Ranking Methodology

Wadline shows companies in two different orders, and each follows its own rules. Here are the principles behind both.

Leader Matrix

The matrix at the bottom of each category page places companies on two axes. A position on the matrix cannot be bought. Paid placement exists on Wadline, but it appears in the list above, is labelled as such, and has no effect on the matrix.

Focus — how specialised a company is in this particular category: how many areas it claims, and how much of its portfolio belongs to this one. A specialist sits further right than a generalist listed in dozens of categories at once.

Proven work — what a company can show publicly:

• moderated client reviews;
• portfolio projects;
• the company's domain trust;
• time in the Wadline catalog.

Each signal's contribution is capped, so no single one can lift a company to the top on its own. Only companies with enough data for a fair assessment appear on the matrix — each chart states how many are shown out of how many are listed.

Deliberately left out: star ratings (they barely tell companies apart), the editorial sort order of the list, and paid verification — which is a purchase, not evidence.

Letter grade

The A+ to C grade on a company card reflects the same level of proven work as the matrix, relative to the whole catalog. Companies with little public data yet receive no grade. In individual cases — for example, when external data is incomplete — the editors refine the grade.

List order

The order of cards above the matrix works differently and does take paid promotion into account: first companies promoting in this exact service and location, then subscription plan, then a daily rotation among equals, then profile quality — reviews, projects and completeness.

Verification gives a small advantage, but never lifts an empty profile above companies with a real track record.

Market data

Prices and budgets on category pages summarise what companies publish in their own profiles: minimum project budgets and hourly rates. We convert them to a single currency, discard obvious input errors, use medians rather than averages, and show no figure where there is too little data.

These are the thresholds at which companies take on work, not the cost of a finished project.

Sources

Everything is calculated from Wadline's live database. Domain trust is an external signal and is refreshed periodically. Reviews are published only after moderation.