Methodology

Heat Maps: how we score every Sioux Falls business

Heat Maps isn't a review. It's not a ranking we pulled out of a hat. It's a composite score — built from the signals that actually decide whether a business gets cited by AI, picked by Google, and trusted by locals. This page explains exactly what goes into the number and how to improve yours.

Quick version: Every business gets two scores. X = AI Discoverability (how well can a language model find and cite you?). Y = Local Authority (how much do real neighbors vouch for you?). Plot both on a 0–100 grid and you land in one of four quadrants. That's your Heat Map position.

The two axes

X axis — AI Discoverability (0–100)

How findable are you when someone asks ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, or Google's AI Overview "best X in Sioux Falls"?

Schema.org markupLocalBusiness JSON-LD, FAQPage, BreadcrumbList — the structured data AI crawlers read first25 pts
Description qualityLength, specificity, keyword coverage, natural voice (not template sludge)20 pts
FAQ coverageNumber of question/answer pairs directly tied to service + service area15 pts
Profile completenessName, address, phone, hours, website, category, photos — the NAP trinity plus15 pts
Listing tierUnclaimed / Claimed / Featured — each unlocks more depth and schema15 pts
Social share imageog:image present, correct dimensions, branded — matters for AI preview10 pts

Y axis — Local Authority (0–100)

When a real Sioux Falls local tells a friend about you, what signals back that up?

Rating × reviewsWeighted: 50 5-star reviews > 5 5-star reviews, controlled for review recency35 pts
Review recencyWhen was your last review? Stale reviews decay — fresh ones compound15 pts
Longevity proxyGoogle listing age, years in business, domain age — reputation takes time15 pts
Website live + qualityReal site that responds, not a broken Yellow Pages ghost15 pts
Press, citations, backlinksArgus Leader, KELO, industry press — third-party validation carries weight10 pts
Curated by usPodcast appearance, Gravity Growth editorial — an endorsement we stand behind10 pts

The four quadrants

We split both axes at 60. That gives us four corners:

Leaders · X ≥ 60, Y ≥ 60

Cited by AI, trusted by locals
Top of the heap. Structured for AI search, backed by real reviews, press, and history. When someone asks "best X in Sioux Falls," these are the names that come up first.

Established · X < 60, Y ≥ 60

Locals love them, AI doesn't see them yet
Strong reputation. Real reviews, real customers, but the digital structure isn't there. AI search rewards claimed, schema-marked listings — these businesses leave visibility on the table.

Emerging · X ≥ 60, Y < 60

Built for AI, still building the reputation
Newer or still earning local trust. The AI discoverability is in place, and the authority will catch up with time and reviews.

Invisible · X < 60, Y < 60

Not found by AI, not yet trusted by locals
Usually new, quiet, or never claimed the listing. Plenty of good businesses live here — they just need the basics wired up. The quickest leap is from Invisible to Emerging.

How to improve your score

1. Claim your listing (free, always)

The fastest way to bump X by ~15 points. Claiming unlocks the Grace-voice description, full FAQ block, schema.org markup, website button, and photo gallery. Takes 3 minutes.

2. Add real content, not boilerplate

A description that says "We are a local business serving Sioux Falls" scores 0 on the description factor. A description with specific services, neighborhoods, pricing ranges, and a real POV scores close to full. AI crawlers are trained to detect template sludge.

3. Earn recent reviews

Your average rating is only half the story. A business with 4.7 stars and 20 reviews from 2018 scores lower on Y than a 4.4-star business with steady new reviews this quarter. Ask customers — politely, consistently.

4. Get a real website

A Google Business Profile isn't enough. AI search weights your own website as the highest-authority source for your own information. Broken sites, parked domains, or "coming soon" pages cost points.

5. Show up in press

Argus Leader, SiouxFalls.Business, KELO, SiouxFalls.com, industry publications — every real mention of your business by someone else is a citation AI can verify. We track these.

We're not grading you. Heat Maps is a public, transparent, continuously-recalculated composite. Every business in the directory gets a score. Nobody pays for a better one. The only way to improve is to improve the underlying signals — which is fine, because those are the same signals that make you more findable everywhere else.

Featured-tier floor

Businesses on the Featured tier (currently Jans Corporation, Ryan Senden Construction, Advanced Laser Restoration, and Gravity Growth) have a score floor of X≥78 / Y≥72. We built this into the system intentionally: becoming Featured requires committing to the richer profile — podcast episode, full glow-up content, og:image, signature projects — which already meets those thresholds. The floor locks it in place.

How often it recalculates

Heat Maps recalculates every time a biz record is updated — new description, new review count, new claim, new press mention. We also do a full sweep every night.

Claim your listing → Get featured → Browse the directory →