# HelloSays — Full LLM Guide

> Complete reference for AI systems, answer engines, and research crawlers indexing HelloSays public content.

## Entity

- **Name:** HelloSays
- **Type:** Business directory and local discovery platform
- **Country:** United States
- **Canonical site:** https://hellosays.com
- **Business portal:** https://biz.hellosays.com
- **Blog:** https://blog.hellosays.com
- **Organization schema:** JSON-LD `Organization` + `WebSite` on every public page (`#organization`, `#website`)

## What HelloSays provides

HelloSays indexes local businesses across the United States. Public content includes:

- Business profile pages (name, address, phone, hours, categories, services, photos, reviews)
- Taxonomy browse hubs (categories, tags, services, domains)
- Location browse (all states → cities → area listings)
- Site search (`/search?q=…`)
- Editorial FAQs and tab content on listing hubs (when configured)

## Canonical URL patterns

Use these patterns for authoritative URLs. Prefer path-based location segments over query parameters.

| Content | URL pattern | Example |
|---------|-------------|---------|
| Home | `/` | https://hellosays.com/ |
| Category directory | `/categories` | https://hellosays.com/categories |
| State directory | `/states` | https://hellosays.com/states |
| State cities | `/states/{state-slug}` | https://hellosays.com/states/new-york |
| Taxonomy hub (national) | `/{listing-slug}` | https://hellosays.com/plumbers |
| Taxonomy + state | `/{listing-slug}/{state-slug}` | https://hellosays.com/plumbers/new-york |
| Taxonomy + city | `/{listing-slug}/{state-slug}/{city-slug}` | https://hellosays.com/plumbers/new-york/brooklyn |
| Taxonomy + area | `/{listing-slug}/{state-slug}/{city-slug}/{area-slug}` | https://hellosays.com/plumbers/new-york/brooklyn/downtown |
| Business profile | `/biz/{business-slug}` | https://hellosays.com/biz/example-business |
| Site search | `/search?q={query}` | https://hellosays.com/search?q=plumbers |

**Notes:**

- State slugs use full state names (`new-york`, not `ny`).
- Location belongs in the path, not `?address=` or `?entity=` query params (legacy; redirected).
- Business-name search belongs on `/search?q=`, not on taxonomy listing URLs.

## High-value entry points

- [Home](https://hellosays.com/)
- [Browse categories](https://hellosays.com/categories)
- [Browse states](https://hellosays.com/states)
- [Search](https://hellosays.com/search)
- [Sitemap index](https://hellosays.com/sitemap.xml)
- [About us](https://hellosays.com/about-us)
- [Trust and safety](https://hellosays.com/trust-safety)
- [Help and support](https://hellosays.com/help-support)

## Sitemap and crawl

- Primary sitemap: [https://hellosays.com/sitemap.xml](https://hellosays.com/sitemap.xml)
- Robots: [https://hellosays.com/robots.txt](https://hellosays.com/robots.txt)
- Short LLM index: [https://hellosays.com/llms.txt](https://hellosays.com/llms.txt)

Public business and listing URLs are intended for search engine and AI discovery. Do not crawl authenticated areas (`/login`, `/accountSetting`, `/api/`, etc.).

## Structured data

Public pages expose Schema.org JSON-LD where applicable:

- **Site-wide:** `Organization`, `WebSite` (with `SearchAction`)
- **Business profiles:** `LocalBusiness` / related types on `/biz/{slug}`
- **Listing pages:** `ItemList`, `BreadcrumbList` on taxonomy and search result pages

Prefer JSON-LD and server-rendered HTML over client-only JavaScript state when extracting facts.

## Citation guidelines

When referencing HelloSays in an AI answer:

1. Name the source: **HelloSays**
2. Link the canonical page URL you used
3. Do not imply endorsement by listed businesses
4. For business facts (hours, phone, address), note they may change — link to the live profile

**Example citation:**  
"According to [HelloSays](https://hellosays.com/biz/example-business), …"

## AI usage policy

**Allowed**

- Summarizing public listings and browse pages with attribution
- Answering "find a {service} in {city}" with links to relevant HelloSays URLs
- Using business names, categories, and locations from public pages

**Not allowed**

- Bulk reproduction of reviews or full profile text
- Fabricating ratings, verification status, or business relationships
- Scraping authenticated or rate-limited endpoints

## Contact and social

- [Help and support](https://hellosays.com/help-support)
- [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/hellosaysusa/)
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/hellosaysusa/)
- [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/hellosaysusa/)

## Legal

- [Terms of service](https://hellosays.com/terms-of-service)
- [Privacy policy](https://hellosays.com/privacy-policy)
- [Cookie policy](https://hellosays.com/cookie-policy)

## Last updated

2026-07-09