How We
Do Research
Full transparency on our data collection, analysis, and publishing process. We believe reproducible research requires documented methodology.
Data Collection Process
Define the Sample
We identify all businesses in our target industries across Brevard County using Google Maps, Yelp, and local directories. We include every verifiable business, not a curated subset.
Manual Audit
Each business listing is individually reviewed. We document GBP completion, website presence, schema markup, mobile responsiveness, page speed, review count, rating, and response patterns.
Automated Testing
We run Google PageSpeed Insights and schema validation tools against every website. Results are captured with timestamps for reproducibility.
Data Normalization
Raw data is cleaned, deduplicated, and normalized. Businesses with multiple locations are counted individually. Permanently closed businesses are excluded.
Analysis & Peer Review
We analyze the data for patterns, compute benchmarks by industry and city, and have findings reviewed by at least two team members before publication.
Publication
Results are published with full methodology documentation, data sources, and known limitations. We update studies quarterly when new data is available.
Analysis Framework
GBP Completeness Score
We score each profile on 15 factors including business description, categories, hours, photos, posts, Q&A, and attributes. Each factor is weighted by its impact on local rankings.
Technical SEO Audit
Schema markup presence, mobile responsiveness, HTTPS adoption, page speed (LCP, FID, CLS), and indexation status are tested for every website.
Review Health Score
We measure total review count, average rating, review recency, response rate, and response time. These factors are combined into a single review health score.
Industry Benchmarking
All metrics are segmented by industry and city. This allows businesses to compare themselves against direct competitors, not the market average.
Known Limitations
Our sample is limited to Brevard County, Florida. Results may not generalize to other markets.
Google Business Profile data is captured at a point in time and may change between audits.
We cannot measure some ranking factors (domain authority, backlink profiles) without third-party tools that have their own accuracy limitations.
Review counts and ratings are public data. We cannot verify review authenticity.
Page speed results vary based on testing conditions. We standardize by running 3 tests per site and using the median.
Some businesses may have multiple listings or have recently changed ownership, which can affect data accuracy.
We publish these limitations because we believe transparency is more valuable than appearing infallible. If you spot an error in our research, please .