How the ATX Vet Index score works

Who publishes this directory

ATX Vet Index is an independent guide to veterinary clinics across Austin and Central Texas. The rankings are maintained by Dana Whitfield, Managing editor, who oversees the rubric described below. We currently score 240 businesses. Every score comes from published review data and public business information, and nothing else. You can browse the full directory from the home page.

The composite score

Each business gets a score from 0 to 100. It is a weighted blend of five measured signals. Here they are, heaviest first.

Signal	Weight	What we measure
Sentiment	28%	A synthesis of recent review themes: praise versus complaints
Rating	26%	Google aggregate star rating
Volume	20%	How many reviews, log-scaled
Recency	14%	How recently customers reviewed
Completeness	12%	Whether phone, website, hours and address are listed

Why each signal matters

Sentiment (28%)

Sentiment carries the most weight because a star average hides patterns. Two clinics can sit at the same rating while one keeps collecting complaints about the same thing, such as long waits, surprise charges or hard-to-book appointments. Reading what recent reviews actually say is the only way to catch that, so we weigh the themes of recent reviews above the raw average.

Rating (26%)

The Google star rating is still the quickest read on overall satisfaction, and most pet owners look at it first. We use it, but we do not let it decide the outcome alone.

Volume (20%)

A 4.8 from a handful of reviews tells you less than a 4.7 from hundreds. Volume is log-scaled, so going from 5 to 50 reviews counts for much more than going from 500 to 545, and a small number of reviews never equals a large one.

Recency (14%)

Clinics change. Vets leave, ownership shifts, and wait times grow. A business that was well reviewed years ago but has gone quiet is harder to trust than one with fresh feedback, so recent reviews count for more.

Completeness (12%)

When you have a sick animal, you need a working phone number, hours, an address and a website. We check that all four are listed. It is a small signal, but a missing phone number or hours is a real problem for a pet owner in a hurry.

Honest limits

• Low-confidence scores. Businesses with few recent reviews still get a score, but it is labelled low-confidence. Treat it as a starting point, not a verdict.
• We synthesise, not republish. We summarise review themes rather than copying reviews onto our pages. Each listing links out to Google so you can read the source yourself.
• Reviews are not clinical quality. The score reflects what customers report and what a business publishes. It cannot measure the standard of medical care, so call and ask questions before you commit.

Scores are earned, never edited

Scores come from this rubric and this data only. Nobody adjusts a score by hand. ATX Vet Index does not sell placement: the rankings are purely earned. If paid placement ever exists, it will always be labelled as such and will never change a score. Where a list's picks or order were reviewed by an editor, that list says so on the page itself.

How we keep data current

Listings are built from verified sources and refreshed monthly. Each listing carries a "last verified" stamp, so you can see when we last checked it and that the data is being actively maintained.