Ranking and Sorting Methodology

When you search on My Good Movers, the order of the results matters. Most people look closely at only the first few companies, so you should know exactly why one mover appears above another, and which spots are paid.

Tens of millions of Americans move every year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This page explains how we order the movers you see, what we measure, what payment can and cannot change, and where our rankings have limits.

Two Kinds of Placement: Organic Results and Ads

Every mover you see on My Good Movers appears in one of two ways.

Ads appear in clearly separated slots on the page. An ad is not a recommendation, and it does not mean we rate that mover more highly. When you choose a different sort order yourself, such as by rating, the list follows your choice.

How We Order Movers in Organic Results

1. We match movers to your search. We show movers that list the service type and area you searched for. For interstate household goods moves, we check that the mover's USDOT number shows as active in FMCSA records.
2. We gather performance signals. We use reviews and ratings submitted on My Good Movers, plus the other signals listed in the next section.
3. We look at consistency over time. A steady record over many months counts more than a short burst of reviews. Recent reviews count more than old ones.
4. We combine the signals into one Organic Rank score. No single signal decides the order.
5. We display the results. Movers appear in order of Organic Rank. Ads are shown separately and labeled.

What Affects a Mover's Organic Rank

• Customer reviews and ratings. Average star rating, number of reviews, and how recent they are. We count reviews published under our review guidelines.
• Track record. How long the mover has been active, how steady its service quality has been, and how it has handled past customer issues.
• Pricing transparency. Whether customers report that the mover gave clear, upfront pricing without vague or misleading quotes.
• Responsiveness. How quickly and clearly the mover communicates with customers, based on customer feedback.
• Relevance to your move. Service area, service type and the move details you enter.

What does not affect Organic Rank: advertising spend, subscriptions, add-ons, per-lead fees, partnership agreements, or any other payment to My Good Movers.

Ads: Featured Partner and Sponsored Ads

Some movers pay to promote their listings. Here is how we handle that.

• Clear labels. Every paid placement shows an "Ad" label on the listing itself, placed before the company name, on desktop and mobile.
• Separate slots. Ads appear in dedicated positions on our resource, state, city and route pages. They are never mixed into organic results without a label.
• Visibility only. Paying buys a more visible ad position. It does not change the mover's Organic Rank score, star rating or which reviews we show.
• Additional states. Premium movers can pay to appear on the directory pages of states beyond their primary address. These listings are labeled "Ad," and payment doesn't change their Organic Rank score.
• Same rules. Advertisers follow the same review rules and listing requirements as every other mover.

Judge an advertised mover the way you would judge any other: read its reviews and check its credentials. See Our Policy on Ads and Unbiased Rankings.

When You Request a Quote or Call

Our quote forms and phone numbers connect you with moving companies. When you submit a request or call, we share your contact details and move information with up to three movers matched to your move. If you request a quote from a mover's ad (a Featured Partner spot or a Sponsored Ad), your request goes only to that mover. They can reach you by email, and by phone or text only if you tick the consent box on the form. Moving companies pay us a per-lead fee for each quote request we send them.

We choose which movers receive your request based on your route, move size and date, their availability, and whether they pay to receive leads from us. This affects only who receives your request. It never changes a mover's Organic Rank, star rating or reviews. You are never required to hire anyone. Our Privacy Policy explains how we use your information.

How We Protect Ranking Integrity

• Sales staff cannot change scores. Our advertising and sales team cannot edit a mover's Organic Rank score or its reviews.
• Limited manual action, by written rules. Our team may lower a listing's visibility, show a warning on a profile, or suspend or remove a listing, for example if a mover's federal authority is inactive, we find evidence of fraud, or it breaks our rules. These decisions follow written criteria, are described on our Action We Take page, and never depend on whether the mover pays us.
• Review moderation that treats every review the same. We may withhold reviews that are spam, off-topic, abusive, include someone's personal information, come from someone connected to the mover, or that we reasonably believe are fake. We apply these rules the same way to positive and negative reviews. Movers cannot pay to remove or hide a review. When a mover flags a review, we check it against these same rules.
• No paid reviews. We do not pay or reward customers for reviews.
• Regular audits. We review the ranking system regularly to check that it still works as described on this page.

How Often Rankings Update

New reviews and rating changes are collected continuously. Organic Rank scores are fully recalculated every 48 to 72 hours, so a mover's position reflects its record as of the last recalculation. New reviews appear after moderation.

What Our Rankings Cannot Tell You

Our rankings are a starting point, not a guarantee of any mover's service, price or safety. They reflect the information available to us. Before you hire a mover:

• Look up its USDOT number on FMCSA's Protect Your Move site.
• Get written estimates from more than one company.
• For an interstate move, make sure the mover gives you FMCSA's "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" booklet.

See an error in a listing or ranking? Report it and we will review it.

Related articles

• Our Policy on Ads and Unbiased Rankings
• How My Good Movers Makes Money
• Reviews Methodology: How We Keep Reviews Trustworthy