How we rank tree services

The short version

Every business on Compare Tree Loppers is a real, local operator we could confirm, with a strong record of real customer reviews and the qualifications and gear for the work it's listed for. We rank on those things. No business pays to be listed or to move up, and any paid placement is labelled Featured.

Step 1: Build a long list

For each area and type of work, we start with the businesses that come up in Google Maps searches across the suburbs, plus the Queensland Arboricultural Association and Arboriculture Australia, so smaller local crews aren't missed behind the big advertisers.

Step 2: Weed out the fronts

Tree lopping is a favourite niche for keyword websites that look like a local business but forward your call to whoever pays for it. They often share near identical phone numbers, stock photos and no named people. We check that each business has an ABN matching its trading name on the Australian Business Register, a named owner or arborist, and a real base suburb. If we can't confirm those, it doesn't make the list.

Step 3: Check reputation

We look at each business's Google rating, how many reviews it has and how far back they go. A high rating from a handful of reviews counts for less than a strong rating built over years.

Step 4: Read their own details

Qualifications, insurance, services and service area come from each business's own website, and we attribute them ("the business says"). Where a site is unclear, we leave the detail out rather than guess. We never publish a business's prices, because they depend on the job.

Step 5: Rank the list

The order weighs reputation, qualifications, experience and how closely the business fits the page: big removals for tree removal pages, consulting arborists who write reports for arborist pages, and stump specialists for stump grinding pages. Each listing says why it made the list.

What doesn't affect ranking

• Payment. No business pays to be listed or ranked. Some may pay us for quote requests we send them, which never changes their position. See how we make money.
• Size or advertising spend. A two-person local crew can outrank a big brand.

Keeping lists current

Each page shows when it was last reviewed. Google ratings are refreshed regularly, and we recheck businesses at each review and remove any that no longer meet the standard.