down. The less the ranking can be bought, the higher the score.
What is the ranking actually built on? Hands-on testing scores highest, then verified first-hand reviews, then opinion or popularity surveys and self-reported figures, then pay-to-rank, which scores lowest.
Is the methodology published, specific, and reproducible? Can a reader see how a given rank was reached, or is it a black box?
Are commercial relationships, sponsorships, and affiliate arrangements disclosed clearly and near the rankings themselves, rather than buried?
How hard is it to game? Controls against fake reviews, solicited reviews, and vendor gaming raise this; an open box anyone can stuff lowers it.
Evidence
- Expertise.com's Terms of Use state the site is "powered by Forbes Digital Marketing, Inc." and is "an independent review site that is supported by advertising and affiliate links," and that "Premium Ads ... will appear above, or otherwise prioritized over, any organic search results," labeled as Sponsored or Featured. It also claims "the majority of the experts we review and list don't pay us anything." Source: Expertise.com Terms of Use →
- The Expertise Marketing Agreement confirms paid placement: "Client shall pay SP the amount agreed to per the Expertise.com invoice in exchange for placement in the corresponding category," with payments monthly, a 90-day initial term, then month-to-month, and a 5-day cancellation window for refunds. Source: Expertise Marketing Agreement →
- The published selection process relies on public databases, license/certification checks, aggregated third-party review scores, and a 'mystery shopper' phone call rather than independent hands-on testing; providers in some categories can 'request a review,' and Trustpilot/BBB complaints describe expedited paid listing (48 hours vs a stated 6-12 month free queue) and lead-service charges (e.g., $762/month) where promised lead volumes were not delivered. Source: Expertise.com Selection Process + Trustpilot/BBB →