How We Rank Pool Service Companies

We rank Rochester pool service companies using the Roc Score— a 0–100 composite of Google + Yelp ratings, BBB accreditation, review recency, and service-area overlap across Monroe County's suburbs. Recency and coverage carry extra weight because the 2020-2021 pool installation boom left a lot of now-inactive listings. Rankings recalculate weekly. We do not accept paid placement.

How we rank pool service companies

Formula version: 2026-05-16-v1 · Updated weekly

30%

Google star rating

The business's current Google Maps rating, normalized from 0–5 to 0–1. Weighted heaviest because most Rochester homeowners start a pool-company search on Google Maps, and star rating is the first trust signal they see before ever opening a website.

20%

Google review count

Log-normalized count of Google reviews (diminishing returns above 500 reviews). Volume matters in a seasonal trade like pool service — a company with 5 reviews from one good summer tells you less than one with 80+ reviews spanning several install-boom and shakeout years.

10%

Yelp star rating

The business's current Yelp rating, normalized. Weighted lower than Google because Yelp review volume for pool companies in Monroe County is consistently thinner than Google's — most homeowners here simply don't check Yelp before calling a pool company.

10%

Yelp review count

Log-normalized count of Yelp reviews — a secondary volume signal alongside Google.

BBB accreditation

Whether the business is accredited by the Better Business Bureau. New York does not require a specific license to operate a pool service business, so BBB accreditation is one of the few third-party accountability signals available for this trade — it does not replace verifying current insurance (COI) directly with the company.

10%

Review recency

How recently the business received its most recent review (≤30 days = full credit; ≤90 days = 70%; ≤365 = 30%; older = 0%). Recency carries real weight for pool service specifically because Rochester's post-2020 installation boom produced a wave of pool companies that have since gone quiet or closed — a listing with no reviews since 2023 is a real signal, not noise.

15%

Service area overlap

Fraction of the Rochester-area target suburbs this business serves. Pool service is route-dependent work — a technician doing weekly maintenance can only fit so many stops in a day — so companies with genuine countywide coverage score higher than a single-suburb specialist for county-wide searches, while suburb pages weight toward whoever actually routes through that suburb.

We do not accept paid placement. Businesses cannot purchase a higher Roc Score. Corrections and removal requests: connormeador@gmail.com

Data sources

Google Business Profiles— star rating and review count via Google Places API. Last snapshot date is shown on each profile. For a seasonal trade like pool service, this snapshot date matters more than usual: a company's profile can go quiet for months over a Rochester winter without meaning anything is wrong — we account for that in how recency is scored, not in data collection itself.
Yelp — star rating and review count via Yelp Fusion API. Review volume here is consistently thinner than Google for Rochester pool companies, which is why Yelp is weighted lower in the formula below.
Better Business Bureau — accreditation status from public BBB records. Since New York does not license pool service businesses, BBB accreditation is one of the few standardized accountability checks available for this specific trade.

Limitations + corrections

Ratings are snapshots — they may be days or weeks behind the live platforms. Business hours, phone numbers, and service areas may change season to season, and a company's actual suburb coverage can shift year to year as crews and routes change. The Roc Score also cannot verify current insurance (COI), licensing status (New York has none to verify for pool service), or whether a specific technician is certified — always confirm those directly with the company before booking. If you spot an error, contact connormeador@gmail.com.

No paid placement

Businesses cannot pay to appear higher in our rankings.

The Roc Score is computed purely from third-party review data and geographic coverage. That matters more in a high-cost, high-trust trade like pool service — a bad hire can mean a green pool all summer or a botched liner job — where the temptation for a directory to favor advertisers over the best-reviewed company is highest. No advertising, no featured listings, no sponsored placements — ever. Formula version: 2026-05-16-v1