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Methodology

How LocalVein scores 19 vulnerability signals

Every prospect gets a 0–100 opportunity score. Here are the 19 signals that go into it, the exact weight each one carries, and where the underlying data comes from. No black box. Audit any score against this page.

The 19 signals

Sorted by weight. A signal contributes its full weight only when the trigger condition is fully met — partial conditions yield partial contribution. When the underlying datum hasn’t been collected yet, the signal contributes zero (the score reflects only available data).

SignalWhat it measuresWhy it predicts vulnerabilityWeightSource category
Few reviewsTotal reviews on the public profile.Few reviews = thin social proof an agency can quickly compound.13 ptsGoogle Business Profile
Stale siteMonths since the site last meaningfully changed.A site that hasn’t shipped in 2+ years is a textbook redesign sale.12 ptsSite-age signal
Below-average ratingStar rating on the public profile.Below-average rating signals reputation work an agency can win.11 ptsGoogle Business Profile
No websiteWhether the business has a website on file.No site at all is the highest-intent agency lead in the data.11 ptsGoogle Business Profile
Incomplete Google Business ProfileCompleteness of the public profile fields.Half-filled profile = owner not paying attention; pitch lands.11 ptsGoogle Business Profile
License expiring soonTrade license within 60 days of expiry.Operational deadline = owner attention is on the business this week.8 ptsState contractor records
No social presenceNumber of social profiles linked from the site.No social presence = a whole channel left on the table.7 ptsSite analysis
Slow siteMobile performance score of the homepage.Slow site bleeds conversions — easy before/after for the agency.7 ptsSite analysis
Past license suspensionsPast license suspensions on record.History of compliance friction = operator likely open to outside help.5 ptsState contractor records
SSL invalid or expiredWhether HTTPS resolves with a valid certificate.Broken SSL = obvious credibility hit and a same-day fix to pitch.4 ptsSite analysis
No ad pixels detectedPresence of common ad / analytics pixels.No pixels = no paid acquisition running. Greenfield for the agency.4 ptsSite analysis
Reviews trickling inNew reviews per month over the last year.Slow review cadence = no review-generation system in place.4 ptsEngagement signals
Established 10+ yearsYears since the domain was first registered.Old domain + tired site = established business coasting on word-of-mouth.4 ptsDomain registry
Yelp listing unclaimedWhether the secondary review listing is owner-claimed.Unclaimed listing = the channel is running without supervision.4 ptsPublic review channel
No schema markupWhether the site emits structured-data markup.Missing schema = visible technical-SEO gap to close on day one.3 ptsSite analysis
WordPress site (often DIY)Whether the site runs a common DIY platform.DIY stack often means owner-built, owner-maintained, owner-stuck.3 ptsSite analysis
Not actively hiringWhether the business has active job posts.Not hiring = capacity headroom; growth marketing has somewhere to land.3 ptsEngagement signals
Crowded local marketCompetitor count per 10K residents in the local market.Crowded market = differentiation pressure agencies are built for.3 ptsOff-site signal
Yelp/Google rating mismatchGap between primary and secondary channel ratings.Reputation drift across channels = no consistent review process.2 ptsPublic review channel

How the composite works

The 119 points of weight stack additively. A prospect with no website, a stale site, and few reviews carries the full weight of all three signals. A prospect with all 19 signals in the “vulnerable” state caps at 100 — the score is clamped at both ends.

Signals only contribute when the underlying datum has been collected. A fresh prospect with only base profile fields will score on review count, rating, and website presence. Once the full audit pass completes (site analysis, domain history, site- age signal), the remaining signals come online and the score refines.

The top three active factors are surfaced inline on every prospect row — so the score is never a number you have to take on faith.

What this score does not measure

It’s not revenue. It’s not buying intent. It’s not marketing budget. It’s the size of the gap between how a local business presents online today and how a competent agency could make it present tomorrow. That gap is the pitch — nothing more.

Refresh cadence

Reviews, rating, hours, website, and site-audit signals re-fetch every time a scan touches the business. Phone classification and domain history are cached for the long term — they don’t change week to week. Site-age signal refreshes opportunistically when a prospect lands back in a scan.

Why we publish this

Any tool can call a number an “opportunity score.” The signals and weights above are the entire definition of ours. If a row scores 84 in your account, every point of it is accountable to this page.

See the score on a real market

Run a scan and audit the math

Pick a city, pick a vertical, get a list of prospects with the score and the top three contributing signals on every row.