Spot Groups, Verification and Ranking Priority Rules
Curated Spot rankings are designed to distinguish not only how strongly a location performs, but also what relationship that location has with the Curated Spot ecosystem. For this reason, locations are organised into clearly defined groups before ranking points are used to determine their position.
This page explains the differences between Spotlight, Verified Top Ranked Spots, Verified Curated Spots, Curated Spots and Spots, the requirements for each group, how locations move between groups and how group priority affects the final order displayed in a ranking.
These rules complement the general Curated Spot ranking methodology. The two concepts should be understood separately: group priority determines which group is displayed first, while ranking points determine the order of locations within the same group.
Ranking group priority
Every location displayed in an eligible Curated Spot ranking belongs to one of five groups. The groups are applied in the following order of priority:
| Priority | Group | Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spotlight | The location is linked to a business and has been editorially selected as a Spotlight for that specific ranking. |
| 2 | Verified Top Ranked Spots | The location is linked to a business, is Verified, has a rating of at least 4.8 and has at least 50 reviews. |
| 3 | Verified Curated Spots | The location is linked to a business and is Verified, but does not currently satisfy both thresholds required for Verified Top Ranked Spots. |
| 4 | Curated Spots | The location is linked to a business but is not currently Verified. |
| 5 | Spots | The location does not have a business associated with it. |
The group hierarchy takes precedence over the number of ranking points a location has earned. Ranking points become relevant only when locations belonging to the same group need to be ordered against one another.
For example, a Curated Spot with 10 points remains above a Spot with 1,000 points. The Curated Spot belongs to a higher-priority group, so the lower-priority Spot cannot overtake it solely by accumulating more ranking points.
Spotlight
Spotlight is the highest-priority group in the group hierarchy.
A location may qualify for Spotlight only when it is associated with a business. It must also be deliberately selected as a Spotlight for the specific ranking in which the designation appears.
Spotlight is an editorial designation. It is therefore distinct from verification, rating thresholds, review-count thresholds and ranking points. A location does not automatically become Spotlight simply because it has a high score, a high rating or a large number of reviews.
Spotlight is specific to a ranking
The Spotlight designation applies to the relevant ranking. A location may therefore receive special editorial prominence in one ranking without this automatically changing how it is treated in every other ranking on Curated Spot.
Which locations can become Spotlight?
Any eligible location associated with a business may be selected as Spotlight. Its natural group before the Spotlight designation may be Curated Spots, Verified Curated Spots or Verified Top Ranked Spots.
What happens when Spotlight is removed?
If the Spotlight designation is removed, the location automatically returns to the group determined by its current underlying status. It may therefore return to Verified Top Ranked Spots, Verified Curated Spots or Curated Spots.
Removing Spotlight does not, by itself, remove the location from Curated Spot or reset its ranking points.
Verified Top Ranked Spots
Verified Top Ranked Spots are business-associated locations that are Verified and also satisfy additional quality and review-volume requirements.
To belong to this group, a location must satisfy all of the following conditions:
- the location is associated with a business;
- the location has Verified status;
- the location has a rating of at least 4.8;
- the location has at least 50 reviews.
The rating and review thresholds are cumulative. Meeting only one of the two thresholds is not sufficient.
Verified Top Ranked Spot does not mean #1
The name of this group should not be interpreted as a guarantee that the location occupies the first position in a ranking.
Multiple locations can qualify as Verified Top Ranked Spots at the same time. Once they are placed in the same group, their ranking points determine the order between them.
Can a location leave this group?
Yes. Group membership is based on the location’s current status. If a Verified Top Ranked Spot no longer satisfies one or both thresholds, it returns to the group for which it currently qualifies. If it remains Verified and linked to a business, that group will normally be Verified Curated Spots.
Verified Curated Spots
Verified Curated Spots are locations associated with a business that have received Verified status but do not currently meet both additional requirements for Verified Top Ranked Spots.
A location may therefore be placed in this group because:
- its rating is below 4.8;
- it has fewer than 50 reviews;
- or it currently fails to satisfy both conditions.
The distinction is important: being Verified and qualifying for Verified Top Ranked Spots are not the same thing. Verification places an eligible business-associated location in the verified layer of Curated Spot, while the additional rating and review thresholds determine whether it qualifies for the higher Verified Top Ranked Spots group.
If a Verified Curated Spot later satisfies both thresholds, it can move to Verified Top Ranked Spots without changing the underlying meaning of its verification.
Curated Spots
Curated Spots are locations that are associated with a business but have not currently received Verified status.
The defining difference between a Curated Spot and a regular Spot is the business association. Once a location is connected to a business, it moves from the general Spots group into Curated Spots, provided that it does not qualify for a higher group.
A Curated Spot may subsequently move to Verified Curated Spots after verification. If it is Verified and also reaches a rating of at least 4.8 together with at least 50 reviews, it may qualify for Verified Top Ranked Spots.
A Curated Spot may also be selected editorially as a Spotlight for an eligible ranking.
Spots
Spots are locations that do not have a business associated with them.
At the underlying data level, this generally means that the location has no valid business_id.
