Listing Guidelines and Editorial Standards

1. Our Editorial Approach

The Flathead Valley Directory is a neutral local resource, not a recommendation engine. We organize and present information about businesses operating in the Flathead Valley so visitors can find what they need and reach out directly. We do not rank, score, rate, certify, or endorse any business.

Our role is editorial, not advisory:

• We choose what categories to offer and what cities and communities to feature.
• We review every listing before it appears in the directory and after every owner edit.
• We may edit submitted text for clarity, formatting, length, or compliance with these Guidelines.
• We may decline to publish, unpublish, or remove listings that conflict with these Guidelines, our Terms of Service, or applicable law.

We do not accept payment, gifts, or other consideration in exchange for inclusion, placement, ordering, or visibility. If we ever introduce paid advertising, it will be a clearly labeled flat fee and it will not apply to real-estate-adjacent categories.

2. Who Can Be Listed

The directory is for businesses, nonprofits, and service providers operating in the Flathead Valley region of Montana. To be listed, the business must:

• Be a real, operating entity with a verifiable presence (a public location, an active phone, an active website, or active social media).
• Serve customers in or from the Flathead Valley.
• Be lawful under Montana and federal law.
• Be submitted by an authorized representative of the business.

3. Accuracy and Authorization

You must certify at submission that the information you provide is accurate and that you are authorized to represent the business. We may contact you to verify either of these. Listings that fail verification will be unpublished.

4. Writing Your Description

Your short description (160 characters) and full description (up to 2,000 characters) should describe what your business does, who it serves, and what distinguishes it. Plain factual language is more credible than superlatives. Avoid:

• All-caps text or excessive punctuation.
• Phone numbers, URLs, or email addresses inside the description fields. Use the dedicated contact fields.
• Calls to action that promise unverifiable outcomes ("guaranteed lowest price," "100% satisfaction guaranteed," etc.).
• Comparative claims about specific competitors by name.

5. Language We Will Not Publish

Federal and state fair housing law and basic non-discrimination rules apply to local business directories that touch on real estate, housing, or community life. We will not publish descriptions or service-area copy that:

• Suggests preferences for or restrictions against any protected class. This includes phrases like "great for families," "perfect for retirees," "ideal Christian community," "no kids," "safe area," and similar steering language.
• Disparages neighborhoods, ethnic groups, age groups, or any other protected category.
• Promises or implies safety, school quality, demographic composition, or community character.
• Includes false or misleading professional credentials, awards, or certifications.
• Contains hate speech, harassment, threats, or sexually explicit content.

Our submission form will warn you when your text appears to include this kind of language, and reviewers may edit it for compliance before publication.

6. Photo Standards

You may upload one logo, one hero image, and up to ten gallery images. Each image must be a JPG, PNG, or WebP file under 5 MB.

You must own or have permission to use every image. Stock photos with proper licensing are acceptable. We may remove any image without notice if a copyright dispute arises.

Avoid:

• Images that are primarily text or watermarks (the gallery is not a flyer).
• Images that show identifying information about customers without their consent.
• Images of any person under 18 without their parent or guardian's consent.
• Images that show competitors' logos or trademarks.

7. Categories and Service Areas

Choose the primary category that best describes your business. You may add additional categories if your business genuinely serves multiple verticals (for example, a builder who is also a licensed electrician). Do not add categories solely to increase visibility; we may remove categories that do not match your actual services.

Service areas should reflect the communities you actually serve. Listing every community in the valley to broaden visibility is discouraged and may be edited.

8. Claims We Cannot Verify

The trust signals on the submission form (Locally Owned, Family Owned, Veteran Owned) are self-attestations. We do not verify them, and inclusion does not constitute a verification by Granite Ridge Realty. Misrepresenting these is grounds for listing removal.

We do not include "licensed and insured," "preferred," "trusted," "approved," or similar verification claims as a checkbox or badge anywhere in the directory. If your business holds professional licenses, you may mention them in your description as your own factual statement; the directory does not validate or endorse those statements.

9. Real-Estate-Adjacent Categories

Categories that touch on real estate transactions (lenders, title companies, inspectors, contractors, attorneys, surveyors, insurance agents, accounting professionals) are subject to additional disclosure requirements. We display a notice on those category pages stating that Granite Ridge Realty has no financial relationship with any listed business and that listings are not referrals. We do not accept payment, gifts, or other consideration in exchange for listing placement, ordering, or visibility in any of these categories.

10. How Listings Are Ordered

The directory does not rank, score, or rate businesses. Within each category and city page, listings are ordered by a neutral rule that does not depend on payment, editorial favoritism, or quality assessment:

• Default order is alphabetical by business name. Where ties occur (rare), they are broken by submission date, oldest first.
• No paid placement currently exists. If a paid placement program is ever introduced, sponsored listings will be clearly labeled "Sponsored" and will appear in a fixed position separate from the organic alphabetical list. Sponsored slots will not be sold for any real-estate-adjacent category.
• No editorial favoritism. Granite Ridge Realty does not promote any particular business over others. Listings of businesses owned by Granite Ridge Realty employees, family, or business partners receive no preferential placement, presentation, or visibility.

If you ever notice an ordering anomaly that looks like favoritism, use the report function on any listing page or contact us directly. We treat reports of editorial misconduct as a priority.

11. Keeping Your Listing Current

Listings can be edited at any time from the account dashboard. Edits to a published listing return it to the review queue; the previously approved version may remain visible until the new version is approved.

If your business changes significantly (new ownership, new location, change of services), update the listing rather than submitting a new one. If your business closes, please update the listing or contact us so it can be unpublished.

12. Removal and Suspension

We may remove or suspend any listing at our sole discretion, including for:

• Inaccuracy, fraud, or unauthorized representation.
• Repeated violations of these Guidelines or the Terms of Service.
• Unresolved complaints, reports, or legal demands from third parties.
• Inactivity that suggests the business is no longer operating.

13. Questions

If you have questions about these Guidelines or want to appeal a moderation decision, contact clint@skyvaultmedia.co.