About Meridian Guides

Meridian Guides publishes independent city directories for everyday services across Malaysia. There are 7 of them at present, covering plumbers, locksmiths, cleaning companies, badminton courts, homestays, confinement centres and steamboat restaurants.

Every one ranks businesses using a scoring method built on public customer reviews, and that method is published in full rather than described as proprietary. Rankings are never sold. If a paid surface launches, it will be labelled as paid and will sit outside the ranked list. Listings are re-checked monthly, and being listed is free.

Why this exists

Local search in Malaysia is dominated by paid placement, WhatsApp hearsay, and undisclosed advertorial. Someone looking for a plumber cannot tell whether the ranking in front of them was earned or bought, because almost nothing tells them how the order was decided.

The answer we have chosen is not to argue that our judgement is better. It is to publish the method so that anyone can check it, and to refuse to sell rank so that there is nothing to check for.

How the directories are organised

Malaysia is a set of separate local markets rather than one, so each directory is drawn around how that trade is actually searched and hired.

Some cover the Klang Valley as one metro area, because a plumber in Puchong takes jobs in Petaling Jaya and a householder does not care which municipality the van starts in. Some cover a single city, because that is where the demand sits and the businesses are local to it. A few cover the whole country, because the category is one people plan and travel for rather than call in an emergency.

Each directory states its own coverage on its own homepage. The reasoning is set out under our directories.

Where we are, honestly

Meridian Guides was founded in 2026, and its first directories are launching this year.

That means there are no customer numbers to quote, no case studies, no awards, and no traffic figures. There is a method, a re-check cycle, and a corrections process. We would rather say that plainly than dress a new publisher up as an established one, particularly on a site whose whole argument is that claims should be checkable.

What we do not do

• We do not sell rankings, at any price, on any directory.
• We do not sell leads, and we do not collect enquiries on behalf of listed businesses.
• We do not charge businesses to be listed or to stay listed.
• We do not inspect premises or verify licences, and we do not imply that a ranking means we have.
• We do not accept free services, hosted stays or meals from businesses we list.
• We do not publish city pages for the towns our directories cover. Those are coverage areas, not places this publisher operates in.

How it is funded

Nothing is sold today. Paid placement is not offered, and when it opens it will be labelled and kept outside the ranked list where it cannot touch a score. The current position is set out on advertise with us, and there are no rates on that page because there are none.