Methodology
How EnquiryScore works
EnquiryScore turns observable signals and a few owner-confirmed answers into a clear, evidence-based picture of how a business's online presence shapes its enquiry journey. This page explains exactly how the scoring is put together.
The six categories
Every check rolls up into a single score out of 100. Each category carries a fixed weight reflecting how much it typically influences whether an enquiry happens.
Category names and weights are fixed. Together they total 100.
Result states
Within each category, individual checks are reported using one of five clearly defined states. This keeps results honest about what was and wasn't observed.
The observable signal meets the standard for this check.
A signal is present but weaker than expected, or partially in place, a clear improvement opportunity.
The signal is expected for this type of business but was not found.
The check normally applies, but reliable evidence was unavailable. It is not treated as a failure. Specifically, a Not Assessed check:
- remains in the applicable-points denominator;
- reduces assessment sufficiency;
- awards and deducts no points;
- does not itself create a risk trigger.
The check genuinely does not apply to this business. A Not Applicable check:
- is removed from the applicable-points denominator;
- does not reduce completeness;
- creates no risk trigger.
Owner-confirmed evidence
Some checks depend on how a business's own processes are defined, which can't be seen from the outside. EnquiryScore asks the owner a small number of short questions to establish these, and their answers are clearly labelled Owner-confirmed so it's always obvious which evidence came from observation and which from the owner.
The owner-confirmed checks are RF2–RF4, and they concern how processes are set up, not how they perform in practice:
- RF2 response standard: whether a response standard or target is defined.
- RF3 enquiry capture: whether enquiries are captured in a reliable, shared way.
- RF4 follow-up process: whether a follow-up process is defined.
These do not measure actual response speed or actual follow-up execution, only whether the processes are defined.
Assessment sufficiency, provisional & partial results
EnquiryScore is explicit about how much of the applicable audit it was actually able to complete. Assessment sufficiency is:
Too few applicable checks could be assessed. No numerical EnquiryScore and no Enquiry Risk are shown.
A numerical score is shown but labelled provisional, with the missing (Not Assessed) checks listed.
Every applicable check was assessed; the score is final.
Provisional does not simply mean "before owner questions are answered." A report is provisional only when some applicable checks could not be reliably assessed (Not Assessed), which keeps them in the denominator and lowers sufficiency. Not Applicable checks are removed from the denominator entirely and do not affect completeness.
What EnquiryScore does not measure
- –It does not claim to measure your actual Google (or other) search rankings.
- –It does not measure your actual conversion rate.
- –It does not claim whether ChatGPT or any AI system recommends your business.
- –It is not an accessibility compliance audit or legal advice.