The Hoover's Index is a free, proprietary monthly index that tracks the leading public and private companies, non-profits, and associations. It represents the brand leaders, up-and-comers, and "buzz" creators that are driving U.S. and international commerce. Because it reveals monthly spikes in company search activity that are independent of companies' fiscal performance, The Hoover's Index is a resource that business executives, public relations managers, financial analysts, and investment professionals can use to gauge which companies are capturing the interest of the global business community.
Hoover's proprietary ranking methodology evaluates searches conducted on both Hoover's paid and free web sites, along with general Internet search and advertising data. Instead of relying on gross search volume, The Hoover's Index bases its rankings on a company's movement above or below a 52-week-average for that company's search volume. As an example, a Hoover's Index of 612 means that the search volume was 6.12 times higher than the average search volume.