About the Countertops Contractors Ranking
The Countertops Contractors Ranking is the first national rating of companies that fabricate and install stone countertops in the United States. Since its inception, our ranking has been a non-commercial project, funded entirely by our founder, who believes that this initiative is already making a positive impact on the stone countertop fabrication and installation industry in the U.S.
In February 2022, we began researching the market — manually collecting information from public sources about all companies involved in the fabrication and installation of countertops. Despite facing various challenges, delays in development, and a general reluctance from contractors to speak with representatives of the ranking, we continued to diligently gather valuable data about contractors and the industry. By January 2025, we were ready to present what our team believes are the best companies in the field to the American public.
We can’t change the whole world — but we truly believe that our ranking and online magazine will help make one industry in the world better!
1. Why Did You Create a Countertop Company Ranking?
It all started with a story shared by a friend of our founder — Yuriy, the owner of a stone countertop fabrication company. He explained that clients often came to him after already spending large sums of money with other contractors, only to end up with poor results, problems, and disappointment. These homeowners were forced to pay twice — first for a failed project, and then again to fix someone else’s mistakes.
This story seemed very telling to us, and we asked ourselves: is this kind of customer deception happening only in South Carolina, or is it a nationwide issue? To find out, we conducted in-depth market research — analyzing reviews, customer stories, and contractor experiences across different cities and states. The result was shocking: the problem Yuriy described turned out to be a systemic pain point affecting the entire industry throughout the United States.
We’ll be honest: when we started this project, our team weren’t professionals in the countertop industry. We were professionals in website development, SEO, sales, and customer service — but not in stone. Still, we were strongly motivated to bring real value to the market and to homeowners, because every one of us had been in a situation where we hired an unverified contractor and ended up paying for it — with both stress and money.
After weighing all the pros and cons — and with the support of Yuriy, who had already been working in the industry for 7 years by that time (starting as a stone cutter and eventually becoming an experienced business owner with his own production facility and an impeccable reputation) — we decided to take a shot at creating a new, unique, and highly specialized project.
We made a strategic decision: to build our largest in-house project — not a broad rating of all home services, but a niche-specific product that is as deep and expert-driven as possible. Our goal was to help homeowners across the U.S. choose reliable contractors not just based on reviews (which are often fake or manipulated), but through real expert evaluation.
We chose to focus on a narrow niche because we believe that in order to create a truly high-quality ranking, we need to be EXPERTS in our field.
After three years of intense work on the project, we’ve become true industry professionals. We’ve studied an incredible amount of information on pricing, service quality, technologies, and materials; written hundreds of articles; and conducted thousands of research studies. We’ve immersed ourselves so deeply in the subject that even we’re amazed by the amount of knowledge we’ve accumulated. We’ve truly become top-level experts in the U.S. stone industry.
But we believe that even this is not enough. Right now, our expertise is focused on the U.S. market — but our goal is to become the leading global experts in the industry. The whole world lies ahead of us!
2. How is your ranking different from Google, Yelp, Angie’s List, and other platforms?
Yes, we are different. But first and foremost — we have deep respect for what Google, Yelp, Angi, and other major platforms are doing. They’ve done an enormous amount of work developing their products and helping millions of people find services and read reviews.
However, we are something else.
Countertops Contractors is not an aggregator, not a social platform, and not an ad marketplace. It’s an independent industry ranking focused exclusively on a single niche: companies that fabricate and install stone countertops. And it’s this narrow specialization that gives us our greatest advantage — depth of analysis and true expertise.
We understand how important reviews are to users. That’s why we collect and take into account ratings from public sources — Google, Yelp, Facebook — but we don’t rely on them alone. We complement them with data from our own research: our analysts and mystery shoppers interact with contractors just like regular customers do — requesting estimates, asking questions, checking timelines, pricing, and customer service quality. This allows us to build an objective and accurate picture.
Unlike aggregators, we don’t just collect data — we evaluate it. We create a balanced, multi-layered assessment that takes everything into account: from reviews to real customer experience. We don’t sell ranking positions, and we don’t allow anyone to influence the scores. We’re not trying to be bigger than others — we’re striving to go deeper. And that’s our key difference.
3. Why should I trust your ranking more than Google reviews?
You don’t have to choose between them. We actually use Google reviews as one of the key sources when evaluating a company. It’s truly an important indicator of reputation, and we strongly recommend that everyone start their contractor selection process by reading reviews.
