How Does Top Five Advisor Rank and Review Products and Services?

Updated

Top Five Advisor (t5a.com) is a personal review site run by owner, editor, and writer Scott Buehler. It publishes "top five" lists that rank internet products, services, and software, alongside how-to guides—most notably for WordPress—and hosting recommendations. The rankings are one person's editorial picks rather than results from a lab test or a large review panel, so the site is best used as a starting point for research, not as a final verdict.

What the site actually publishes

The homepage organizes content into a few recurring sections:

  • Top five lists – The core format: internet services, software, and products ranked into a top five.
  • WordPress guides – Practical tutorials, such as backing up a WordPress site, cleaning up and optimizing WordPress, and editing or deleting an image gallery in a post.
  • Hosting recommendations – A dedicated web hosting section, including a full review of InMotion Hosting and a "Best Web Hosting Guide."
  • General guides – Topics like the risks of public Wi-Fi and how a VPN helps, creating an email address on your own domain, and hosting a Google Hangout with Crowdcast.
  • VPN content – A "Top VPN Service" section covering VPN use for privacy and for getting around firewalls.

How the rankings are built

Based on the site's own description, the rankings come from the author's reviews and personal recommendations rather than a disclosed scoring rubric. The homepage states that the author "reviewed and ranked" the services and products listed, and hosting recommendations are framed as what "we use and recommend."

That means the method is editorial judgment: the writer evaluates options and orders them into a top five. The site does not publish a standardized set of criteria (for example, weighted scores for price, speed, or support) on the pages shown here, so you won't find a transparent formula behind each ranking.

How to judge whether a ranking is trustworthy

Because the rankings reflect one editor's view, check these things before relying on a list:

  1. Is the author identified? On this site, yes—Scott Buehler is named as owner, editor, and writer, which makes the perspective clear.
  2. Is there a stated reason for each pick? Look for the review text explaining why an option made the list, not just its position.
  3. Is the content current? Review sites age quickly; a hosting or VPN recommendation from several years ago may no longer hold. Check for dates or update notes.
  4. Is there a commercial relationship? The homepage promotes an exclusive discount on InMotion Hosting (described as over 50% off, activated by clicking a specific button rather than a coupon code). A site can recommend a product and also earn from it, but you should weigh the recommendation knowing that incentive exists.
  5. Does it match your needs? A top-five list is generic; your budget, traffic level, or technical comfort may point to a different option.

When this kind of site is useful—and when it isn't

Useful for:

  • Getting a shortlist of options to research further
  • Learning what features matter for a category (hosting, VPNs, WordPress plugins)
  • Following step-by-step WordPress tutorials

Not sufficient for:

  • A final purchase decision on its own—cross-check with other sources and the vendor's own current specs and pricing
  • Situations needing verified, up-to-date performance data or contractual terms

Treat Top Five Advisor as one informed opinion among several. Read the reasoning behind each pick, confirm current details with the provider, and match the recommendation to your own requirements before deciding.