WHITO GLOSSARY · MEASURED DEFINITIONS
The proportion of businesses in a sector that can be confirmed on a named public register on a stated date. It moves with the sector, the register used, and how hard the checker looks.
The number: UK Public Record Index.
What it means in practice
Trust claims are cheap; register matches are not. The register-confirmed share turns a vague sense of a sector’s trustworthiness into a number with a date on it.
Read it with its conditions attached: which register, which date, how hard the checker looked. Those three decide the number.
Whito stage: Any stage. Use it before you sign anything.
The numbers to hold onto
- 29 of 100 directory listings failed the check that produces this share. UK Directory Dead Listings Study.
- On the ICO register the share runs from 2% of electricians to 46% of accountants. UK Trades ICO Register Check.
- 5.2% of AI-recommended businesses could not be confirmed at all. AI-Recommended Businesses Unverifiable.
Where to go next
Related: The unevidenced aisle, The priced-in-print range, The month-seven price