Included
A useful profile, not another admin job.
Two standard photographs.
Stable business facts and opening hours.
Website, social and booking links.
Verification status and place mark.
Simple correction and 90-day freshness confirmation.
For independent businesses
Be recognised for being genuinely independent.
Project Independent is developing a verified place mark and discovery profile for qualifying independents — without charging businesses for ranking or basic visibility.
Participation
Four straightforward steps.
The pilot model deliberately keeps the business burden small. Verify the stable facts once, make corrections easy, and link outward for everything that changes often.
1
Check eligibility
Apply the published independence rules and record the basis for the decision.
2
Confirm the facts
Address, hours, category, contact details and live links are checked with the owner.
3
Create the profile
Two useful photos, a short factual story and links back to your own channels.
4
Display the mark
Your round place mark carries a unique QR to your verified profile and nearby discovery.
Not included
We don't try to maintain your business for you.
No menus or price lists copied into our system.
No live stock or availability database.
No public star ratings or open review feed.
No paid position in discovery.
No requirement to buy the badge or basic profile.
Why the mark matters
It has to mean something.
If any business can buy or print the mark, it becomes an advert. The working model separates verification from commercial spend.
Local characterMake genuine independence visible in the street.
Different formatsCafés, market traders, shops, pubs and makers need a common but fair test.
A city identityThe mark belongs to the place, not to a ranking algorithm.
Questions
What business owners are likely to ask.
The exact eligibility rule is still being tested. The principles around payment, corrections and evidence are already clearer.
Do I have to pay to appear?
No. The current model does not sell basic eligibility, visibility or the place mark to businesses.
Can I edit my profile?
Owners should be able to correct factual fields immediately. The underlying independence record remains controlled by the verification process.
What does the QR measure?
A scan shows physical-location engagement. It is not automatically a confirmed visit, purchase or conversion.