How ranking works
The whole method, in six lines.
- Rank comes only from votes.There are no star ratings, reviews or editors. The number next to a place is the number of people who voted for it.
- One vote per person, per board, per month.After you vote, that board’s vote buttons rest until the first of next month.
- Every voter signs in with a mobile number.One number, one person. You appear by a display name you choose.
- Businesses cannot pay for rank or placement.A claimed page can buy extras like photos. None of it touches the order.
- Each board shows its top ten.Nothing below ten shows a rank or a count. Monthly and yearly winners are published on their own pages.
- Anyone can start a board for $1 or add a place for free.New boards and added places are reviewed before they go live.
How the “Keep voting” cards are chosen
A card shows five places drawn at random from the board’s current top ten, in random order, so the card never shows who is leading. Search finds every place on the board. Every card links to the whole board.
Nothing else decides who appears: not a business plan, a claimed page, a Locals offer, or who owns the place. A vote from a card is the same one vote per board per month. Skipping a card, or pressing “I haven’t tried any of these”, is never a vote.
Questions about ranking
How does LocalsVoted rank places?
Rank comes only from votes. There are no star ratings, reviews or editors: the number next to a place is the number of people who voted for it.
How many votes does a person get?
One vote per person, per board, per month. After you vote, that board’s vote buttons rest until the first of next month.
Who can vote?
Every voter signs in with a mobile number, so one number means one person. Voters appear by a display name they choose, and votes are private: we show how many votes a place has, never who voted for what.
Can a business pay for a better rank?
No. Businesses cannot pay for rank or placement. A claimed page can buy extras such as photos and analytics, and none of it touches the order.
How many places does a board show?
Each board shows its top ten. Nothing below ten shows a rank or a count. Monthly and yearly winners are published on their own pages.
When does a month close?
Votes are counted by calendar month on Pacific Time. A month ends at midnight Pacific Time on its last day, and its final results are then frozen on a winners page.
How are ties broken?
A tie is broken in a fixed order: the place with more votes all-time comes first, then the places the board’s starter ranked first, then the place that was added earlier. In a board’s first month every place has the same votes all-time as this month, so the starter’s order and then the date added decide.
How do county, state and country pages rank places?
They add up the votes cast on the city boards for a topic and rank each business by that total, by votes only. You cannot vote on these pages: you vote on a city board, and a vote counts on that one board.
Who can start a board or add a place?
Anyone can start a board for $1 or add a place for free. New boards and added places are reviewed before they go live.