But we also understand that reviews alone aren’t enough — especially in a niche where a contractor’s mistakes can cost you thousands of dollars and a ruined kitchen. Some companies with excellent reviews may not have earned them all honestly (some do inflate their ratings, even though Google tries to detect it), while others with lower ratings may offer outstanding service and quality — they just don’t have enough active customers to reflect that. And that’s something that needs to be taken into account.
We’re not competing with reviews — we’re complementing them, just like any reasonable homeowner would. Before placing an order, you read reviews, but you don’t stop there: you make calls, ask questions, request estimates, and compare approaches. We do the same — only at the level of analysts and mystery shoppers. We simulate the customer journey: we submit a real project, evaluate the responses, request quotes, check prices and timelines, and assess how clear and convenient it is to communicate with the company.
4. Are you truly independent?
Yes. From the very beginning, we built the Countertops Contractors project as an independent and objective ranking — and we remain fully committed to that principle.
We don’t charge for inclusion in the ranking, we don’t sell positions, we don’t adjust scores in exchange for payment — and we have no plans to do so in the future. All of our research, including analytics, mystery shopping, and data verification, is conducted independently of the companies being evaluated.
We would gladly accept support from sponsors — but only under the condition of full editorial and methodological independence. A sponsor could be, for example, a major supplier of stone, equipment, or tools, but no partner will ever be allowed to influence the final company scores in our ranking. That’s our principle.
We understand that in the future, the project will need to generate revenue in order to grow — but we will never allow commercial interests to outweigh user trust. Independence is not just a word for us. It’s the foundation of our mission and our reputation.
5. How do companies get into your ranking?
There are two ways to get into our ranking, and both are completely free!
Method 1: We find you ourselves We continuously research the market and may include your company independently. This is exactly how we created our first 2024-2025 ranking: our analysts manually collected data on 10,000 companies across the country, selected the top 2,500 based on reviews and reputation, then called each one as mystery shoppers. As a result, 2,044 companies that truly specialize in countertop fabrication made it into the ranking.
Method 2: Apply yourself. If you’re involved in countertop fabrication and installation, you can apply through the “Get Listed” page on our website. We’ll evaluate your company using the same 30+ point methodology and, if you meet our standards, include you in the ranking.
What’s important to know:
- Participation is completely free — no one can buy a spot or improve their position with money
- We evaluate everyone using the same criteria, regardless of how they enter the ranking
- Inclusion means your company meets our high standards
Don’t know if your company is in the ranking? Find your city on our website or use the search function. If you’re not there — submit an application!
6. Where do you get information about companies? Do you verify its accuracy?
We collect all initial information about companies from open sources, just like any homeowner would when searching for a contractor. We look for contractors on Google, study their websites and social media, check customer reviews on different platforms, and review industry directories. We also receive applications directly from contractors through the “Get Listed” page on our website.
But we don’t stop there. All verification of the information is done by our mystery shoppers, who call the companies, communicate with them, ask questions, request clarifications, and obtain estimates. In essence, we professionally perform the same check that any responsible homeowner should be doing.
We always verify whether the company really specializes in countertop fabrication or simply mentions it on their website, whether they have their own production facilities or work through partners, how quickly and professionally they respond to client requests, whether the reality matches what is stated on their website, and what their actual pricing and terms are.
Of course, there is always a possibility that someone could mislead us, but we try to carefully verify all contractors in order to provide the most accurate and useful information to our users. We understand that the quality of our data affects serious financial decisions made by homeowners — often involving thousands of dollars — so our principle is simple:
It’s better to spend more time on verification than to include an unreliable contractor in the ranking and mislead our users.
7. How exactly does your rating system work?
Our rating system is based on independent analytics and takes into account over 30 different evaluation criteria to provide the most objective assessment of each company’s strengths and weaknesses.
We start by manually gathering information about contractors — reviewing their websites, customer feedback, social media presence, industry directories, and other publicly available sources. After that, our team of analysts uses the mystery shopper method to verify the company’s claims and evaluate the real customer experience.
The final score is calculated based on three key components:
- Customer Feedback Score — the average rating based on verified client reviews collected from independent platforms.
- Mystery Shopper Score — an evaluation of customer service, communication quality, response speed, and transparency, based on our independent mystery shopper research.
- Total Score — the overall rating, calculated using our proprietary formula, which takes into account:
- company reputation and data accuracy;
- quality of customer communication;
- range and quality of offered materials;
- pricing transparency;
- availability of in-house production and a showroom;
- service areas and additional business factors.
