Where listings come from
Every business starts as a public Google Maps listing in Minnesota. Closed businesses and listings with no reviews are left out, and duplicates are merged into one record.
What the labels mean
- Services offered
- The business's own website says it does this work. We read the sites, most recently on 2026-11-13, and every service on a profile links to the page where it is stated.
- Verified
- We called the business and it confirmed the service. No business carries this mark yet.
- Not shown
- A service that only appears in a search result or a Google category, with nothing on the business's own website, is kept for our records and never shown as offered.
- License and insurance
- Shown as stated by the business. A license is marked as checked only after we look it up with the state.
The order of free listings
- Service area: businesses based in the area come first, then those that serve it from nearby.
- Verification: Verified businesses, then those whose website confirms the service.
- Reviews: the Google rating multiplied by the number of Google reviews.
Sponsored placements
Businesses can pay for a placement above the free list. Every paid placement carries the label Sponsored, and paying never changes the order of the free list. See advertise.
Frequently asked questions
Where do Cold Home Guide's listings come from?
Every business starts as a public Google Maps listing. A service is shown only when the business's own website says it does that work, and that page is linked from the profile.
What does Verified mean?
Verified means Cold Home Guide called the business and it confirmed the service. Services without the mark are as stated on the business's own website.
Do sponsors get a better place in the free list?
No. Sponsored placements sit above the free list and are labelled Sponsored. The free list is ordered the same way for every business, sponsor or not.