Business association is a fundamental requirement for every higher group. Therefore, a location without an associated business remains in Spots even if historical or inconsistent metadata still contains a Verified flag or an older Spotlight designation.
In other words, old metadata does not override the absence of a business relationship.
What happens if a business is disconnected?
If a location that previously belonged to a business becomes disconnected from that business, it automatically falls back to the Spots group.
If it is later associated with a business again, its appropriate group can be recalculated using its then-current status.
How locations move between groups
The standard progression through the Curated Spot groups can be understood as follows:
- Spot — the location has no associated business.
- Curated Spot — the location becomes associated with a business.
- Verified Curated Spot — the business-associated location receives Verified status.
- Verified Top Ranked Spot — the Verified location also reaches a rating of at least 4.8 and at least 50 reviews.
Separately from this progression, an eligible business-associated location may be editorially selected as a Spotlight for a particular ranking.
The system is dynamic rather than permanent. When the conditions supporting a group change, Curated Spot can place the location back into the group that reflects its current status.
How group priority affects ranking order
Curated Spot combines two separate ordering layers:
- Group priority determines the sequence in which groups appear.
- Ranking points determine the sequence of locations within the same group.
Ranking points do not override the group hierarchy.
Example
| Location | Group | Ranking points | Relative position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Location A | Curated Spot | 10 | Higher |
| Location B | Spot | 1,000 | Lower |
Location A appears first because Curated Spots have higher group priority than Spots. The difference in ranking points does not change the relationship between those two groups.
If two locations are both Curated Spots, their ranking points can then be used to establish their order inside that group according to the applicable ranking methodology.
Continuous ranking positions
Although Curated Spot may visually separate locations using group headings, the public rank remains global and continuous across the list.
For example, a ranking may display:
#1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6
The numbering does not restart at #1 when the next group begins. Group headings explain the status of the locations, while the rank number continues to represent the location’s overall displayed position in the list.
Important clarifications
Group status and ranking performance are different
A group’s requirements describe the status of a location within Curated Spot. Ranking points describe how that location performs relative to other locations within the same group.
Verification does not guarantee a specific rank
Verified status can affect the group to which a location belongs, but it does not guarantee #1, a Top 3 position or any other specific ranking position.
High ranking points cannot bypass group requirements
A location cannot use ranking points to bypass the requirement for a business association, verification or the thresholds that define a higher group.
Spotlight is editorial
Spotlight is not automatically earned through a mathematical score. It is an editorial designation for eligible business-associated locations within a specific ranking.
Group membership can change
Because the relevant underlying conditions can change, a location may move upward or downward between groups over time.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions about Curated Spot groups and ranking priority
What is the difference between a Spot and a Curated Spot on Curated Spot?
A Spot has no associated business. A Curated Spot is already associated with a business but is not currently Verified. The business association is what moves a location from Spots into Curated Spots.
What is a Verified Curated Spot?
A Verified Curated Spot is associated with a business and has Verified status, but it does not currently meet both requirements for Verified Top Ranked Spots: a rating of at least 4.8 and at least 50 reviews.
What are the requirements for a Verified Top Ranked Spot?
The location must be associated with a business, be Verified, have a rating of at least 4.8 and have at least 50 reviews. All of these requirements must be satisfied.
Does Verified Top Ranked Spot mean the location is ranked #1?
No. Verified Top Ranked Spot is a group classification, not a specific ranking position. Multiple locations can belong to the group, and ranking points determine their order within it.
What does Spotlight mean on Curated Spot?
Spotlight is an editorial designation for a location associated with a business in a specific ranking. Spotlight locations form the highest-priority group in that ranking.
Can a location automatically become Spotlight because it has many ranking points?
No. Spotlight is editorially selected. Ranking points, rating and review volume alone do not automatically give a location Spotlight status.
What happens when Spotlight status is removed?
The location returns to its natural group according to its current business association, verification status, rating and review count.
Can a Spot with more points rank above a Curated Spot with fewer points?
No. Group priority is applied before ranking points. A Curated Spot remains above a Spot even when the Spot has more ranking points.
When do ranking points determine the order of locations?
Ranking points determine the relative order of locations that belong to the same group. They do not allow a lower-priority group to overtake a higher-priority group.
Can a location without an associated business be a Verified Curated Spot?
No. A business association is required for Curated Spots, Verified Curated Spots, Verified Top Ranked Spots and Spotlight. Without an associated business, the location belongs to Spots.
What happens if a Spot has old Verified or Spotlight metadata but no associated business?
It remains in the Spots group. Historical or inconsistent metadata does not override the requirement for an active business association.
What happens if a location is disconnected from its business?
The location automatically falls back to the Spots group because it no longer satisfies the business-association requirement for the higher groups.
Can a Verified Top Ranked Spot lose its group status?
Yes. If it no longer satisfies the required rating or review-count threshold, it returns to the group that matches its current status, normally Verified Curated Spots if it remains Verified.
Why does the rank remain continuous when Curated Spot displays different group headings?
Group headings describe the status of the locations, while the rank number represents the global displayed position. For that reason, numbering continues across groups rather than restarting at #1.