How we grade

Every review is automated, runs against the business's public website, and treats every site the same way.

What we check

Two layers. First, an industry standard Lighthouse audit of the homepage on a simulated phone: mobile speed, search engine basics, accessibility, and modern browser standards. Second, eight practical checks a customer would notice: HTTPS, a mobile viewport, a page title, a search description, a visible phone number, an easy way to get in touch, a site icon, and a clear main heading.

How the grade is built

Where a design review is available, the weights are: design and first impression 30%, speed 22%, search basics 15%, accessibility 8%, standards 5%, and the practical checks 20%. The design review is an automated assessment of the homepage screenshot against a professional design rubric: hierarchy, typography, color and imagery, modernity, and clarity of purpose. An A also requires a design score of at least 70: a technically perfect site with a template-grade design tops out at 89. For sites reviewed before the design pass, the weights are speed 30%, search basics 20%, accessibility 15%, standards 10%, practical checks 25%. The total maps to a letter: A is 90 or better, B is 80, C is 70, D is 60, and below that is an F. The date of each review is shown on the business's page.

Categories and rankings

Each business is compared against its own kind: the category and sub-category come from public business listings (for example Trades, then General contractor). Rankings order businesses by score within a sub-category, region-wide and per town.

Where the list comes from

The list of businesses is assembled from public sources: search listings, public directories, and each business's own public website. We store nothing about a business except its name, town, category, website address, the review results, and a screenshot of its public homepage.

Corrections and removal

If a grade looks wrong, the site has changed, or you want your business removed from ShoreGrade, email hello@headwaydigital.ca with the business name. Removals are honoured promptly and re-reviews are free.

Who runs this

ShoreGrade is an independent project by Headway, a Collingwood based technology and growth partner for local businesses, run by Chris Patten. The grades are automated and are not influenced by whether a business is a Headway client.

Last updated 2026-08-09.