{"id":2128,"slug":"rule-calibrate-thresholds-to-local-reality","title":"Rule — Calibrate thresholds to local reality at runtime (metro vs rural ~1.5-2x adjustment)","kind":"rule","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["vertical-competitive-tiers","local-pack-review-bars-by-category"],"reference_body":"**Rule:** Where the user provides a city, the widget should adjust review-bar thresholds — metros need ~1.5-2x the review count of rural areas. Absent location, present the rural/metro range.\n\n**Why:** Local Falcon 2025 ([[local-falcon-2025-review-bars-by-category]]) explicitly documents the metro/rural multiplier. A \"200 reviews\" target in rural Saskatchewan is overkill; in downtown Toronto, it's entry-level.\n\n**How to apply:** Strongest single upgrade to the widget — accept city as an optional input and re-calibrate the local-saturation axis when available.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[{"slug":"local-falcon-2025-review-bars-by-category","title":"Local Falcon 2025 — 50M results: review bar to rank in 3-pack by category","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-vertical-difficulty-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget vertical difficulty — two-axis tiering by industry (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:04.874Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:04.874Z"}