How the Verified Thai trust score works

The six base sources

1. Google Maps reviews
   Review count, average rating, photo count. Most signal density but the easiest to inflate, so capped per-venue.
2. Reddit threads
   Mentions across r/Thailand, r/ThailandTourism, and niche subs like r/MuayThai. Hard to fake without obvious manipulation.
3. Naver Blog posts
   Korean blogger reviews — high signal for KR-friendly venues. We surface specific posts on the venue page.
4. Pantip discussions
   Thai-language forum mentions. Local opinion, harder for non-Thai businesses to manipulate.
5. YouTube videos
   Reviews, vlogs, and gym/spa walkthroughs. Bonus weight if the venue runs an owned channel (proven via /about page metadata).
6. The venue's own website
   We require a working homepage. Sites must respond, be indexable, and not be a parked domain — checked at scrape time.

Enrichment signals (boost layer)

Up to +25 added to the base score for signals that resist manipulation.

• +12
  Veteran (10y+)

  archive.org first capture ≥10 years ago — venue had a real website a decade back
• +10
  Active 30d

  ≥1 Google review in the last 30 days — venue is clearly still trading
• +8
  Gov. certified

  Thailand SHA (Safety & Health Administration) or TAT (Tourism Authority of Thailand) official registration — government-verified, not self-reported
• +6
  Established (5y+)

  archive.org first capture ≥5 years ago
• +5
  Pro email infra

  DNS MX records pointing to Google Workspace / Microsoft 365 / Zoho / Proton / Fastmail
• +3
  YouTube channel ≥5k subs

  Venue runs an owned, audience-validated channel (verified via /about page)

Frequently asked

How is the Verified Thai trust score calculated?

Each venue's 0-100 score combines two layers. Base layer: counts of unique mentions across 6 public sources (Google reviews, Reddit threads, Naver blogs, Pantip discussions, YouTube videos, the venue's own website). Each source contributes points up to a cap so no single platform can dominate. Boost layer: enrichment signals — archive.org age, DNS email infrastructure, recent Google review activity, owned YouTube channel — add up to 25 extra points, capped at 100.

Why use archive.org age as a trust signal?

A 10-year archive.org footprint requires having had a real, indexable website 10 years ago. That can't be backfilled by buying reviews or running an ad campaign. Pop-up venues, gap businesses, and short-lived ventures don't appear in old snapshots. Of 4,206 listings, 516 have a documented capture date; 243 go back 10+ years.

What does "active in last 90 days" actually mean?

It means we found at least one Google review for the venue dated within the last 90 days, using the timestamp Google attaches to each review. 657 venues qualify; 79 had a review in the last 30 days. Most directories never check — they keep listing places that closed years ago, which is a bigger trust killer than people realize.

Why does email infrastructure (Google Workspace, M365) matter?

Looking at MX DNS records reveals what email host the business actually uses. A small spa running contact@theirdomain.com through Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 has demonstrably invested in a real business setup — it's a tiny but non-zero "this is a real operation" signal. 303 of 4,206 venues run on professional infrastructure.

Does Verified Thai accept paid placement or sponsored rankings?

No. Listings are ranked purely by trust score. Klook is shown on some venue pages as an affiliate booking option (with commission disclosed), and an "Editor's Pick" featured slot exists on niche pages but is also selected by trust score, not payment. No venue can pay us to outrank another venue.

How does Verified Thai differ from Google Maps, Klook, or Tripadvisor?

Google Maps shows ratings without de-duping fake reviews or checking whether a place still operates. Klook lists places that paid to be on Klook (with ~20-25% commission). Tripadvisor mixes user reviews with sponsored content. We don't take placement money, we cross-check across 6 sources before listing, and we surface "established 5y+" and "active 90d" filters so dead listings don't waste your time. The trade-off: smaller dataset, harder verification floor.

What signals can a venue NOT manipulate?

Archive.org snapshots from years ago (can't retroactively make a site exist in 2014). Cross-source consistency (Reddit users don't get paid to mention a spa). DNS MX records on a domain registered in 2011 (no shortcut to a decade of email-host continuity). What CAN be manipulated: review counts, ratings, recency to some extent. That's why our score blends manipulable + non-manipulable signals.

Can a venue claim or fix their listing?

Yes — owners can claim a listing for free and edit hours, photos, services, and Korean/English/Thai language notes. The trust score is computed from external signals; claiming doesn't change ranking. Direct inquiries through a claimed listing go to the venue at 0% commission.

How often does the trust score update?

Source signals (reviews, mentions) refresh weekly. Wayback age refreshes monthly. DNS infrastructure refreshes quarterly. Owner-edited content propagates within 10 minutes (ISR). If a venue closes, the next scrape catches the silence in Google reviews and the "active 90d" badge falls off — but you should also be able to report it to us via the contact form.