What is the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website?
The GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website began in early 2021 as a response to COVID-19, when many Irish shops had to close their doors but were still trading online. The goal was simple: make it easier for people to find Irish businesses that were open and selling online.
Since then, GetLocal.ie has grown and evolved into an editorially managed comparison directory for Ireland:
* It builds on the long history of goldenpages.ie as Ireland's leading business directory.
* It brings together public information about Irish businesses and their offers, so people can compare options and then click through to the business's own website to deal with them directly.
Today, the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website helps consumers:
* See which Irish businesses serve their area or deliver nationwide
* Compare offers from different businesses in one place
* Choose where to spend their money with local Irish providers.
What is a Business Listing?
A GetLocal Business Listing (formerly ShopCard) is a dedicated directory profile for an individual business on GetLocal.ie.
It aggregates essential operational information to help consumers choose a local retailer, answering key questions such as:
* 'Do they offer Click & Collect?'
* 'Can I book online?'
* 'Do they deliver to my location?'
* 'How do I contact them?'
The listing also displays a searchable index of the offers the business currently has available online.
For Business Owners: Listings are created via our editorial process. If you are the owner or manager of a business listing, you can use the "Manage this Business Listing" option on the profile page or contact our support team. We'll carry out our usual security checks and then enable you to submit update requests, which our editorial team will review and apply where appropriate.
Listings are displayed on GetLocal.ie when users search by Business Name, Location, Category, or Offer.
What kinds of offers can be listed on the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website?
We maintain strict Editorial Content Standards for the offers we include in the directory. We classify offers into two editorial tiers:
1. Excluded (Prohibited)
As a family-friendly directory, we exercise editorial discretion to exclude specific categories entirely, regardless of their legality. For example, we do not list Live Animals, Adult/Erotica, or Weapons. Any such offers identified in our sources or data feeds will be rejected and will not appear in the directory.
2. General Inventory (Standard)
Most general retail products (Apparel, Home, Tech) fall within our standard directory scope. While these items are eligible for efficient handling in our directory, they remain subject to our ongoing editorial oversight. FCR Media retains the absolute right to suppress or recategorize any listing that does not align with our directory standards.
For policy queries, please contact our editorial team. To report a listing that may breach these standards, please contact info@getlocal.ie or request an update here: https://www.getlocal.ie/merchants/report
I notice comparison offers on my Business Listing. Why are they there, and can they be removed?
GetLocal.ie is designed as an offer and business comparison website. Our job is to help Irish consumers:
* See what's available locally and across Ireland
* Compare similar offers or services.
* Find good value from trusted Irish businesses
That's why you may see "comparison offers" beside your own – they are other Irish businesses offering similar offers. This comparison view is a core part of how GetLocal.ie Directory works for consumers.
We know this can feel a bit strange at first, but there are some clear benefits for you as a business owner:
* Your business also appears as a comparison option on other listings
* Being shown in a trusted comparison helps build confidence and clicks
* Consumers who are ready to buy can quickly see you as a local option
Because comparison offers are part of how the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website works, they can't be turned off on individual listings. However, if you believe a comparison offer is incorrect, misleading, or inappropriate, you can contact our support team and we will review it.
How does Image Search work?
On the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website, Image Search is another way for consumers to compare offers from Irish businesses.
When a shopper uses Image Search, our system looks at the picture in front of them and then:
1. Finds similar images from other offers on the directory
2. Groups these as "like-for-like" offers, where the product or service looks similar
3. Shows a comparison of offers so the shopper can quickly check options and choose the one that gives them the best value
In simple terms:
Image Search helps people say, "Show me more offers that look like this," and then compare Irish businesses side by side on one screen. It doesn't change your listing – it just helps your offer appear more often when it's a good match.
How can I correct an error or remove a listing?
We want the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website to be as accurate and up-to-date as possible. If you spot a mistake in a business listing, or if a business has closed, you can ask us to update or remove it.
To submit a correction request:
1. Click here to visit our Data Correction page.
2. Choose whether you are
* the Business Owner updating your own details, or
* a Customer reporting an error.
3. Tell us what needs to be changed or why the listing should be removed (for example: "Business closed", "Duplicate listing").
4. Add your contact details so our team can verify the request.
Our editorial team will review the information and update or remove the listing where appropriate. To request a business listing or offer update please visit https://www.getlocal.ie/merchants/report
Important: GetLocal.ie does not offer a merchant-controlled publishing feature. Business listings and offers in the directory are created from public information or structured data submissions and are reviewed through our editorial process before they appear on the site.
