How we score websites
Every site we publish is scored on a transparent 10-point scale built from observable, verifiable signals. We never publish a site below score 4.
The signals
| Signal | Why it matters | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Very new domain (< 30 days) | Real local contractors don't appear overnight; lead-broker domains are spun up in batches. | +2 |
| WHOIS privacy / no registrant | Real local businesses are routinely findable in their state's business registry. Privacy isn't proof, but it's typical of marketing operations. | +1 |
| Shared phone with other tracked sites | One phone routing leads across cities is the single clearest sign of a lead-broker. | +3 |
| No physical street address | A city + zip alone is consistent with a website that has no physical operation. | +1 |
| No Google Maps embed / Business Profile | Real contractors rank on Google Maps. Lead-broker pages skip the map because they have no pin. | +1 |
| Thin content (< 100 words body) | Pages built only to collect form submissions tend to be content-thin. | +1 |
| Established domain (> 1 year) | Mitigating signal — a long-lived domain is more likely a real business. | -2 |
| Rich content (> 1,000 words) | Lead-broker sites do put effort into content; but standing alone, depth still slightly mitigates risk. | -1 |
Source of evidence
- Domain age — ICANN RDAP. Public record.
- Phone number — direct fetch of the live homepage HTML.
- Cross-network match — string match of the phone across all tracked homepages.
- Address / map embed / content length — direct fetch of the live homepage HTML.
Publishing threshold
An article is auto-published at score ≥ 4. Below that, the page goes to a private review queue. Every published page includes the full evidence table so anyone can re-verify.
Bias and conflicts
Fake Local Sites is an independent public-interest project. We do not sell leads, sell ads, or operate any contractor business. We accept no funding from any party with a commercial interest in any specific tracked site.
Corrections
If you operate a site we've published and believe the evidence is wrong, email corrections via the report form. We update or remove entries based on verifiable evidence (a real business registration, a verified Google Business Profile, etc).