What we need from you
About fifteen minutes, and whatever photos you already have. You don't write the page, you don't design anything, and you don't need a website. Send us what's below and we'll do the rest.
If you don't have all of it to hand, send what you've got. We can start with the basics and fill the gaps later — a half-finished answer is more useful than a delayed one.
The essentials
Needed for any listing, free or paid.
Your business name, exactly as you use it
Including "The" if you use it, and any & or apostrophes. If your sign says one thing and your Facebook page says another, tell us which is right.
Why: this is what people type into a search box, and what we mark up for search engines. Getting it slightly wrong is the difference between being found and not.What you do, in a sentence or two
Just say it how you'd say it to someone in the street. "We're a bakery, we do morning rolls and celebration cakes, and we've been on the same corner since 1974." That's plenty — we'll shape it.
Why: this becomes the description under your name. It doesn't need to be polished. Rough and true beats smooth and vague.Your town or village
The one people would say you're in — not your postal town if they differ.
Why: most people search "[what they want] in [town]". Your town is doing more work than almost anything else on the page.How customers reach you
Phone, email, website, Facebook, Instagram — whichever you actually check. If you'd rather people phoned than emailed, say so and we'll lead with the phone.
Why: we don't take bookings or commission. Every enquiry goes straight to you, so this needs to be somewhere you'll see it.One photograph
Of the place, the food, the work, the view from the door — whatever shows what you are. See the photo notes below.
Why: a listing with a real photograph gets looked at. One without gets scrolled past.If you're having a full page
The £12/month tier. Everything above, plus:
Up to eight photographs
You don't need eight. Four good ones beat eight where half are blurry. Send more than you want used and we'll pick.
Your opening hours
Including the awkward bits — closed Tuesdays, winter hours, "open when the boat's in". Tell us the real pattern and we'll write it clearly.
Why: opening hours are marked up so search engines can show them directly in results. It's one of the few things that can appear before someone even clicks.The longer story
How long you've been going, who runs it, how you make what you make, what you'd want someone to know before they visit, what people always ask. Ramble — genuinely. It's easier for us to cut than to invent.
Why: this is the part of your page that exists nowhere else on the internet, which is exactly what makes it worth finding.Anything you'd rather we didn't mention
Prices you'd rather not publish, a service you're phasing out, a photo of someone who no longer works there. Easier to know now.
About the photographs
This is the part people worry about most, and it matters less than you'd think. A phone photo taken on a decent day is fine — better than fine, usually. What we can't fix is a photo that's dark, tiny, or of nothing in particular.
Straight off your phone
Send the original file, not one you've forwarded through WhatsApp — that squashes it to a size we can't use.
Daylight if you can
Near a window or outdoors. Phone cameras struggle indoors in the evening and it shows.
Real, not stock
Your actual place, your actual work. Stock photography is spotted immediately and does more harm than no photo.
People are good
You at the counter, hands doing the work. Just make sure anyone recognisable is happy to appear.
Already have good photos on Facebook or Instagram? Point us at them — if they're yours to use, we can work from those and you don't need to dig out anything.
How to send it
Whatever's easiest. A long email, a voice note, or a phone call while you're doing something else — we'll take notes.
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Get in touch
Use the contact form and say you'd like to be listed. We'll reply with an address you can send photos to.
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Send the words and the photos
Photos can go by email, or as a link if there are a lot of them. If that's awkward, say so and we'll sort something out.
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We write it and show you
Usually within a few days. Nothing is published, and nothing is charged, until you've read it and told us you're happy.
What you don't need
- A website. If you haven't got one, your ScottishLocal page becomes your web address — put it on a card or a sign.
- To write anything properly. Send us rough notes; writing it is our job.
- A photographer. Your phone is genuinely fine.
- To learn any software, log into anything, or manage a page. You will never be asked to.
- To decide today. Ask us to draft it and see what you think — you can walk away at that point and owe nothing.