How Yay scores work
The Yay score is a recency-weighted score built only from verified reviews. The formula is public and the same for every business.
Yay score is a recency-weighted percentage (0–100) of verified reviews only. Each review is worth 1 for a Yay (or 4–5 stars if the reviewer didn't tap Yay/No), 0 for a No (or 1–2 stars), and 0.5 for a 3-star review with no Yay/No. Weight is 0.5^(age_in_days/180), so a review's influence halves every 180 days. Score = 100 × Σ(weight × value) / Σ(weight). Unverified, pending, or removed reviews are not counted. Paid tools cannot change this.
- Half-life: 180 days. A review from six months ago counts half as much as one from today.
- Only reviews that are published or disputed count. A dispute keeps the review visible and in the score until a moderator upholds it. Pending, withdrawn, rejected, or removed reviews do not count. A business cannot pay to change that.
- A one-tap Yay or No is the primary signal. If a reviewer only left stars, 4–5 stars count as Yay, 1–2 as No, and 3 as a mixed 0.5.
Policy: Paying never hides, removes, or reorders a review. Scores and ranking stay the same for every visitor.