Why listing rules matter
A service directory should make it clear how information enters the system and what a visible record means. Indianapolis Service Directory separates discovery, review, verification and publication so that a search result or imported row does not automatically become a fully approved public listing. The current owner-private preview contains 1581 source business records for evaluation. Their visibility here is limited to that approved preview scope. This policy explains how those records are organized, how corrections and claims should be assessed, and how future commercial features should remain distinct from factual review.
Discovery and provenance
A business may first be discovered through a source export, a map search, a business website or a submitted suggestion. Discovery establishes a candidate record, Confirm directly service capability. Imports preserve stable business identifiers, source rows and useful source links so that later corrections can be traced. The same business should not receive multiple identities simply because it appears under several relevant service queries. Source photographs, hours, ratings and contact information remain associated with the business record. Raw discovery values should be reviewed before broader publication, especially where business types are broad or a query is more specific than the actual evidence.
Categories and scope review
Category, service, subservice and keyword are separate entities. Categories organize the directory, while service relationships describe supported work when evidence is available. Keywords can help research without each becoming a new page or capability. A vendor may eventually have several relevant service relationships through one stable identity. A supplier should not automatically be labeled an installer, and a general contractor should not automatically receive every specialist service. The initial taxonomy excludes Legal Services and Healthcare & Dental. Importing additional records must not silently reintroduce those excluded groups or turn a provisional category suggestion into a verified specialty.
Identity checks and duplicate handling
An import is checked using stable vendor IDs, Google Place IDs, normalized business names and recorded telephone numbers. These checks help identify likely duplicates, but they do not determine every real-world relationship. A business may change its name, operate several branches, share an office line or move premises. Ambiguous matches should remain review items instead of being merged blindly. The 1581-record preview preserves the prior 1,523 identities and adds 58 possible branches. These records have distinct recorded telephone numbers and Google Place IDs, and their addresses differ from the same-name comparison listings. Shared branding does not establish common ownership or independently verified branch status. Website links are optional and unavailable URLs remain hidden. Categories do not verify exact service capabilities. Rejected or deferred candidates should remain traceable in import records rather than disappearing without a reason.
Listing states and approval
The data model supports DISCOVERED, REVIEW, VERIFIED, PUBLISH_READY and PUBLISHED, together with REJECTED and ARCHIVED. These states represent different decisions. A record can have complete-looking contact fields and still need factual review. Verification should identify what was checked and the supporting evidence. Publication readiness should also assess relevance, completeness, source use and page quality. Explicit approval is required before public publication. Owner-private preview approval is a separate limited scope and must not be converted into public approval just because the interface is being tested or the database has expanded.
Missing data and presentation
The directory should not fill gaps with invented services, testimonials, ratings, images or credential labels. Missing values appear as Not provided or are explained in context. A blank capability is not evidence that the business does not perform that work. A missing description is not permission to create a promotional company history. Structured source attributes, such as accessibility fields, should be displayed as attributes rather than rewritten into unrelated marketing copy. Removing a repetitive visual status badge does not change the record's stored verification state, source provenance or publication authorization.
Claims and business updates
Claiming a listing is a request to establish control over a business record. A submitted name, telephone number or email is not by itself proof that the submitter may represent the business. A real claim workflow would need identity and authority checks appropriate to the requested changes. The current Claim page searches existing records and explains that ownership intake is not open. It does not collect ownership evidence, create a claim record or grant editing access. For project review, proposed corrections can be raised through the existing project conversation with the stable business ID, field, replacement value and suitable source. A change should preserve the record's audit trail.
Ratings, reviews, photos and contact details
Recorded ratings and review counts must be identified as source information rather than a directory-generated assessment. Individual review text should not be fabricated or implied when only a count was imported. Photographs should be tied to the corresponding source record, and Street View should be distinguishable from a business-supplied image. A visible photo does not certify current operations. Contact fields should be checked for format, but format validation is different from confirming reachability. The directory must not say a telephone number was tested, a website was approved or a business responded unless that action actually occurred and was documented.
Featured placement and monetization
Organic free records are the starting point for the directory. Future monetization may include clearly labeled featured placements or other simple commercial options, but payment must not replace factual review. A sponsored placement should be identified where users encounter it and must not imply independent endorsement. A paid business should not receive invented ratings, unsupported credentials or automatic publication readiness. No payment collection or sponsored purchase flow is active in this preview. Any new integration requires a real operational configuration and approval before visitors are asked to submit money or rely on a commercial transaction.
Publication quality and continuing review
A page should offer a valid user purpose, useful information and adequate supporting evidence. A keyword variation alone is not a reason to create another service page. Pages that are thin, unresolved or based only on substituted city names should remain under review and outside a production sitemap. The current preview stays private and noindex, with no public vendor publication approvals. Before a broader release, the operator must review source accuracy, privacy, contact readiness, broken links, accessibility and mobile usability. Continued review should focus on material changes and corrections rather than adding decorative claims to make records appear more complete than the evidence supports.
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