1. Record eligibility gates
A source record must be operational, use one of five directly relevant primary categories, contain complete U.S. geography and coordinates, and not appear in the carried-forward exclusion list.
Eligible categories are Audiologist, Hearing aid store, Hearing aid repair service, Otolaryngology clinic, and Otolaryngologist. Temporarily and permanently closed records are excluded.
2. URL normalization
Encoded query strings are repaired, schemes and hostnames are normalized, default ports are removed, malformed or credential-bearing URLs are rejected, and tracking parameters such as UTM, click IDs, and campaign tokens are removed while functional appointment parameters are retained.
3. Duplicate and entity handling
Records sharing the same normalized full street address, city, state, and ZIP are grouped into one physical location. A likely facility record is selected as the display label; associated practitioners and alternate facility names stay visible inside the group. Different suites remain separate.
4. City-page utility score: 100 points
| Dimension | Points | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Direct local coverage | 35 | 35 for 3+ locations; 15 for 1–2. |
| Contactability | 20 | 20 for 2+ actionable locations; 10 for one. |
| Provider-type mix | 15 | 15 for 2+ types; 8 for one. |
| Nearby access | 20 | 20 for 4+ options within 50 miles; 10 for 2+ within 75 miles. |
| Maintenance transparency | 10 | Correction, claim, duplicate, closure, and removal paths are visible. |
A city page enters the XML sitemap at 60 points. Pages below 60 remain usable and linked but carry noindex,follow until stronger local or nearby access data is available.
5. Ordering
Locations are alphabetical. Source ratings and review counts do not control order. Search prioritizes exact ZIP, exact city plus state, exact city, then exact or prefix provider-name matches.
6. Review cycle
The source snapshot is July 20, 2026. The owner confirmed the data current and the directory was reviewed on August 20, 2026. Supported maintenance decisions must be carried forward into refreshes.