Ratings methodology
How RealReviews labels ratings and public review references
RealReviews keeps first-party reviews separate from external public review references so users can compare signals without confusing one source for another.
RealReviews first-party ratings
A RealReviews rating can only come from direct reviews submitted through RealReviews and published after moderation. If there are not enough first-party reviews, the page should say so instead of inventing a score.
- No fake RealReviews aggregate when first-party volume is absent.
- Published reviews should identify themselves as RealReviews submissions.
- Moderation and policy checks protect against spam and unsupported claims.
External public rating references
External public ratings and review counts may appear when RealReviews has an approved source snapshot or public reference. These are labeled by source and should not be merged into a RealReviews score.
- Show the source name near the rating/count.
- Explain that external ratings can change on the source platform.
- Do not use external aggregates as proof of verification, endorsement, or guaranteed quality.
Corrections and source updates
Businesses and users can request factual corrections or source updates. Payment, claiming, or sponsorship cannot remove legitimate negative feedback or improve organic ranking.
- Corrections are reviewed for accuracy and policy fit.
- Owner claims should be separate from correction intake.
- Source-label changes should preserve auditability.