Working within the Web3 / blockchain space for the last 8 years, I’ve spent a lot of time hunting for experienced product & service providers.
I’ve found most accounts don’t understand crypto. Many tools only cover a fraction of blockchains, rarely having necessary coverage. Marketing agencies, PR agencies, and dev firms all ‘talk big’, but often fail to deliver tangible and timely outcomes.
I knew there had to be a better way to find trustworthy, experienced partners. That’s the whole reason I started building Web3Connect.
However, I didn't want to create just another directory that could be gamed.
"Pay-to-Win" Marketplaces
Most B2B marketplaces I’ve used eventually fall into the same trap: they let people buy the top spot. I call this the "pay-to-win" problem.
It's a slow poison. Once a platform starts selling ranks to the highest bidder:
Good firms lose out: Why deliver amazing service when a bigger ad budget is what gets you seen?
Founders lose trust: You start to realize the rankings are biased, and you stop trusting the platform.
Reviews become meaningless: Why bother leaving a review if money is all that matters? The most valuable data—real user feedback—dries up.
This model just doesn't work for Web3, an ecosystem built on transparency. So, I had to design a system that couldn't be gamed.
Quality First, Always
Instead of reinventing the wheel, I looked at one of the smartest ranking systems out there: Google's Ad Rank.
Google doesn't just sell ads to the highest bidder. It uses a simple formula: Ad Rank = CPC Bid × Quality Score.
This is brilliant. It forces advertisers to compete on quality. If your landing page is relevant and helpful (a high Quality Score), you can actually pay less and still outrank a competitor with a terrible page. It financially rewards a good user experience.
This is the philosophy I'm baking into Web3Connect.
The Web3Connect Formula: Merit is the Engine, Money is the Turbocharger
My goal is to build a merit-first discovery engine. You have to earn a good reputation before you can pay to amplify it.
Here’s the simple formula I’m working with for ranking every single offering on the platform:
Final Rank = (Quality Score) × (Paid Boost)
Let's break that down.
Part 1: The Quality Score (The Foundation)
This is a partner’s organic reputation score (from 0-100), based on real signals that are hard to fake.
Verified Reviews (Most Important): Feedback from real users of that specific offering.
Proven Track Record: A bonus for services that have a long history of trust.
Helpful Profile: We reward partners who take the time to build a detailed, useful profile.
Off-Platform Credibility: We even pull in objective, third-party data to measure their broader reputation.
Part 2: The Paid Boost (The Accelerator)
Once a partner has a good Quality Score, they can subscribe to a premium plan to get a "visibility boost." But instead of giving them the #1 spot, it just multiplies their score.
For example:
Firm A (Trusted) has a Quality Score of 90. They're on the free plan (1.0x boost). Their Final Rank is 90.
Firm B (New) has a Quality Score of 20. They pay for the biggest boost (1.4x). Their Final Rank is 28 (20 x 1.4).
Even while paying, Firm B is still ranked far below Firm A. Money helps you get seen, but it can't buy you a reputation you haven't earned. Quality always wins.
My Commitment: Radical Transparency
For this to work, you have to trust the system. That's why I'm building Web3Connect with radical transparency in mind.
Clear Labels: If a listing is boosted, it will be clearly labelled. No secrets.
"How We Rank" Explainers: A simple, clear explanation of the model will be available on every page.
By putting merit first, I'm trying to build a healthier ecosystem for everyone. Founders can find partners with confidence, and great partners get the visibility they actually deserve. It’s how I believe we can solve the trust problem for good.