How Zyppy List Evaluates and Ranks Marketing Companies
Reputation, trust, and the ability to deliver results are hugely important when we consider company applications to Zyppy List.
We’re picky about who we accept, and even pickier about how we rank companies.
Internally, we assign a Reputation Score to every company that applies. Reputation Score is meant to reflect each company’s level of real-world trust, experience, and performance. A company’s Reputation Score not only determines who we recommend on Zyppy List, but also how they are ranked in our search results.
The concept is similar to Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trust) and how Google’s human Quality Raters evaluate websites – only we evaluate much deeper.
The ideal Zyppy List Company:
- Has raving client reviews
- Is recognized by industry peers as one of the best in the field
- Demonstrates deep technical and domain expertise
- Is positively referenced in industry publications
- Is transparent about process, pricing, and outcomes
- Works to advance and elevate their field
- Participates in their industry through writing, speaking, conferences, interviews, and other outlets
- For companies, is considered an excellent employer
- Has achieved the highest levels of training and specialization in their respective field
- Shares knowledge with others
- Advocates hard for their clients
- Does much of their business through referrals and repeat business
- Is positively involved in both their community and industry
Furthermore, we take a dim view of fake or highly manipulated user reviews. Any suspicion of fake or highly manipulated reviews on other platforms to make the company appear better than it is is grounds for exclusion.
At the end of the day, it’s all about trust. One question we ask ourselves when evaluating companies is this: would we feel confident sending a loved one or relative to this company for services?
Below are some of the considerations we evaluate when considering a company’s Reputation Score. Keep in mind that no two companies are alike, and different companies can be evaluated in different ways. For example, a 300-person agency will look a lot different than a single-person consultancy – yet they can both have terrific or bad reputations.
1. Overall Presence and Visibility
We examine the company’s website and its overall web presence. A strong online presence, supported by up-to-date content and visible brand mentions, often indicates credibility.
2. Third-Party Mentions and Links
We know that what others say about the company matters much more than what the company says about itself. We examine what independent sources say, including discussions on Reddit, Quora, and other online platforms. We also look at interviews, podcast features, appearances in professional communities, and news mentions of both the company and its employees.
3. Customer Reviews
Customer reviews are incredibly important, but we treat reviews with skepticism if the company directly influences them. Other directories contain reviews that are often heavily manipulated or outright fake. We dig into third-party platforms, such as consumer forums and business directories, for a deeper perspective. We have a low, low tolerance for manipulated reviews. We also look at how companies respond to negative feedback or public criticism.
4. Social Media Presence
We assess both follower counts and engagement levels, focusing on likes, shares, comments, and how actively the audience interacts on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. We may also look at LinkedIn profiles and endorsements of both the company and key employees.
5. Employee Reviews
Feedback on sites like Glassdoor or Indeed can reveal a company’s internal culture. Consistently negative reports about management or workload may eventually affect the quality of work delivered to clients.
6. Awards and Accolades
We weigh awards by their credibility. Established and peer-reviewed industry honors carry far more weight than pay-to-play awards with minimal vetting processes.
7. Publications and Thought Leadership
We consider blog posts, videos, whitepapers, and social media content to evaluate expertise. Substance and originality matter more than volume. Appearances or articles in reputable outlets further establish leadership.
8. Certifications and Specialized Training
Relevant credentials (e.g., Google Ads, HubSpot, Facebook Blueprint) among company management and staff show a commitment to industry best practices and professional development.
9. Industry Involvement & Community Impact
Participation in trade associations, local business groups, or philanthropic organizations can boost both a company’s reputation and the broader community’s perception of its values.
10. Regulatory Compliance
We check whether a company complies with data protection regulations (GDPR, CCPA) and review any publicly available records of legal disputes. Privacy and data handling policiescan strongly influence a company’s standing.
How Zyppy List Ranks Companies
Within each service category and search performed on Zyppy List, we rank companies based on three primary criteria:
- Relevance, e.g., the service or location you searched for
- Reputation Score
- Zyppy List Endorsements given by vetted Zyppy List users
Since multiple companies can share the same Reputation Score, we randomize the order of companies with the same score every 24 hours. This means that different companies get to share the top spots as they are rotated in and out. That said, because we only randomize companies within the same scoring buckets, the companies at the top will always have the highest scores.
Importantly, companies cannot pay for rankings. Our rankings are not for sale. Companies with professional subscriptions on Zyppy List can gain enhanced visibility by appearing in multiple categories, for instance, but this does not change their Reputation Score or rankings. Additionally, Zyppy List may display sponsored listings where companies can pay for placement, but unlike other listing services, these are always clearly marked and never, ever at the top of results.