At Business News Daily, we connect small business owners with the products and services needed to operate successful businesses. We know reliable and efficient software and tools are the backbone of your business and that identifying the best options can be a time-intensive, confusing process. We’ve streamlined the decision-making journey for you by conducting hands-on research that can guide you to exactly the right solution for your needs.
At the core of this endeavor is our team of expert reviewers who spend countless hours studying the small business landscape, testing products and services, analyzing performance and comparing competing tools. Below, find out exactly how our review process works.
How we review and select our recommended products
1. Examine the product category and identify potential solutions.
For every product category we cover, we begin by assessing the market as a whole before drilling down into specific focus areas. We consider the varied needs of different types of small businesses and the ways one industry uses a particular service over another. With this information in mind, we search the market to identify the solutions that can meet various business use cases. We not only look at market leaders but also lesser-known brands whose services have the potential to be game changers for small businesses.
2. Participate in product demonstrations with service providers.
After establishing the products or services most likely to meet the needs of small businesses, our handpicked team of small business experts meets with the companies behind them for a personalized look at the offerings. During these demos, we leave no stone unturned while questioning vendor representatives about prices, hidden fees, basic and advanced features, usability, customer service and more. We use this time to see how the product works and how it can best serve small businesses across a variety of sectors.
3. Independently test and research the products.
Our evaluations are based on far more than company sales pitches. Live demos are followed by extensive independent research to confirm or debunk vendor claims and see if the products actually work as described. To assess whether the services live up to their promise, our small business experts sign up for trial periods and conduct test runs as if they were small business owners. We investigate customer service resources and calculate how much a product or service is likely to cost once extra fees and add-ons are accounted for. We also gauge ease of use and look into user ratings and complaints from trusted customer databases.
4. Review, compare and choose the best products.
All the hours spent examining a category’s product and services lead to this: comprehensive reviews and direct comparisons so we can confidently tell you which are the best solutions generally and for specific use cases. In developing our reviews, our experts analyze software and tools in relation to one another to see where each excels or falls just shy of expectations. We give small business owners the peace of mind that all of our recommendations are vetted and backed by thorough and objective analysis and firsthand experiences.
See our roundup of the best accounting software and our review of the Intuit QuickBooks Online accounting software for just a sample of the quality you can expect from Business News Daily.
What you can expect from Business News Daily reviews and buyers guides
When you turn to a Business News Daily review or buyers guide, you can count on recommendations that are accurate, fair, informative and well-rounded. Specifically, we promise to deliver the following:
Small business expertise
Our small business experts have decades of experience as entrepreneurs, product specialists and business operations consultants. They infuse every product or service investigation with their personal knowledge of what it’s like to use a given software or tool. Their institutional knowledge, combined with hands-on testing and up-to-date research, allows them to guide small business owners to the best of the best.
Direct comparisons
It can be overwhelming to realize there are dozens of products competing for your dollars. We make the buying decision easier by narrowing down the vast range of options and comparing them to one another. You can find out, for example, not only how straightforward QuickBooks is to use but also how its user-friendliness rates against rivals like Xero and FreshBooks. Through clear comparison charts and alternative suggestions, we take away the mystery and let business owners quickly see how various services stack up against each other.
Overall editor’s rating and individual criteria ratings
Before diving deep into a review, we know it can be helpful to get a sense of a product’s assets and flaws at a glance. That’s why, right at the top, we rate every solution on a number of factors. This ranges from general areas, like pricing and feature set, to specific uses, such as invoicing and bill pay for accounting software. You can take a look at our scoring chart and let the numbers speak for themselves — we even include an overall editor’s rating so you can compare and contrast product scores across a category.
Here’s how our ratings break down:
Individual criteria rating
1-3: This area is a significant shortcoming in the product’s appeal.
4-6: While the product may be limited in this area, it can get the job done.
7-10: The product provides near — or top-of-the-line — quality in this area.
Overall editor’s score
1-3: We cannot confidently recommend this product or service to business owners.
4-6: This product can meet basic needs but is far from the best in its category.
7-10: The product is among the top offerings available for small business owners.
Suffice it to say, we only recommend services with an overall score of 7 or higher. After all, if a product doesn’t rate well in a majority of areas, it has no business being used in your business.
Specific use cases
While Business News Daily provides product recommendations for small businesses in general, we recognize that needs vary across industries, company size and budget. That’s why we cater our guidance to specific audiences. You’ll notice unique use cases in our reviews, such as “best for restaurants” or “best for growing businesses” or even, in the case of accounting software, “best for invoicing.” This way, you know exactly which products service which companies best and, therefore, what will serve you best.
Meticulous and exhaustive analysis
Our multistep review process is not left to one, two or even five people. The extended Business News Daily editorial staff and our team of small business experts join efforts to ensure each and every review is fact-checked, verified and copy edited to meet our standards for accuracy and quality. Through multiple rounds of researching, testing, drafting and editing, our product recommendations and buyers guides must adhere to our core principles of trustworthiness, accuracy and objectivity so that small business owners receive unrivaled guidance on the things that matter most.