I noticed the goldenpages.ie crawl bot on my website. What is this, and can I block it?
The goldenpages.ie crawler, also known as GetLocalBot, is a web bot used by the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website.
Its job is to scan publicly available pages on Irish business websites so our editorial team can:
* Discover local businesses that are open and trading
* Review public information about those businesses and their offers
* Keep business listings and comparison offers on the directory up to date
This helps Irish consumers compare offers from local businesses and find good value nearby and across Ireland.
Although we use technology such as bots and crawlers to manage volume, all inclusion in the directory is editorial – your business listing and offers are reviewed and managed by our team, not automatically "published" without oversight.
What does the crawler look at?
GetLocalBot only looks at:
* Pages that are publicly available on the open web
* Content that the website already allows search engines to see
It does not access private areas (for example, behind logins or paywalls).
Can a business block it?
Yes. If a website owner prefers that their site is not used when we are reviewing businesses and offers for the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website, they can control this themselves.
You (or their web developer) can:
1. Update your website's `robots.txt` file
2. Add a rule to disallow our user-agent (GetLocalBot / goldenpages.ie crawler)
Once this is in place, we treat it as a request not to crawl or index your site for our editorial listings, and we will respect that signal.
If they are unsure how to do this, your web developer can help, or they can contact our support team and we'll explain what needs to be added in simple terms.
How does the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website find offers from Irish businesses?
The GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website uses a mix of editorial review and technology to help people discover offers from Irish businesses.
We use a web crawling bot called GetLocalBot. A web crawler is a software tool that visits public pages on business websites and collects information. In technical terms, "crawling" is the word used when a bot visits pages and reads the data on them.
For GetLocal.ie, the purpose of GetLocalBot is to:
* Find Irish businesses that are active online
* Review public information about their services and offers
* Help our editorial team decide how those businesses and offers should appear in the directory
Visits from GetLocalBot may sometimes show in a business's website analytics under names such as GetLocalBot or goldenpages.ie.
How does GetLocalBot work in practice?
In simple terms, GetLocalBot works in a similar way to a person searching online:
* It follows links between public pages on a business website
* It reads those pages to build up a picture of what the business offers
* That information is then used by our editorial team to maintain business listings and comparison offers in the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website
The outcome is an editorially managed index of offers from Irish businesses. People can compare offers in the directory and then click through to the business's own website to deal directly with them.
What information is used, and what about controls?
GetLocalBot and our team only work with:
* Information that is already public on business websites or other public sources
* Standard web signals (such as structured data and normal search engine settings)
Private areas (like content behind logins or paywalls) are not accessed.
Like other search and directory services, GetLocalBot follows the standard robots.txt rules set on a website:
* If a website is open to search engines, the crawler may review it for possible inclusion in the directory.
* If a website's robots.txt file is updated to disallow our user-agent, we treat that as a request not to crawl or index that site for editorial listings, and we respect that signal.
How often are my offers updated?
If you are a GetLocal CSS customer, offers are submitted by API from your eCommerce platform to the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website on a regular schedule, typically up to twice weekly, and then processed as part of that update cycle.
All other updates are based on our editorial crawl using GetLocalBot, which works in the background to find and refresh offers. For managed profiles, we aim to review and update offers at least once per week.
We also offer the option to submit a local business's offers by Excel upload or agreed API feed. Excel-based updates can be submitted as often as a business chooses, but they are reviewed and applied as part of our scheduled editorial update cycle. API submissions are usually processed on our twice-weekly update cycle.
What eCommerce systems can the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website work with?
The GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website is designed to work with most modern eCommerce websites that use standard structured data (for example, Schema.org JSON-LD) to describe their offers.
We currently receive offer information from:
* Sitepro by FCR Media
* Popular platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Ecwid, and other major eCommerce systems that support structured data or approved feeds.
How it works
Where an eCommerce site is in scope:
* GetLocalBot and our tools read the public structured data on offer pages.
* We classify these offers into the right directory categories.
* A business listing and comparison offers are then maintained in the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website.
People can discover and compare offers, and when they click through, they go directly to the business's own eCommerce website to complete their enquiry or purchase.
My offer is no longer available. When will it be removed from the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website?
The GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website reflects the offers shown on each business's own website. When our next scheduled review, or offers submitted by Excel or crawl check the relevant page and show that an offer is no longer available (for example, the page returns a 404 or is clearly marked "Out of Stock"), that offer is removed or updated as part of the next directory refresh.
