Basic Help for selecting Categories for your business or ogranization

Use the Categories tab in your listing, after you have logged in, to access these features.

If you have not updated your listing in a while, you should review the Categories, as some of the over 200 categories added in 2003 may apply to your business or organization..

If you have not updated your listing in a while, you should review the Categories, with 50 new categories added in 2008 (and 100s in the past 5 years) may now apply to your business or organization.

What’s Are Categories?

Categories are classifications that help consumers (or business users) find organizations like yours. Most people are familiar with them in the Business Telephone Directory, called by some the “Yellow Pages*”.

FoundLocally’s Categories Are Free

Unlike the Phone Companies or their printed directory competitors, THERE IS NO COST for categories, so you can choose all that apply to you business. (Try asking the phone company for all categories in their online directory! Or try doing that when running a home business with just a home phone.)

FoundLocally’s Categories are Grouped

Rather than having an alphabetical list of all the categories like the phone book (we have over 3000 categories), we group them functionally and have context-sensitive menus around the web site. For example, in the computer section, the pop-down Search menus offer only computer options, in the Restaurant section, the pop-down menu offers cuisine options. Isn’t that ‘sweet”? No more category-itisfor users.

We’ve linked to the most common groupings at the top of the CATEGORIES page, but there are hints about what each group should include further down the page. Do a quick “skim” down the page to see which categories are most appropriate.

Check the headings on the Categories page, and see which headings most likely apply to you. Choose and click on a Category heading and then view its options, checking all that apply to your organization. Generally, choose Business only if you are Business-to-Business, not because you are a business.

What Are Appropriate Categories?

Choose categories that reflect what you sell or do for clients. Every business uses computers and hires people, so you should not choose these categories unless its something you charge others for!

DO NOT use categories to target client businesses! For example, we had a religious candle maker check off every conceivable religion, which would have been very confusing for worshipers. Use your Description or Products/Brands fields to describe your target market, instead. Check that the Categories you have selected are consistent with the Description and Products/Brands comments, already entered.

Do not choose categories that reflect internal services (for example, everybody has a computer and an HR department, and advertises) but ONLY for services and items you charge clients/customers for.

Enter Additional Attributes

The last part of each Categories selection page is the Attributes section, where you can check off any features that ALSO apply (including in some cases, a client niche like Business to Business or Business to Consumer (this is the exception to the preceding rule!). These attributes are used on Search Forms to narrow down user’s Search Results if too many are returned form the first search using the pop-down list. They are also displayed on the Categories page along with all your other selections.

Categories Shortcuts

Some Categories may be pre-selected with Templates on the bottom of the PROFILE page.

More information about Category Templates

More informaiton specific to different types of businesses