For Businesses
Advertising
Paid placement can buy attention on RugRate. It cannot buy a score, a badge, a ranking or the removal of a review — and these rules are published before anything is sold.
Advertising is not open yet. Rules first, rates second, sales third.
The Six Rules
These apply to us as much as to advertisers.
Always labelled
Every paid unit carries a visible "Sponsored" label. Not a faint grey asterisk — a label a person reading quickly cannot miss.
Never inside the ranking
Paid placement sits in its own slot, outside the ordered list. An unpaid ranking that quietly contains paid entries is a lie about what the list is.
No effect on trust signals
It cannot change a transparency score, a star rating, a verified badge or a complaint record. Those are calculated the same way for advertisers and everyone else.
No influence over reviews
Advertisers cannot have reviews removed, reordered or hidden, and get no advance warning of a complaint that others would not get.
Relevance required
A company can only advertise where it actually operates. No buying Brooklyn if you do not serve Brooklyn.
Capped density
A strict limit on paid units per page, so the site stays useful to the people it is for.
Off the table
What Is Not For Sale
A comparison site that sells its rankings is an advertising page wearing a comparison site's clothes. These stay unsellable so the rest of the site keeps meaning something.
- Position in any organic ranking or comparison table
- Transparency score points
- The verified badge
- Removal or suppression of reviews and complaints
- Exclusivity in a borough, neighborhood or service
- Editorial coverage in guides or awards
Meanwhile
The Free Route Works Better Anyway
Publishing your prices does more for your visibility here than any ad slot will.
Advertising FAQs
Can I advertise now?
Not yet. Paid placement opens once there are enough listings for it to be useful rather than a way of monetising an empty room. You can register interest through the contact page.
What will it cost?
Rates will be published on the business pricing page before anything is sold. Nothing is charged without an agreement first.
Will advertising get me a better score?
No, and that is the whole point of publishing these rules first. Publishing your prices raises your score. Buying ads does not touch it.
Will readers know it is an ad?
Yes, clearly labelled on every unit. Search engines also require disclosure of paid placement, and readers deserve it regardless.
Can I sponsor an award category?
No. Awards are editorial and are never sponsored, because an award you can buy tells a customer nothing about the company that won it.