Manually verifying a business involves a hands-on process of checking a company’s legitimacy through various means, including reviewing documents, verifying identities, and conducting online research. This contrasts with automated verification services that rely on APIs and algorithms.
Why We Manually Verify All Local Businesses
We verify every business by hand for three main reasons:
- To protect local shoppers – Ensuring all listings are real, legitimate businesses builds trust in our directory.
- To protect mobile and home-based businesses – By verifying your legitimacy without showing your home address, we help you build credibility while keeping your private info safe.
- To ensure accuracy – We verify details by hand so customers can trust what they see. Verified businesses receive a badge in their category—showing they’ve been screened and approved, including mobile and home-based ventures.
How We Verify Local Businesses
We don’t use bots or AI to approve listings. Every business goes through a real, manual review process to make sure it’s legit—and to protect both local customers and honest business owners. If you send us the right info, we can usually verify you quickly.
You can upload your documents right in your account, or just email them to us. (If you email us from your domain-based business email—like info@yourbusiness.com—we’ll also mark your email as verified.)
This helps everyone—from brick and mortar storefronts and mom-and-pop shops to mobile service providers and home-based businesses—look professional online without having to share private info like a home address.
Here’s what we check:
- Legal Business Documents: We look at paperwork like business licenses, permits, and registration forms to make sure your business is officially recognized and in good standing.
- ID Check: We may ask for ID from the business owner or whoever’s running things—like a driver’s license or passport—just to confirm who’s behind the business.
- Online Activity: We check your website and social media to make sure your business looks active and real. We’ll also scan online reviews and search for any red flags using your business name.
- Official Registries: We search government websites, like the Secretary of State and Riverside County, to see if your business is listed or has any complaint history.
Our Manual Business Verification Process
We manually verify each listing—no bots, no shortcuts—so we can ensure our directory features only real, locally operating businesses. This helps protect the integrity of the platform while keeping things simple for business owners.
You don’t need to provide everything listed below. We just need enough evidence to confirm your business exists, operates locally, and is active. Upload your documents through your account, or email them to us. (Tip: If you email us from a domain-based business email, that helps verify your listing faster.)
1. Business Registration (If Applicable)
We check public records to confirm your business is registered—especially if you claim a brick and mortar storefront or office.
What we check:
- Secretary of State (SoS) portal
- Riverside County DBA registration
- Hemet or San Jacinto city business license
How to help speed it up:
- Send us a link to your SoS or BBB profile
- Upload your business license, DBA, or other registration document
2. Business Address & Contact Info
We confirm that your business is located in Hemet or San Jacinto. If you’re home-based, we still need to verify you’re a real person operating in the area.
What we check:
- Address on your website or social profiles
- Google Maps listing
- Optional: a local visit (for storefronts or pop-ups)
How to help speed it up:
- Upload a utility bill, lease agreement, or other document showing the business name and address
- Home-based? You can still use a utility bill or property record that confirms your local presence
3. Online Presence or Reviews
If you’re actively doing business, we expect to see some sign of that online—through reviews or a basic online presence.
What we check:
- Google, Yelp, or BBB reviews
- Facebook or Instagram activity
- Public searches for red flags (e.g., “[business name] scam”)
How to help speed it up:
- Share links to any review sites or social profiles
- Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are clearly listed online
4. Email Verification (Domain Email Preferred)
Using a business email (like info@yourbusiness.com) builds trust and speeds things up.
What we check:
- Does the email match your website domain?
- Can you receive and respond from that address?
How to help speed it up:
- Register your listing using your official domain-based email
- Watch for a confirmation email and follow the instructions
5. Business Phone Number
We need to verify your contact number is legitimate and connected to your business.
What we check:
- Whether your number appears in public records
- Whether it matches your claimed address or documents
How to help speed it up:
- Upload a phone bill (non-prepaid) showing your business name and number
- Or use a utility bill or business license listing your phone number
6. Website or Social Media
We ask for at least one active online presence to confirm you’re open for business.
What we check:
- A live website or business social media profile
- Recent updates, branding, and local relevance
How to help speed it up:
- Include your website or social links in your profile
- Make sure they clearly reflect your business name, location, and phone number
7. Document Upload (Optional but Helpful)
Official documents help verify your location and identity if you don’t have much of an online footprint.
What we check:
We want to verify the business exists, is currently operating, it’s physical location, and phone number.
How to help speed it up:
- Upload one of these during signup or in your account dashboard:
- Business license or seller’s permit
- Utility bill showing business name and address
- IRS EIN or Tax ID confirmation letter
8. Physical Location Verification
If all else fails, we can do a physical visit to your location to manually verify your listing. This is especially helpful for home-based businesses. It allows us to verify your business actually exists locally without showing your home address publicly.
What we might do:
- Ask a few questions about your business to enhance your listing
- Take photos of your setup (with your permission) to help your listing stand out
Why it matters:
- A quick chat or a couple of photos can go a long way in building trust with local shoppers and helping your listing rank better in search.
To help speed it up:
- Need a hand verifying your listing in person? Click here to request a quick visit.