The Total Score (ranging from 0 to 100) determines a company’s position in our national ranking as well as its placement in state and local rankings.
We do not sell ranking positions and do not accept payments from companies for inclusion or placement. Every position in the ranking is based exclusively on verified data, analytics, and independent evaluation.
8. Who sponsors your project? Do you have any external sponsors?
At this time, Countertops Contractors Ranking has no external sponsors. For four years, we’ve built the project entirely with our own funds and have invested several hundred thousand dollars. We do not charge contractors for evaluation or inclusion in the ranking, nor do we charge homeowners for access to valuable, unique information about contractors. This is a principled stance that keeps our methodology and results fully independent.
However, now that our scoring system, data infrastructure, and editorial processes are in place and delivering exactly the outcomes we aimed for, we’re open to considering a limited number of sponsorships to accelerate development—expanding our analyst and mystery-shopper teams, covering more markets, and deepening our evaluation criteria. Potential partners include stone manufacturers and suppliers, stone-fabrication equipment makers, kitchen brands, and other adjacent companies within the stone industry.
Our core principle remains unchanged: sponsors will not influence our methodology, calculations, or ranking positions. Above all, we prioritize objectivity, transparency, and user trust—every future decision on monetization and partnerships will be guided by these values.
9. How can my company be included in your ranking? Do we need to apply?
Yes. To be considered for our ranking, a contractor that fabricates and installs stone countertops should submit an application and provide the information requested by our analysts. We’ll review your data, cross-check it against public sources, conduct a mystery shopper verification if needed, and then decide whether to include your company among the top U.S. contractors.
Before applying, we recommend checking whether your company is already listed—the easiest way is to search on our website.
- If you find your page and see information that’s outdated or incomplete, just contact us and we’ll update the profile after verification.
- If you don’t find your company, go ahead and submit a Get Listed application. Participation is free; positions are not for sale.
After you apply, we’ll request core company details (contacts, service area, materials, showroom/fabrication, key terms, etc.). The more complete and accurate your information, the faster the review—and the more precise your initial score. Please note: applying does not guarantee inclusion; all decisions are based on our independent evaluation across 30+ criteria.
10. How much does participation cost? Are there any hidden fees?
As of today, participation in the Countertops Contractors Ranking is completely free. We do not charge for inclusion, we do not sell positions, we do not take commissions on leads, and there are no hidden fees. Your company profile on the site, initial and follow-up data verification, evaluation under our 30+ point methodology, as well as digital badges and certificates—all of this is provided at no cost. We also don’t require “paid verifications” or force “mandatory packages” just to appear in the lists.
Why is it free? Because independence is the foundation of trust in a ranking. Homeowners use our work to make decisions worth thousands of dollars, and any financial dependence on contractors would undermine the value of our assessments. Free participation preserves both objectivity and sample representativeness: we evaluate companies for their performance, not their marketing budget.
We don’t rule out offering optional support in the future to accelerate development. We’re considering two clear formats: a modest flat monthly subscription for all contractors, or voluntary monthly sponsorship from those who want to help build the industry’s infrastructure. Neither option will ever affect our methodology, calculations, or ranking positions. If we introduce such a model, we’ll announce the terms publicly and in plain language—no fine print. The basics—application, participation, profile visibility, and receiving organic leads—will remain free.
11. How can you objectively evaluate the performance of companies if you are not contractors yourselves?
Yes—we’re not contractors, and that’s precisely why we can evaluate countertop companies as independent researchers. Our job isn’t to “cut stone,” but to systematically measure what matters to homeowners: response speed, quote transparency, fabrication timelines, communication quality, payment and warranty terms, the presence of a showroom and in-house production, and more. Over nearly four years, we’ve studied the market in depth, built a consistent 30+ criteria methodology, launched a mystery shopper program, and collected and cross-checked large sets of public data; the final score is calculated using a single, reproducible formula. That removes subjective gut feel and turns evaluation into a process that can be checked and replicated.
Importantly, our work is done by people, not bots. Real analysts and mystery shoppers make calls, exchange emails, request quotes, and follow the full customer journey from first touch to final proposal. We do not use robots or AI to conduct the research or to issue ratings. That’s our core value: we assess contractors through the eyes of a real buyer, so homeowners can choose based on unique, human-verified data.
Our objectivity comes from standardized outreach and logging, data triangulation (what a company claims — what a customer experiences — what’s publicly verifiable), internal calibration of scores, and full financial independence (we don’t sell placements and don’t accept payment for inclusion). The ranking is built for homeowners, so we deliberately evaluate contractors from the buyer’s point of view—and we’ve developed deep practical expertise doing exactly that.
