How often are scores updated?

The underlying data is refreshed monthly, and each listing shows a last verified date so you can see when it was last checked.

Why does sentiment matter more than the star rating?

A star average can stay flat while recent reviews start describing the same problem over and over. Reading the actual review content is the only way to catch that shift before it shows up in the average.

What does a low-confidence score mean?

It means a business has too few recent reviews for the score to be reliable. We label these listings clearly rather than presenting them with the same confidence as a well-reviewed business.

Does paid placement affect a business's score?

No. Paid placement, where it appears on the site, is always labelled and never changes a score. Any list with editor-reviewed picks or ordering discloses that on the page itself.

How we score Perth air conditioning contractors

Perth Air Guide currently scores 342 air conditioning contractor businesses across the Perth metropolitan area. Every score comes from the same rubric, applied the same way to each listing, and this page explains exactly how it works.

The five signals behind every score

Each business gets a composite score out of 100, built from five measured signals. We list them here from heaviest to lightest weighting, because the order tells you what actually matters most when you're choosing someone to work on your system.

Sentiment: 28%

This is the biggest single factor in the score, and it's the one most directories skip. A star rating alone hides patterns. Two contractors can sit at the exact same average, while one has a string of recent reviews mentioning the same missed callback or the same shoddy install, and the other doesn't. We read what recent reviews actually say and synthesise the recurring themes, praise and complaints alike, into this score. That's the only reliable way to catch a business that's sliding even though its star average hasn't moved yet.

Rating: 26%

The Google aggregate star rating still counts for a lot, because it's a simple, honest summary of how customers rated their overall experience. We use it as a baseline signal alongside sentiment rather than instead of it.

Volume: 20%

A business with five reviews and a business with five hundred aren't equally certain quantities. We log-scale review volume so a handful of reviews doesn't carry the same weight as a large, established base. This stops a contractor with three glowing reviews from outranking one with a long, proven track record.

Recency: 11%

Air conditioning work changes hands, staff turn over, and service quality shifts. How recently people have reviewed a business tells you whether the reputation you're looking at reflects the business today or the business several years ago.

Completeness: 15%

Whether a listing has a working phone number, a website, published hours and a full address speaks directly to how easy a business is to actually contact and hire. A contractor who's easy to reach and transparent about their details gets more weight than one who leaves you guessing.

Where the score comes up short

We'd rather tell you the limits than hide them. A business with only a few recent reviews doesn't have enough data behind it for a confident score, so we mark those listings as low-confidence rather than pretend otherwise. We also don't republish review text wholesale: what you read on our site is our synthesis of themes, and we link out to the Google listing itself so you can read the original source and form your own view.

Scores are earned, not edited

Every score on Perth Air Guide comes from this rubric and the underlying data, full stop. Paid placement, where it exists on the site, is always labelled clearly and never changes a business's score. If any list on this site involves editor-reviewed picks or ordering, that's disclosed on the page itself, so you always know whether you're looking at a pure data ranking or a curated one. For an example of a curated list built on top of these scores, see our best aircon installation guide.

Who's behind this

Perth Air Guide is published by Scout Local Media, an independent Australian publisher that's been building local guides and business directories since 2026. The aim is straightforward: help people find local businesses they can trust, while giving good local operators a fairer way to be seen online. You can read more about the wider publisher at the Perth Air Guide home page or directly at scoutlocalmedia.com.au.

Editorial oversight of these rankings sits with Clara Abbott, Editorial Lead. Data behind every score is refreshed monthly, and each listing carries a "last verified" stamp so you can see the maintenance is active rather than a one-time snapshot.

Questions about a listing, a score, or how any of this works can go to hello@scoutlocalmedia.com.au.

FAQ

How often are scores updated?: The underlying data is refreshed monthly, and each listing shows a last verified date so you can see when it was last checked.
Why does sentiment matter more than the star rating?: A star average can stay flat while recent reviews start describing the same problem over and over. Reading the actual review content is the only way to catch that shift before it shows up in the average.
What does a low-confidence score mean?: It means a business has too few recent reviews for the score to be reliable. We label these listings clearly rather than presenting them with the same confidence as a well-reviewed business.
Does paid placement affect a business's score?: No. Paid placement, where it appears on the site, is always labelled and never changes a score. Any list with editor-reviewed picks or ordering discloses that on the page itself.