In practice:
* Most offers are reviewed at least once per week.
* Where an agreed API feed is in place, updates are usually processed by our editorial team up to twice weekly.
If you notice an offer in the directory that should be removed sooner, you can contact our support team with a link to the business listing and offer, and we will review it.
For general guidance on how to handle out-of-stock pages on an eCommerce website, many SEO resources (such as this Moz article: https://moz.com/blog/how-to-handle-temporarily-out-of-stock-product-pages)
Can I give you an API feed to update my offers?
In some cases, yes. The GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website can accept structured data feeds (for example XML or JSON) as another way to submit offers for editorial review.
Any API feed we receive is:
* Checked against our editorial data standards
* Classified and processed by our editorial team on a scheduled update cycle
If you are interested in using an API feed, please contact our support team with details of your eCommerce platform and data format, and we will confirm what is possible.
Who can be listed on the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website?
The GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website is an editorially managed comparison directory for Irish businesses that serve local and national customers.
A business may be considered for inclusion where:
* It is established and trading in Ireland
* It offers at least one of these customer journeys:
- Book Online (call-out service)
- Book Appointment (at the business premises)
- Click & Collect
- Local Order Delivery
- Nationwide Delivery
* It has technical visibility online – for example:
- A publicly accessible website or booking page
- Use of standard structured data (such as Schema.org JSON-LD) so our tools can understand and categorise the business and its offers for editorial review
Our team reviews public information from a range of trusted sources to decide whether a business falls within the scope of the directory.
In some cases, a business may also go through an additional identity check so that its Goldenpages.ie / GetLocal.ie listing can display a verification marker. As part of this process, FCR Media may request one or more of the following for manual review:
* Company Registration Number (CRO) or Business Name (RBN)
* VAT Number or Tax Clearance Certificate
* A registered .IE domain
* An active billing relationship with FCR Media
This identity check supports the integrity of the directory, while all listings remain subject to editorial oversight.
Are the offers on the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website always the same as on the offer providers website?
Not always. The GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website shows information about offers that has been reviewed from retailers' public websites, but those offers may change after our last scheduled update.
For example, between reviews:
* An item may sell out
* A price or promotion may change
* Other terms and conditions may be updated on the retailer's own website
GetLocal.ie is a discovery and comparison tool, not the seller. We do not complete the transaction, and we do not control the final offer.
We strongly advise consumers to:
* Check stock, price and terms on the retailer's website
* Make sure they are happy with who they are buying from before completing any purchase
Our Terms & Conditions and on-site notices explain that stock, pricing and images may differ from those listed in the directory.
Can I be removed from the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website?
Yes. We respect the wishes of business owners and individuals who prefer not to appear in the directory.
Business listings
If you want a business listing to be removed, please email our editorial team at hello@goldenpages.ie with:
* The business name and a link to the listing
* Your role (for example, Owner or Manager)
* Contact details so we can verify your authority
Our editorial team will review the request and, where appropriate, remove or amend the listing.
I see my offers and a business listing on the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website, but I can't find a link to update it. What should I do?
Sometimes a business listing is created by our editorial team using public information, so the owner may see it before having access to request updates to the information shown.
Normally, you'll see an option on the business profile page – for example a banner or link such as "Manage this Business Listing" in the sidebar or near the top of the page.
This option lets you submit changes for our editorial team to review.
If you can't see any option to request updates:
1. Contact our support team with the business name and a link to the listing.
2. We'll carry out our usual security checks and then enable you to submit update requests, which our editorial team will review and apply where appropriate.
How can my business be listed on GetLocal.ie and goldenpages.ie?
There are three main routes:
a. My business is already on GetLocal.ie
If you see an existing business listing on the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website:
* Go to the business profile page
* Look for an option such as "Manage this Business Listing"
* Follow the steps shown, or contact our support team with the business name and a link to the listing, and we'll help you with submitting updates.
b. My business is already on goldenpages.ie
If your business already appears on goldenpages.ie:
* You can use the "Add / Update Your Business" option on goldenpages.ie, or
* If you are already a customer of FCR Media, you can contact your Account Manager directly to discuss updates and possible inclusion on the GetLocal.ie Comparison Directory Website.
Our team will review the details and, where appropriate, can also consider the business for inclusion on GetLocal.ie.
c. I'm not listed on any FCR Media service
If your business is not yet listed:
* Go to goldenpages.ie and use the "Add Your Business" option
* Provide the requested details about the business and how it serves customers
Our team will review the information for directory inclusion and will contact you if anything more is needed.