Why this site exists
Every “best of Adelaide” list I could find was either auto-generated SEO bait, a paid-listing soup or a national directory pretending to know my city. So I built this one.
Who runs it
Adelaide Picks is written and published by Joel Bauer, who runs Joel the Nerd, a small web and SEO shop based in Adelaide, South Australia. The guides started as a side project: I was tired of recommending the same handful of businesses to friends and not having a clean URL to send.
How a business gets on a list
Every list has its own published methodology, but the shared bar is:
- Consistent positive reviews on Google over the last 12 months (specifics vary by category: five stars matters more for trades than four does for restaurants).
- Clear public pricing or quote process (if I cannot find out what they charge in 30 seconds, neither can a customer).
- Cross-checked against independent local guides and, where I have been, a personal visit. Visits are noted in the entry so you know which is which.
- For licensed categories (trades, aged care, health): verifiable registration with the relevant body.
How money works on this site
Two ways:
- Display ads via Google AdSense (when approved). These are the small ad units in the sidebar and between sections. Standard Google ads, not a relevance signal.
- Featured slot, one per list, openly disclosed at the top of each entry. A featured business pays a small monthly fee to appear at the top with a “Featured” tag. This does not change the editorial methodology: featured businesses still need to clear the same bar to be on the list at all. If a business pays and then drops below standard, they come off and the slot reopens.
What I do not do: take money to add a business to a list, take money to bump someone up rank, take money to remove a competitor or accept “sponsored review” arrangements.
Disclosures
Where I have a personal or commercial relationship with a listed business (for example, a Joel the Nerd client appearing on a list), that conflict is named in the entry itself. Not in a footnote, in the description.
Updates
Every list is re-reviewed every six months. Businesses close, owners change and quality slips. The “last reviewed” date at the top of each guide tells you when I last walked the list. If you spot something out of date, the contact form is one click away.