How we verify every listing
What we check before a listing goes live, what verified does not cover, and what to do if something looks wrong.
Every listing on 7 Locals is verified by a person before it appears. Not scraped, not auto-approved, not paid for. This page sets out exactly what that check covers, and, just as importantly, the things it does not.
Being listed, found and contacted is free forever. That is not an introductory offer.
This is the badge you’ll see on a profile. It shows the month and year of the last successful check, not a permanent state.
The business is real. Locally owned, operating in Canada, reachable at the contact details shown, and currently trading. A person confirms every listing before it appears, and re-checks it at least once a year.
We take the owner at their word about their faith. Businesses we add ourselves either say so publicly, in their own words, or belong to a Christian business network or directory. We don't test anyone's beliefs or decide who counts as Christian enough.
Not a licence check. We do not confirm any licence, permit, or registration. Where a licence matters, confirm it yourself with the regulator.
Not an inspection. We have not visited the premises, observed the service, or checked safety or insurance.
Not a clinical, professional, or financial endorsement. We do not assess anyone's competence, qualifications, or advice.
Not a review of quality. A verified listing is not a recommendation. 7 Locals does not host or display reviews or ratings of any kind, from any source. We check that a business is real, locally owned and trading, and we publish what we checked. Placement is not for sale.
Not a faith audit. “Christian-owned” describes who qualifies to be listed — nothing more. The directory is for everyone.
How a listing gets here
There are two ways a business ends up on 7 Locals, and the profile tells you which. The bar for being listed is the same either way. What differs is who supplies the claim.
The owner added it
Someone from the business registered or claimed the listing, told us it is Christian-owned, and wrote their own description and statement. Their word is the evidence for the faith claim; we check that the business is real.
“Claimed and confirmed by the owner.”
We added it
We build out the directory from businesses that publicly identify as Christian-owned, either in their own words or through membership in a Christian business network or directory. If neither is true, we do not list a business on its behalf, and there is no owner statement, because nobody has written one.
“Added by 7 Locals from public information”, and the owner is invited to claim it.
What the verified badge means
The badge shows the month and year of the last successful check. Verification is a point in time, not a permanent state. Businesses close, move, change hands and get sold, and a check from two years ago tells you very little.
So we re-check every listing at least every twelve months, and sooner if something changes: an owner claims a listing, contact details stop working, a business is sold or rebranded, or someone reports a problem. If a listing no longer holds up, it comes off the public site until it does.
Verification cannot be bought. Nothing but meeting the standard decides whether a business is verified, re-verified, or removed.
Writing your owner statement
Your statement is your own words, shown in quotation marks on your profile. It is the one place on 7 Locals where you speak directly, and we review it when we verify your listing.
Statements that don’t meet these guidelines are held, not published, and we’ll tell you why and invite a rewrite. List your business free.
If something looks wrong
Wrong information, a business that has closed, or one that should not be here. We re-check it and never tell a business who reported it.
Reply to the decision email. We'll say which criterion was not met and what evidence would settle it, then re-check within five business days.
Ask, and we remove the listing within two business days. No reason needed.
Read more about 7 Locals.