How ranking works
When a family is looking for help, the order they see matters. Here's exactly how we decide it, in plain language, with the actual numbers.
Location always comes first
When you search near you, we only show professionals who can actually serve you: those who come to your home within their travel area, those with a location close to you, and those who serve your whole state or country.
City and state pages only list professionals in that place. If there's one in-home euthanasia veterinarian in your town, they're first. Nobody from somewhere else can outrank them.
The score below only decides the order when you have a choice between several professionals who can all help you.
Nobody can pay to be first
Every listing in the directory is free, and every listing is reviewed by a real person before it goes live. There's no paid placement today.
If we ever offer paid placement, it'll be clearly labeled as such, so you can always tell the difference.
The 100-point score
Four parts. A built-out profile and reviews from families carry the most weight. Planting memorial trees and staying active decide who's at the very top.
| Part | Points | In one line |
|---|---|---|
| Profile | 40 | A full About, photos, services, service area, booking link, credentials |
| Reviews | 30 | How many families reviewed them, and how highly |
| Memorial trees | 20 | Planting memorial trees with the families they serve |
| Staying active | 10 | Recent sign-in, recent update, badge on their website |
Profile: 40 points
A complete profile helps a family decide on a hard day. We give the most credit to the things families tell us matter.
- About story: 10 points at 700 characters or more, 7 points at 300, 3 points for anything shorter
- Photo or logo: 6 points
- Gallery photos: 4 points for three or more, 2 points for one or two
- Every service marked with how it's delivered (at your location, in the home, virtual): 4 points
- Service area: 3 points
- Book Appointment link: 3 points
- Credentials: 3 points
- Short description: 3 points
- Hours, payments accepted, website, and phone: 1 point each
Reviews: 30 points
Reviews from families carry real weight, and the first few matter most. Three strong reviews earn about 12 points. Ten earn about 24. The curve flattens after that, so a newer professional with a handful of great reviews can stand next to one with fifty.
The star average scales the points. Three or more reviews averaging under 3.5 stars earn no review points. Reviews never subtract points.
We read every review before it's published. One review per person per professional, and professionals can't review themselves.
Memorial trees: 20 points
Some professionals plant a memorial tree with the families they serve, through Love, Baxter's tree planting program. It's one of the clearest signs we have that someone goes above and beyond after a loss.
Planting at all earns 10 points. The remaining 10 build gradually with the number of trees planted in the last 12 months, and the curve flattens, so the top spot can't be bought with volume.
On a profile you'll see a simple mark, Plants memorial trees. We don't show counts or tiers.
Staying active: 10 points
- Signed in within the last 90 days: 3 points
- Listing updated within the last 90 days: 3 points
- The Love, Baxter badge on their own website: 4 points
An active listing is more likely to have the right phone number, the right hours, and someone who'll answer.
How we keep it fair
- Ties rotate daily, so professionals with the same score take turns.
- Featured placements are rare, chosen by our team for editorial reasons, and never sold.
- These weights are fixed for 12 months from launch. If we change them after that, we'll say so here first.
- Every professional can see their own score, what earned it, and their single best next step, on their dashboard.
Are you a professional in the directory?
Your dashboard shows your score, what earned it, and your best next step. Sign in with your email. There's no password.