FAQs

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Q. What is Close By actually offering?
A. Close By is one of several 100 business partners/affiliates of a company called UGLii Find (UGLii stands for Unique Geographic Listing (for) industry (on the) internet) that operates a central database of Australian businesses and allows this database to populate commercial websites, like www.closeby.com.au, allowing consumers to find various product and service providers plus locate via business locations positioned on area maps. As Close By is operated by Click On Australia, Close By is also located on some 1,300 commercial websites managed by Click On, thus further increasing to possible number of gateways various Australian businesses can be found.

Q. What type of entities can be registered?
A. An entity can be a sole trader, an association, a government organisation, a partnership, a community organisation or a company that has an ABN. Registering your entity information in this way ensures only valid businesses are included in the directory. Once registered that entity can list all its business locations or types of trading that belong to that entity. Entity information is not published nor made available to third parties. NOTE, having an ABN is totally different to being registered for GST.

Q. Does it cost to register our business via Close By?
A. No. It is free. There are additional services you can buy that gives your business priority listing plus tools for your website, but there is no obligation to do so.

Q. How long will our business be listed, once registered?
A. Your business listing remains current for as long as you want. There is no expiry date, however, your business will be removed if your ABN is no longer current. High value is placed on providing current business information to searchers. Your business will be rewarded for refreshing your information regularly by improving your position in the search results.

Q. What is the process for registering our business?
A. The first step is to ensure your business details are already registered. Use the homepage to undertake a search.

If already listed, click the ‘grey dot’ on the map, that represents your business, and complete the form to request your ‘username’ and ‘password’. This will be automatically emailed to you. Once the email is received, return to our homepage and use the Business Sign-In link at the top of the page to update your business information and add keywords that make it easy for customers to find your business.

If your business does not appear, REGISTER HERE or click on the Register Here link at the top of the page and list your business for ‘free’. Once registered, the business entity can display all business locations or types of trading that belong to that business entity.

All information is kept strictly within UGLii Find and is not made available to third parties, other than as displayed on various directory websites.

Q. How widely are our business details promoted?
A. As mentioned above, your business details are accessible nationally via over 1,500 commercially operated websites, with the number to grow closer to 2,500+. Use the ‘search’ area on the homepage to discover other business entries across Australia.

Q. What is the difference between the ‘free’ versus ‘paid’ listing?
A. With a ‘free’ listing, your updated business details will be listed in search results and your business location noted on the local area map and shown as a ‘grey’ dot. As part of the ‘free’ registration, keywords totaling 250 characters can be included. With a ‘paid’ listing, your updated business details will be priority listed ahead of other ‘free’ listings and ahead of subsequent ‘paid’ listings; your business location will be shown as an enlarged ‘blue’ dot on the area map, indicating that your location is linked to your business website, so consumers can readily access additional information plus your business has a greater opportunity to interact; your business can enter keywords totaling 5,000 characters; plus your business can place the UGLii Find mapping application onto your own business website, thus allowing consumers that directly access your business website, greater information as to how to find you.

Q. We have several different businesses. Can we list all for free?
A. Yes, you can list as many ABN business entities as you like.

Q. Our business entity operates from multiple locations. Can each location be detailed on local area maps?
A. Yes, you can show all locations on the mapping system, wherever they are within Australia. Access is on your ‘Control Panel’, after [BUSINESS SIGN-IN].

Q. What happens if our business details or locations change?
A. Simply use [BUSINESS SIGN-IN] and update the relevant information. Updates are applied instantly.

Q. What is the difference between our UGLii identifier to anyone else’s UGLii identifier?
A. Locations and keywords are what distinguishes your UGLii from all others.

Q. Where do our keywords come from? How does the keywords relate to our UGLii?
A. You know your business and what keywords your customers might use to find you or your competitors. You create the keywords plus continue to update them. Searchers will enter keywords to find a business, product or service. The keywords you enter need to mirror keywords that searchers are likely to use and thus critical to be able to find your UGLii.

