Tips on how to setup your business profile.
The following guide is intended to help you set up your business profile. You will find recommendations for what to enter into each field in your listing, and what format it should take if there is a specific requirement. We also give you some best practice guidelines to help your RuralHQ business profile get the best results for your business.
If you have any questions during the process of adding your business profile to RuralHQ, do not hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always happy to help! Take your pick of contact methods listed on the Contact Us page.
If you would like us to take care of adding and optimising your listing, we can do that. Again, reach out to us via the Contact Us page.Â
The text in this field improves your appearance in search.Â
This is the primary identifier for your business. It is also used to define the link to your listing when it is first saved. We recommend using the name by which people commonly refer to your business, rather than the full legal name.Â
The text in this field does not affect your appearance in search.Â
This field provides an opportunity to communicate a little more information about your business at the top of the business profile page, and on the preview card that appears in search and other areas around the site. You might use a motto or catch phrase, or simply a sentence which states what you do and for whom.
This field is limited to 90 characters.
The text in this field improves your appearance in search.Â
The description field is typically the first section of your business profile that visitors will read. For this reason, it’s important that it captures a visitors attention and clearly communicates what your business does.
The content in this field is referenced when a visitor searches for keywords on RuralHQ, and is also key to how your business profile will rank on the search engines. The content in this section MUST read naturally, and should not just be a list of keywords.
We recommend structuring the content in this section as follows:
The limitation on word count in this section varies depending on the listing package you have selected:
We highly recommend making the most of whatever limit applies to your package, as long as you can do so while keeping the content readable and natural.
The text in this field does not affect your appearance in search.Â
This field provides and opportunity for you to tell potential customers what makes your business different. What are the benefits of working with you over the competition? Why are you so much better, faster, more qualified? What is it about your business philosophy that may resonate with a potential customer?
Limited to 300 words.
The text in this field does not affect your appearance in search.Â
Tell your potential customer some about your story. Your business may have a long a rich history in the area, or you might have an interesting backstory about how you got here. Develop your ‘brand’ and help the customer feel some sort of connection to your business. Tell us your ‘why’!
Limited to 300 words.
The text in this field does not affect your appearance in search.Â
Communicate the key markets you serve. Show them you are professional and an expert in your field. Whether you’re particularly well suited to working with dairy farmers, or lifestyle blocks are more your thing, tell them. It helps weed out the enquiries that are going nowhere anyway.
Limited to 300 words.Â
Will display ‘Open’ or ‘Closed’ on the profile preview card and business profile page. The full hours list will also be displayed on the profile page.
These terms affect your appearance in search.
Select the categories that best match your business. These are a key element in the search feature of RuralHQ.
If you find that a category particularly relevant to your business is missing, let us know. We may add it. Use the ‘Notes for Reviewer’ section at the bottom of the ‘Add Listing’ page to add a comment.
These terms affect your appearance in search.
Select applicable options for the services you offer. These keywords are not included in search filters, but do help your profile appear in search for keywords.
If you find that a service option relevant to your business is missing, let us know. We may add it. Use the ‘Notes for Reviewer’ section at the bottom of the ‘Add Listing’ page to add a comment.
These terms affect your appearance in search.
Select the markets you serve. This information helps a visitor determine if your business is a good match for their needs.
If you find that a market option relevant to your business is missing, let us know. We may add it. Use the ‘Notes for Reviewer’ section at the bottom of the ‘Add Listing’ page to add a comment.
These terms affect your appearance in search.
Select applicable options for the assurances you offer. This information helps a visitor determine if your business is a good match for their needs.
If you find that an assurance option relevant to your business is missing, let us know. We may add it. Use the ‘Notes for Reviewer’ section at the bottom of the ‘Add Listing’ page to add a comment.
These terms affect your appearance in search.
Select the payment options that you offer. This information helps a visitor determine if your business is a good match for their needs.
If you find that a payment option relevant to your business is missing, let us know. We may add it. Use the ‘Notes for Reviewer’ section at the bottom of the ‘Add Listing’ page to add a comment.
These terms affect your appearance in search.
Start typing your business address, or click on the map to place a pin.
If the location pin is not an accurate representation of where your business is, please place the pin in the correct location, click ‘Lock Pin Location’, then manually change the text address.Â
These terms affect your appearance in search.
