Review Bizlist will give local businesses an online presence

At the heart of this small rural community are the businesses, service clubs, organizations, schools, and non-profit agencies that make it an ideal place to live, work and play.

The Review, Vankleek Hill's community newspaper, has launched a new project that will bring all of these essential local services together in one location and showcase everything they have to offer on the World Wide Web.

Reviewbizlist is a new online business directory service that gives local businesses and organizations an affordable online venue to advertise and promote themselves. The directory will serve eastern Ontario and western Quebec.

Publisher Louise Sproule said she has been thinking about creating such a service for a few years now and felt this was the right time to begin the project.

"We're just about to get high-speed Internet in Prescott-Russell," she said. "Soon, everyone will be able to access high-speed, so having a strong online presence will be easier and more important for many businesses and organizations."

Sproule has hired interns from the area and charged them with the task of contacting existing customers to let them know about the Reviewbizlist and what it can do for them.

"This is a huge project," Sproule commented. "I hired these young ladies specifically for this project because it's a lot of work...it takes a lot of time to contact all of the businesses and let them know what we're doing. The goal is to have every single business in eastern Ontario and western Quebec in the directory."

Customers are given a variety of choices when it comes to listing their business or organization on Reviewbizlist. Listing packages range from basic, which includes basic information about the business, to showcase, which allows business owners to upload photos, articles, updates, videos, and a detailed description of services offered.

Other features include free online classified advertising with pictures, free event listings and key words, which help facilitate search engine optimization.

"Once you're signed up, you can be online within 10 minutes," Sproule stated. "The great thing is that the business owner is completely in control of the listing. If you want to update your information, you can do it. If you want to add new photos or an article about new products, you can do it. It's basic and straightforward...anyone can use it."

In addition, Sproule said, Review staff will provide assistance with photography and video for business owners who want it. It is important to note that this start-up support is free to everyone.

Sproule said the Reviewbizlist is ideal for small business owners who don't have the time or money to create an elaborate website to showcase their business. She said it's also good for small business owners who have created websites, but feel the sites just aren't cutting it.

"Not every small business owner has thousands to spend on a website," she remarked. "The reality is, websites can be very expensive to create and maintain and, they aren't always sufficient. The Reviewbizlist is a real community builder. It is a showcase for the local community and the services and businesses we have to offer."

One of the best things about the Reviewbizlist, Sproule noted, is that it is affordable.

"I did quite a bit of research and discovered that it can be very expensive to list with some of the other directory services," she stated. "I felt it was extremely important to make this (directory) affordable for everyone. Basically, businesses can list with us for about $1 a week. For the price of a cup of coffee every week, we are giving local businesses and organizations access to this wonderful and highly-effective promotional tool."

For more information about Reviewbizlist, please visit www.reviewbizlist.com or call 613-678-3327.