How to get on local "best of" lists without paying for a spot

You're in the dentist's waiting room, and the city magazine on the table is the "Best of" issue. You turn to Best Kitchen Remodeler. It's the outfit homeowners keep mentioning when you show up to quote. Glowing paragraph, photo of the owner in a very clean polo.

You read it twice. Did they pay for that, or did somebody actually pick them? You can't tell from the page, and a homeowner flipping through it can't either.

Do you have to pay to be on a "best of" list?

Rarely. Plenty of lists pick on merit and charge nothing to be considered, and some exist mainly to sell the spot. A paid spot is advertising, not an award.

The surprise is how calm the rulebooks are about paying. The FTC's staff guide to ads that look like articles (informal guidance, not a ruling) says an ad shouldn't pass for independent content.^[1]

Its worked example: a kitchen cabinet company pays a magazine for a feature full of its own cabinets. It reads like ordinary editorial, so the guide says it needs a clear label.

Google's line is just as plain. Buying and selling links is a normal part of advertising, as long as a paid link is marked sponsored.^[2][3] Google generally doesn't follow a link marked that way, so it isn't a vote for you.

Before you apply anywhere, I'd look for a rate page for businesses, or a "sponsored" label beside some names. Whatever you choose, AI search for home service companies explains why a mention on a site you don't control can matter to AI assistants.

Which kinds of lists are worth going after?

Four kinds, and three of them cost nothing.

Editorial roundups. Editors pick, and a good one says how: licenses and review history. Applying is usually free. Ads sold beside the list are separate and don't make you "best".

Readers' polls. City magazines and newspapers run them yearly, usually with nominations first and a vote after. Entering is usually free. Some polls are open to everyone and some put paying sponsors on the ballot, so read the official rules first.

Platform awards. Review sites and neighborhood apps give out badges. On Houzz, consideration is free and automatic, based on your profile, ratings and reviews, and only one tier needs a paid software subscription.^[4] Nextdoor runs a yearly neighbor vote, and a free business page lets neighbors vote for you.^[5]

Directories you earn. A shingle maker's contractor locator, an HVAC brand's dealer page, a roofing association's member list. You pay for membership or certification, not for a spot, and qualify with licenses, insurance and training. List only what you actually hold. A listing that links to your site is also an earned link, and our guide to backlinks for a contractor website covers more of those.

How do you find the lists your buyers see?

Search the way a buyer would. Type "best kitchen remodeler in Columbus" into Google on your phone, then try "top-rated" and "near me". Write down every list that keeps coming back.

Then ask an AI assistant the same question in a fresh chat and note its sources. Try a second assistant too:

Results shift, so treat them as clues and ask again next week. A list that shows up in Google and in an assistant's sources is the one to chase first. Plain directory profiles are a separate job: which listings matter.

What do you do once you've found a list?

Read how it chooses, then apply or get nominated where the criteria are real.

1. Read its "how we choose" page: who picks, what counts, what it costs to be considered, what sponsors get. No page, skip the list.
2. Apply or claim your listing the week you find it, with real facts: license number, service area, years in business.
3. Put poll windows on your calendar. When one opens, ask every customer the same way, with no reward and no ballot stuffing. Poll rules usually ban both, and the FTC bars paying for reviews that have to be positive.^[6]
4. Keep a one-page press kit: real job photos (with permission), a paragraph about the company, service area, license numbers, the owner's name.
5. Say "voted best" only when it's true, and name the list and year. Keep it out of your Google business name, which can get the profile suspended.^[7]

A one-page tracker keeps this out of your head:

What should you never do to get on a list?

Never pass an ad, or your own opinion, off as someone else's verdict.

• Buying a "top 3" slot and calling it an award. Money bought it, so it's an ad, and FTC endorsement guidance says an unexpected connection like a payment should be clearly disclosed.^[8]
• Publishing your own "best roofers in town" page with yourself first. A 2024 FTC rule bars presenting a site you control as independent opinion on a category that includes your own work.^[6]
• Paying to place a list on a news-style site. A "best roofers" page parked on a respected domain to borrow its ranking strength is close to what Google's site reputation policy covers.^[3]

Where a list stops helping

In a 2026 survey of local SEO experts, presence on expert-curated "best of" lists ranked first for AI search and far lower for the Maps pack.^[9] That's their judgment: the survey notes that none of them can see inside Google's algorithm.

The hard evidence is thinner:

That's a correlation. The company behind the study says correlation isn't causation, and the study doesn't single out "best of" lists.^[10]

Lists change: one can drop you next year or stop running. Some are thin, with few readers. A mention can bring no calls at all.

A mention also needs somewhere good to land. If your Google profile is half empty and your newest review is from 2022, I'd fix that first. Our Google Business Profile checklist takes twenty minutes, and how to ask for Google reviews covers the reviews. Our local SEO and AI search optimization pages cover the rest.