McLaren VisualsThe content machine that never sleeps

How we score — The Index methodology

How we score · The Index

Every point is a
fact you can check.

No opinions, no engagement data, no black box. The Index scores each independent business out of 100 on verifiable public presence — the things a customer needs to find and trust you online.

The rubric — 100 points

/100
Working website30 pts
Own domain (not a social page)10 pts
Secure site (https)5 pts
Social channels (10 each, up to 3)30 pts
Phone listed10 pts
Street address5 pts
Hours published5 pts
Email listed5 pts

A real business, scored step by step

Here's EverClean Nashville in Nashville — scored line by line, so you can check our arithmetic:

Working website✓ +30
Own domain (not a social page)✓ +10
Secure site (https)✓ +5
Social channels (10 each, up to 3)✓ +30
Phone listed✓ +10
Street address✓ +5
Hours published✓ +5
Email listed○ 0

Total: 95/100 — every point a fact you can verify on the public listings.

How ties and ranks work

Ties break by a published cascade, never by our judgment: more social channels → own domain → hours → email → https → then name (alphabetical). Ranks are ordinal, 1..N. Chains are excluded (independents only). We publish no engagement or follower data — only what's on your public listings. Every edition is recomputed from scratch; a business that fixes a signal climbs the next month.

Published by McLaren Visuals LLC. Spot an error? xavier@mclarenvisuals.studio — fixed same-day. Cite freely with a link.

Methodology changelog — append-only

2026-07-04 · v3

Visibility Score v3: ordinal 1..N ranks via a DISCLOSED tiebreak cascade; social channels weighted 10 points each (up to 3); liveness pass added — a dead website earns no website points.

2026-07-02 · v2

Grades (A–D) joined by /100 point scores so businesses can see exactly how far the next rank is.

2026-06-27 · v1

First public rubric: website, own domain, https, social presence, phone, address, hours, email — public facts only, no engagement guesses.

Every scoring change lands here, dated, before it takes effect on a board. A ranking whose rules change silently is a ranking nobody should trust.

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