Shleuth Badges and Awards
Every agency on Shleuth holds the Verified Investigator seal. Some also earn awards from facts the listing already shows. Nobody pays for a badge and nobody can buy a higher one. Today 156 agencies hold the seal and 96 of them hold at least one award.
The Rules
We give a badge only from real data on the listing. That means the Google rating and review count, a state license we matched to the state list, an SBA certification we can link to, and the founding year on record. We never round a rating up. When an agency has none of those facts, it keeps the seal and nothing more.
Verified Investigator
Every published agency. We list an agency only after we find sourced proof that a woman owns it, from an SBA certification, a federal self certification or the agency's own words.
156 agencies hold it today.
Top Rated
A public rating of 4.7 or higher on 25 or more public reviews.
6 agencies hold it today.
Highly Rated
A public rating of 4.5 or higher on 10 or more public reviews, when the agency does not already hold Top Rated.
12 agencies hold it today.
Best in City
The highest review weighted rating in a city, given only when that city has 8 or more rated agencies with 10 or more reviews each. No city qualifies yet.
0 agencies hold it today.
Most Reviewed
The most public reviews in a city with 5 or more rated agencies, at least 25 reviews and no tie.
0 agencies hold it today.
State Licensed
An active private investigator license that we matched to the state's own public list. The listing shows the number.
16 agencies hold it today.
25+ Years
Founded 25 or more years ago by the founding year on record. Agencies founded 10 to 24 years ago earn 10+ Years in silver.
18 agencies hold 25+ Years and 46 hold 10+ Years today.
SBA Certified WOSB
An active woman owned small business certification (WOSB or EDWOSB) in the SBA certification search.
27 agencies hold it today.
Checking a Badge
Every agency has a verify page at shleuth.com/verify/ followed by the agency's name. It shows each badge the agency holds, why it earned it and the date we last checked. If an agency loses a license or a certification, the badge goes away when we find out.
Putting a Badge on Your Site
Each agency page has a Get Your Badge box near the bottom. Pick a badge, copy the code and paste it into your site. The badge links back to your Shleuth listing. The code is a nofollow link. If you want a followed link, tick the box before you copy. If something on your listing is wrong, send a correction and we will check it.