How scores work
A score anyone can work out
Every place on Agoo Reviews is scored the same way, with a formula we publish here. It uses only the stars and dates of published reviews. Nobody can pay to change it, and being an Agoo customer makes no difference.
In everyday words
Everyone starts from the same point
Each place starts as if it already had 5 reviews of 3.5 stars. One five-star review can’t make a place a 5.0, and one bad day can’t sink it.
Newer reviews count for more
A review counts fully when it’s new. Its weight halves every 12 months, because places change.
Old reviews stop counting
Reviews older than 24 months stay on the page for the record but no longer count in the score.
A score shows from 3 reviews
Until a place has 3 reviews in the last 24 months, its page says “No score yet”.
The formula
A business’s score uses the reviews of all its branches; each branch also has its own, from its own reviews. Scores are worked out to two decimals and shown to one.
score = (5 × 3.5 + Σ weight × stars) ÷ (5 + Σ weight)
weight = 0.5 ^ (age in years)
counting published reviews of the last 24 months
A worked example
A branch with four published reviews:
| Published | Stars | Weight | Weight × stars |
|---|---|---|---|
| This month | 5 | 1.00 | 5.00 |
| Six months ago | 4 | 0.71 | 2.83 |
| A year ago | 2 | 0.50 | 1.00 |
| Two and a half years ago | 5 | Not counted | – |
(5 × 3.5 + 8.83) ÷ (5 + 2.21) = 26.33 ÷ 7.21 = 3.65
So the branch shows 3.7. With only the newest five-star review, it would be 3.75, and no score would show yet.
What never counts
- Money: no business can pay for a better score, a better place in search or fewer reviews.
- Whether a business uses Agoo, and which plan it's on.
- Labels: a Verified visit counts exactly the same as an email-confirmed review.
- Replies, and how quickly a business replies (shown beside the score instead).
- Answers to a business's own private surveys.
- Reviews still being checked, held for a person, or removed.
What the labels mean
Each review carries one label, fixed when it’s written, saying what was checked about the person behind it. A label never says a review is true. You can narrow any page to one label, such as Verified visits only; the score stays the same.
- Verified visit
Agoo's own record shows a check-in or booking at this place.
- Invited by the business
The business sent its review link to all its customers, with no choosing.
- Phone confirmed
The reviewer's account has a confirmed phone number.
- Email confirmed
The reviewer's account has a confirmed email address.
- Proof seen by Agoo
After a question about this review, Agoo saw proof of the visit, such as a receipt. Only Agoo customers’ visitors can have a Verified visit, because only there does Agoo hold the record; that is why labels don’t move the score.
How search order works
You choose the order. Unless you change it, search shows the closest name match first, then the places with the most reviews in the last 24 months, then names from A to Z.
Only open pages are listed. A page that is closed to new reviews can still be read at its address. Order and scores are worked out by a part of Agoo that can’t see plans, payments or whether a business uses Agoo.
- Best match
- Most reviewed
- Highest score
- Newest reviews
- Name, A to Z
There are no featured, sponsored or promoted places on Agoo Reviews, and there never will be. Read the guidelines