How BGC Business Grades Work

The BGC Business Grade evaluates five pillars of listing quality. Each pillar contributes a weighted percentage to the overall score, which maps to a letter grade.

BGC Business Grade component breakdown showing weighted pillars and key factors

Half your grade comes from how much useful information your listing contains.

Writing a real description is the single biggest grade boost available.

Description Scoring

• Description (35 points): 30-word ATF one-liner gets 5 points, 300-word description gets 25 points, detailed 500+ word profile maxes at 35 points
• Services and specialties (25 points): 8+ services maxes out, 3-4 services gets 10 points
• Photos (15 points): 5+ photos earns full marks, even one photo gets 5 points
• Logo (10 points): Simple upload for instant points
• Categories (5 points): Multiple business types score higher than single category
• Social presence (10 points): Facebook and Instagram links worth 5 points each

Photos and Visual Elements

Most listings in the directory have minimal descriptions or outdated photos. Interior shots, exterior views, display cases, and range bays show customers what your business actually looks like. Even a single professional photo gets you 5 points — zero photos is a missed opportunity.

Can a customer actually find and contact you? This pillar rewards businesses that make it easy.

The basics matter: a working phone number is the single most important contact signal. Business hours tell customers when you're open. A full address (street, city, state, ZIP) prevents confusion. Email and a website give customers multiple ways to reach you.

This pillar checks whether your digital footprint actually works.

Website Health Checks

• Website alive (35 points): We batch-check every website in the directory. HTTP 200 = full marks. Redirects get 25. Dead sites get zero. If we haven't checked yet, you get partial credit.

• Website SSL (25 points): HTTPS matters. Sites without SSL certificates get 5 points instead of 25. No website at all gets 10 points (neutral — we do not penalize you for not having a website, just for having a broken one).

Social Media Verification

• Social links resolve (20 points): If you listed Facebook and Instagram links, do they actually work? We check.

• Social presence count (20 points): Three or more social profiles earns full marks.

How established and credible does the business appear?

Review-Based Scoring

• Google rating (30 points): Tiered scoring. A 4.5+ rating earns 30 points. A 3.0-3.4 earns 10. No Google rating at all gets 5 points — we do not punish you for not being on Google, but being there with good reviews helps.

• Google review count (20 points): More reviews signal more customer interaction. 100+ reviews maxes this out. Even 1-10 reviews gets you 6 points.

Business Credentials

• Years in business (10 points): Ten or more years earns full marks. We use the year established field.

• Claimed listing (10 points): Same as Consumer Access — claiming your listing helps in multiple pillars.

• FFL license (5 points): Active FFL = 5 points. Expired FFL = 0. Non-FFL businesses (ranges, trainers, outfitters) get 3 points neutral credit — we do not penalize you for not having a license you do not need.

• Manufacturer authorized (15 points): Not yet scored. When we add authorized dealer data, this will reward businesses with manufacturer partnerships.

• BGC user reviews (10 points): Not yet launched. When BGC community reviews go live, this will factor in.

Does the business actively participate in the firearms community?

• Events (35 points): We cross-reference the 40,000+ events in our database. Businesses linked to 5 or more events earn full marks. Even 1-2 events gets 15 points. Hosting matches, classes, or shows signals an active business.

• Training and education (20 points): We scan your services for training-related keywords — CCW classes, firearms instruction, hunter education, youth programs. If you offer training, make sure your services list says so.

• Org affiliations (25 points): Not yet scored. Future data will reward NSSF, NRA, USPSA, and other organizational memberships.

• Manufacturer authorized (20 points): Not yet scored. Same as Trust — future manufacturer partnership data.

• Not a review — We're not rating service quality or staff friendliness, just listing completeness
• Not pay-to-play — Grades calculated from data signals, not advertising spend
• Not permanent — Grades recalculate regularly as listings improve

The quickest wins, in order of impact:

High-Impact Actions

Quick Wins Strategy

Priority order for grade improvement actions, showing maximum point gains

1. Write a real description (up to +17 overall points) — Most listings have a one-line ATF description or nothing. A 300-word description about what you do, what you carry, and why someone should visit is worth more than any other single action.

2. List your services (up to +12 points) — If you do transfers, consignment, cerakote, engraving, training, appraisals — list them all.

3. Add photos (up to +7 points) — Interior, exterior, display cases, range bays — customers want to see what your business looks like.

4. Upload your logo (up to +5 points) — Brand recognition matters.

5. Claim your listing (up to +4 points across two pillars) — Claiming proves you are the real owner and unlocks editing.

6. Add hours and contact info (up to +6 points) — Phone, email, hours — the basics.

Every listing shows its top quick wins when you view the full grade breakdown. Follow those suggestions and your grade will climb.

The BGC Business Grade exists to help customers find businesses that are well-documented and easy to reach.

The BGC Business Grade rewards businesses that invest in their online presence and gives every business a clear path to improve.

If you have questions about how your grade is calculated, or if you think something is wrong, reach out. We are building this system in the open and welcome feedback.

Grade Engine V3 -- Last Updated: 2026-03-04