What decides a place on a Boston Picks list
What decides a place on a Boston Picks list: specialty, a public reputation with staying power and the information a business stands behind.
Specialty before range
We favor the business for which the topic is the core of the job. A roofer who works on slate and copper week in, week out ranks ahead of a general contractor who will patch a roof between kitchen remodels, and an accounting firm devoted to small businesses comes before one where that work is an afterthought.
Reputation with staying power
Boston has watched plenty of places open to fanfare and close within a year. We look at the public reputation a business has built over time, which any Bostonian can look up, and set its rating against its track record. A brief run of glowing praise does not outweigh years of reliable work in Dorchester or Jamaica Plain.
Information it stands behind
We also consider what a business publishes on its website and official channels, including its services, its service area and any guarantees it puts in writing.
Our order, our call
Rankings are editorial, based on merit and reviewed on a regular cycle. If you spot an error, our contact page is the way to tell us. No one can pay to be included or to change the rules. Paid extras, a fuller profile or a featured position, are offered only to businesses that are already on a list on merit, and they are always labeled.