Q. How many keywords can we have for each UGLii?
A. If a ‘free’ listing, up to 250 characters. If a ‘paid’ listing, up to 5,000 characters.

Q. How do we maintain our business information?
A. When you register, you will be asked to enter a ‘password’ you want to use to access your ‘Control Panel’ in our system. The nominated email address becomes your ‘username’. Your ‘Control Panel’ is your gateway for managing your business information, adding keywords to your UGLii(s), buying directory services and accessing other business services. Keep your ‘Username’ and ‘Password’ safe and handy, so you can [BUSINESS SIGN-IN] via www.closeby.com.au, at any time when you need to update your business information or you think of ways of improving your discoverability, i.e., changing or adding keywords.

Q. Is there a limit to the number of times we can update our business details?
A. No. You can use [BUSINESS SIGN-IN] at any time and as often as you want to change your information at no charge. We encourage you to periodically [BUSINESS SIGN-IN] to ensure your keywords best mirror your products or services and what keywords potential customers might use to search for relevant needs.

Q. How important are our keywords?
A. Vital, and having a ‘paid’ listing allows 5,000 keyword characters, versus 250 under a ‘free’ listing. It is worth spending time compiling keywords your potential customers will use to search for products and services. A few handy tips:

• Include your business name as some may only recall part of your business name.
• Include the generic category(ies) that represent your business (bank, finance, loans, credit cards, mortgage, lending, cash, money, travellers cheques, etc.).
• Use single and plural words (loan & loans).
• Include your brand names.
• DON’T use brand names you are not entitled to use as it’s illegal.

Q. What exactly is a keyword?
A A keyword can be any single word or any series of words of a generic or branded nature that best represent the type of product or service your business delivers.

Q. If we want to ‘link’ our business website off the search results and map, how do we do that?
A. Simply use [BUSINESS SIGN-IN] at www.closeby.com.au and purchase a ‘UGLii Link’ that will link your website with the UGLii listing. Searchers will be taken straight to your business website when they click on your business in the search results or if they click on your ‘dot’. An UGLii Link is via annual subscription. Payment is via credit card using our Paypal account – access located on our website. The annual subscription also allows installation of the interactive map capability onto your business website to show your direct customers where your business is located. This is a simple process with full instructions provided from your ‘Control Panel’, after [BUSINESS SIGN-IN]. You can install it on your website yourself - no skills required.

After you have purchased an UGLii Link, your business listing changes to an enlarged ‘blue’ dot to let consumers know that there is more ‘linked’ information available about your business.

Businesses with UGLii Links are given priority listing; followed by businesses with verified and up-to-date information; and lastly by ‘free’ business listings.

Q. What makes Close By different from other online directories?
A. As a business partner of the UGLii Find network, Close By is a conduit to have your business details listed on a central database that in turn gives searchers access to your business details via (currently) some 1,500 commercially operated Australia wide websites (and growing to 2,500). This means that businesses registering via Close By will automatically appear in some 1,500 other online directories in the UGLii Find network (currently delivering over 8.5 million page impressions a month) using the same mapping system. This greatly increases the chance for your business being discovered.

The patented UGLii geographic directory technology is state of the art in providing true spatial search. Only businesses that meet the searchers criteria are presented. No one is able to “hijack” the search by paying to come up in the results of irrelevant searches, which can be very frustrating in other systems.

Searchers appreciate the relevancy and accuracy of the search results. The verification process for registering businesses allow searchers to have confidence that only real business entities are presented.

Q. Our business is dependent on other businesses being successful, because they are a distributor of our products or services. How can we get them involved as well?
A. In some cases, your distribution agreements may already allow you to post and pay for the promotion of your distributors, so you can control the listings. In other cases, it’s the distributor’s responsibility to undertake directory listings. It’s best that you direct them to www.closeby.com.au and to REGISTER HERE or Click Here and we’ll send a personalised email.