Put simply, our role isn’t to fabricate countertops; it’s to professionally measure service and transparency. Thanks to data, methodology, and independence, we compare companies objectively and give customers a clear, verifiable result. In that sense, it’s good that we’re not contractors: independence and a hands-on approach are our strongest quality-control tools.
12. Can I improve my ranking?
Yes. You can improve your ranking — not with money, but by delivering better work, engaging with us, and contributing to the industry. Here are four practical areas that directly influence your overall score:
Reviews & reputation. Strengthen your Customer Feedback Score by earning current, substantive reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook. Make leaving a review easy, politely follow up after project completion, and respond publicly—thank customers for positive feedback and address issues constructively.
Customer journey quality. We assess this via our Mystery Shopper program. What matters: getting through to you on the first try, receiving a prompt and complete estimate, clear timelines and terms (deposit, warranty, demo/removal, payment methods), and expert, straightforward answers. Train your team, set SLAs for speed and completeness, and use checklists—improvements show up immediately in the score.
Data & openness. Send fresh photos of recent projects, your shop, and showroom; keep materials and service areas up to date; and agree to an on-the-record interview with the owner or GM. This builds homeowner trust and is factored into the 2025–2026 calculation.
Industry expertise. Contribute non-promotional expert articles to The Stone Magazine—case studies, practical guidance, and breakdowns of materials, pricing, and timelines. This strengthens your expert profile, helps consumers, and is counted in the next evaluation cycle.
Bottom line: rankings rise where a company genuinely improves its work, delivers value to customers and the industry, and becomes more transparent and professional. Our ranking reflects those improvements—it isn’t a goal in itself.
13. What should I do if I strongly disagree with your rating?
If you strongly disagree with how your company is evaluated in our independent ranking, please send us a detailed message through the Contact form on our website. Include a link to your company’s page in the ranking and clearly specify which scores you dispute and why. Once we receive your request, we’ll review the data we’ve collected about your company and provide you with a written response.
How the review works: we verify facts against public sources, retrieve our mystery-shopper contact logs, and check that our methodology and scoring formula were applied correctly. If we find factual inaccuracies, we will promptly correct them after verification and recalculate your score.
If your concern relates to the Mystery Shopper block (reachability, speed and completeness of the estimate, clarity of terms) and no errors are found in our data, we cannot change that score immediately. This component is updated only after a repeat evaluation in the next ranking cycle.
If your concern relates to the Customer Feedback Score, please note: this metric is based on aggregated public reviews (Google, Yelp, Facebook) and is not adjusted manually. The only way to improve it is through real work with customers and a consistent process for earning substantive positive reviews.
Outcome: if we discover an error, we will update the data and recalculate the score. If no errors are found, we will explain the calculation logic in detail and advise what can help you improve in the next cycle. If you prefer not to be included in the project at all, we will remove your company page upon request.
Our priority is objectivity and transparency. We do not sell placements and we do not change scores “on request”: any changes occur only on the basis of verified data or the results of a repeat evaluation.
14. How do homeowners discover your ranking?
Homeowners find us in the same places they look for contractors — through Google search and AI answers. The journey usually begins with a search query or a request for recommendations. From there, we guide them to one destination: CountertopsContractors.com, directly to your company profile.
When questions are asked to AI assistants (ChatGPT, Grok, Google AI Overviews), the answers often draw on our independent ranking and research. From those answers, users click through to our city lists or directly to company pages. Via Google, they find us both in classic top-10 organic results and in AI Overviews; our site is relevant to thousands of queries across all 50 states and 559 cities. Very often, people land on your profile via a brand query—typing your company name and immediately seeing aggregated reviews, the Mystery Shopper results, and your overall score.
Our expert content in The Stone Magazine also drives significant traffic. When users search for practical guidance, they find our articles in search and AI answers, then move into the most relevant sections of the magazine and, from there, into the ranking—down to contractor cards in their city.
Social channels and PR complete the funnel: we regularly showcase top projects and practical insights on Instagram and LinkedIn, while coverage in industry media increases awareness and trust—both in the ranking and in participating companies.
All of this is powered by our SEO and AEO team, which structures data and develops expert content so that both our site and your page are easy for any homeowner to find when they’re choosing a reliable countertop contractor in the U.S.
Bottom line: whether a homeowner starts in AI or in Google, all roads lead to CountertopsContractors.com. We work on that every day.
