Engineering Transparency

Trust Built on
Objective Science.

We believe you deserve to know exactly how we evaluate tradespeople. No black boxes. No paid rankings. Here's every technical detail.

The 50 / 30 / 20 Algorithm

Google Reviews50%
Reddit Sentiment30%
BBB Records20%
50% Influence

Google Reviews

We pull every public review from Google Maps for each listed business. Our AI normalises star ratings, analyses review velocity (are they getting reviews consistently or in suspicious bursts?), and weighs recency so older reviews matter less than recent ones.

  • Volume & velocity analysis
  • Recency-weighted scoring
  • Duplicate & spam detection
  • Response rate tracking

50/100

Weight Multiplier

30% Influence

Reddit Sentiment

Reddit is the most authentic source of unfiltered consumer opinion. Our NLP model scans subreddits like r/NovaScotia, r/Halifax, and trade-specific communities for organic mentions, automatically classifying tone as positive, negative, or neutral.

  • NLP sentiment classification
  • Multi-subreddit coverage
  • Context-aware analysis
  • No self-promo detection

30/100

Weight Multiplier

20% Influence

BBB Records

The Better Business Bureau maintains the most trusted formal complaint database in Canada. We integrate accreditation status, complaint history, resolution rates, and any government trade-board records directly into the score.

  • Accreditation status
  • Complaint count & resolution %
  • Government trade records
  • Licence verification

20/100

Weight Multiplier

Automatic Disqualifiers

✕

Unresolved BBB complaint in the last year

✕

Reddit scanning detects 3+ scam reports

✕

Suspicious review farming patterns found

✕

Expired or unverifiable trade licensing

Common Questions

How often is the trust score updated?
Scores are recalculated monthly as our AI scans for new reviews, Reddit mentions, and BBB updates. Significant events (a flood of new reviews or a new complaint) can trigger a re-score within 48 hours.
Can a business pay to improve their score?
No. Agora NS is completely free for home buyers, and no business can purchase a higher score. The algorithm is the sole determinant. This is non-negotiable to our mission.
What does a score of 80+ mean?
A score of 80 or above indicates a professional with consistently positive reviews, no significant Reddit red flags, and a clean BBB record. We consider these elite-tier providers.
Why is Reddit included at 30%?
Google reviews can be incentivised or gamed through review farms. Reddit is pseudonymous and community-moderated, making it far harder to manipulate. It captures what people actually say about a contractor when they think no one is watching.
What if a business has no BBB record?
If a business has never registered with the BBB we score that dimension at 50/100 (neutral), not 0. Absence of a record is not a red flag — but accreditation and a clean record does reward them.

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