Select the regions you service.
The information in this field is used to determine which regional roundups your business should be included in. e.g. “Best Mechanics in Waitomo”. The regional roundups are featured on the RuralHQ website and in the email newsletters.
This is an exceptionally important section of the ‘Add Listing’ process.
Enter the contact email address which you want displayed on RuralHQ.
This email address will also be used for routing enquiries sent to you through the ‘Contact Us Now’ form on the business profile.
Enter the contact phone number for your business.Â
The phone number will be displayed on your business profile.
The full URL for your website. If people want to research your products and service further, where should they go?
A full URL starts with http:// or https:// e.g.https://www.ruralhq.co.nz.Â
NB: This field should be just your website URL, and should now include any UTM.
Your Facebook page Messenger ID for adding a FB messenger link to your contact details. The Messenger ID is the bit after the ‘/’ in m.me/ruralhqnz.
Adding a logo image to your profile helps your profile stand out in search and significantly improves the click through rate.
The image file should be square with a width/height of at least 80px. Maximum width/height 500px. File size limit 500kB.
Adding a cover image to your profile helps your profile stand out in search and significantly improves the click through rate.
The image file should be rectangular with a width of 1920px and height of 667px. Images which do not conform to the recommend sizing, may be stretched to fill the space and appear distorted. File size limit 500kB.
This can not be a promotional image.Â
The image file should be rectangular with a width of 738px and height of 287px. Images which do not conform to the recommend sizing, may be stretched to fill the space and appear distorted. File size limit 500kB.
The image file should be rectangular with a minimum width of 1200px. Landscape images are preferred over portrait. File size limit 500kB.
Insert the URL of your YouTube video into the field.
The downloadable file allows you to add a price list or current catalogue to your business profile for visitors to download.
Upload a PDF file. Click the upload dialogue box and select the file from your local file system.
File size limit 4MB.Â
This is the text which will appear in the download button. It can be as simple as ‘Download Now’ or may specify what they are actually downloading. e.g. ‘Download Pricelist’.
Give people a brief description of what the file is so that they know what to expect.
Add your various social media accounts to your business profile to encourage visitors to research and engage with your business.
Add all of your active social media accounts. There is no value to adding social media accounts which your don’t actively use, in fact it can be damaging to your brand if a page looks dormant or forgotten about.
Enter your Facebook page username. This is the part after the last / in the URL of your Facebook page. e.g. ‘https://facebook.com/ruralhqnz’ becomes just ‘ruralhqnz’.
Enter your Twitter username. This can be found in the URL of your Twitter profile, or under the name of your account. Do not enter the @ symbol. e.g. ‘https://twitter.com/RuralHQ’ and ‘@RuralHQ’ becomes ‘RuralHQ’.
Enter your Instagram username. Can be found in the URL of your Instagram page, or as the title of your profile.
Upload an image file to display as an ad on your profile. Use this to promote a new product or sale.
Recommended image size
Width: 522px (will be scaled down to 522px if larger)
Height: 280px (will be scaled proportional to width)
File size: 500kB max
URL you want clicks on your ad to be direct to. Enter the whole URL including https:// or http:// at the beginning. UTM are allowed.
Select a Promotion type listing you own to be featured on your business profile page. You may only select promotions owned by you.
A custom URL can make it easier to share your RuralHQ profile with your existing cutomers, and more likely that those you share it with will visit.
Not all options will be available, but you may specify a URL you would like to also have directed to your business profile. e.g. https://ruralhq.co.nz/abc can be linked to your profile as well as the normal format https://ruralhq.co.nz/businesses/abc-business-location. We may also be able to set an even shorter URL, such as xhq.nz/abc
Please add any additional notes for the listing reviewer here. e.g. Suggestions for categories or tags that currently don’t exist. We’ll read your comments as part of the approval process, consider your remarks, and take action where deemed appropriate.
If you have any questions during the process of adding your business profile to RuralHQ, do not hesitate to reach out to us. We’re always happy to help! Take your pick of contact methods listed on the Contact Us page.
If you would like us to take care of adding and optimising your listing, we can do that. Again, reach out to us via the Contact Us page.Â
RuralHQ is a comprehensive directory service for rural New Zealand.
Social Networks