Why this matters
Accurate data is the whole point.
NearNow isn't a reviews site. There are no star ratings, no sponsored listings, no algorithm bumping someone up because they paid for it. What you put in is exactly what customers see — which means the quality of your listing is entirely in your hands.
A well-filled listing builds trust before a customer even walks through your door. It also means you attract the right people — someone searching "quiet café with WiFi" who finds you, comes in, and has a great time is worth ten people who wandered in expecting something different and left disappointed.
Your description
Two or three honest sentences.
Your description sits at the top of your listing and is the first thing a customer reads. Don't try to sell — just describe. What kind of place is it? What's the vibe? What would you tell a friend? Keep it to two or three sentences. That's genuinely enough.
Writing in plain, clear English also matters for another reason — NearNow is structured so that AI tools like ChatGPT and Google can read and understand your listing accurately. Vague marketing language confuses that process. The cleaner your description, the better you show up when someone asks an AI to recommend a place in Kendal.
"A proper Kendal local with real ale on tap, Sunday roasts, and a beer garden that catches the afternoon sun. Family-friendly and dog-welcome."
"Welcome to The Kendal Pub!!! We are the BEST pub in Kendal offering amazing food, incredible drinks and a fantastic atmosphere you won't find anywhere else!!!"
"Specialty coffee, homemade cakes, and a quiet corner for working. Counter service, laptop-friendly, and open from 8am."
"We serve coffee and food. Come visit us. We are open most days. Check our social media for updates and special offers and events and things like that."
Formatting
Clean data looks professional.
Small formatting choices make a big difference to how your listing looks and how trustworthy it feels. Here's the house style.
Tags
Only tick what's genuinely true.
Tags are how customers filter the directory. If someone ticks "Dog-friendly" and finds your venue, they're bringing their dog. If that's not actually true, you've wasted their time and yours.
On the flip side — don't be shy. If something applies to you, tick it. The more accurate your tags, the more the right customers find you.
Opening hours
Keep them accurate.
Wrong opening hours are one of the most frustrating things a customer can encounter. Someone who turns up on a Tuesday because your listing says you're open, and finds a dark building with a locked door, won't come back.
Hours set accurately for every day. Closed days marked as closed.
Leaving all days set to 09:00–17:00 because it was the default. Or ignoring the form and hoping for the best.
Updating your hours in January when your winter schedule changes.
Submitting once and never revisiting — your listing starts lying to customers without you realising.
If your venue operates on irregular dates rather than fixed weekly hours, the opening hours step is skipped in the submission form. Add your upcoming dates through the Events section in your Business Portal once your listing is live — customers will see those dates on your venue page instead.
If your kitchen closes earlier than the venue, use the Kitchen hours field — e.g. "Food served 12:00–21:00". This is separate from your opening hours and really helps customers plan.
Keeping it current
Updating your listing is simple.
Your listing isn't set in stone. Changed your hours? Added a new menu? No problem. Here's how updates work.
Ready to get listed?
It takes under five minutes. Your listing goes live once we've reviewed it — usually within 24 hours.
Submit your venue →