Overview
Every iGuide Pro in the ION directory is a certified operator with a verified business. You can see their equipment, coverage, recent work and reviews before you contact them. If you would rather choose someone yourself than wait for bids, this is the faster route.
This article covers searching and filtering the directory, reading the results, how results are ordered, and reading a profile. To get a price from a Pro you like, see Contacting and Hiring an iGuide Pro.
You do not need an account to browse. The directory is public. You need an ION account only to message an iGuide Pro or send a quote request.
In This Article
- Searching the directory
- Filters
- Reading the results
- How results are ordered
- Reading a profile
- Related articles
Searching the directory
Go to ion.goiguide.com/find-a-pro. The page opens on iGuide Pros near you, with a heading that tells you what you are looking at, for example "38 Pros within 75 km of Toronto, ON".
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Location search | Enter a city or postal code. Clear location resets it. |
| Distance slider | Widen or narrow the radius, starting at 75 km |
| Search by name or business | Jump straight to someone you already know |
| Sort | Best match, Highest rated, or Most jobs completed |
| Map | Pan, zoom and open fullscreen to see coverage geographically |
Filters
- Advanced Capture Certified. iGuide Pros who have completed iGuide's Advanced Capture training.
- National provider. iGuide Pros covering work across the country.
- Available weekdays and Available weekends. Based on the availability each iGuide Pro sets on their profile.
- Worked with before. iGuide Pros you have already hired through ION.
Widen the radius before you conclude nobody covers you. The default is 75 km, and many iGuide Pros travel further. Coverage is written on each profile, so a promising listing is worth opening even if the pin looks far away.
Reading the results
Each card shows the company name, the operator, their Google rating, their city and their industry. Badges appear on the card too.
- Advanced Capture Certified. The iGuide Pro has completed iGuide's Advanced Capture training. Any iGuide Pro can earn this one by finishing the online course in the iGuide learning portal. The badge is applied to their profile once they pass.
- National Provider. The iGuide Pro delivers work across the country rather than in a single region, and National Providers appear at the top of directory results. This badge is applied by the iGuide team rather than earned automatically. Contact iGuideSupport if you think your business qualifies.
- Top Provider. Applied automatically to iGuide's most experienced operators based on their capture history, and reviewed every quarter. It reflects recent activity, so it can be gained or lost as volumes change.
A missing Google rating does not mean a bad one. ION only shows a rating where the business has Google reviews, and leaves the field off entirely where there are none.
How results are ordered
Where an iGuide Pro appears in directory results comes down to a handful of factors, and a Pro can influence most of them directly.
Who appears at all
- iGuide Pros with a location pin within the search radius, which defaults to 75 km (45 miles) of the searched location.
How results are ordered
- National Provider badge. National Providers appear at the top of results.
- Top Provider badge. Applied to iGuide's most experienced operators based on capture volume, reviewed quarterly.
- Google star rating.
- Number of Google reviews.
- Distance from the search location.
A Job Poster can also re-sort results by Best match, Highest rated or Most jobs completed, and filter by Advanced Capture Certified, National provider, weekday or weekend availability, and Pros they have worked with before.
What that means for your profile
Most of that list is something you can act on:
- Connect your Google Business Profile. Your star rating and review count are two of the ranking factors. Without the connection, both are blank for you.
- Place a location pin in every region you genuinely serve. A region with no pin is a region you do not appear in.
- Set your availability. It is what puts you under the weekday and weekend filters.
- Complete your industries, portfolio and description. These do not move you up the list, but they are what turns an impression into a message once someone opens your profile.
Your visibility depends on your profile being accurate and current, so keep it up to date.
Reading a profile
| Section | What to look for |
|---|---|
| Header | Company, operator, location, industry and Google rating |
| About | How they describe their business |
| Contact details | Phone, email, website and social links |
| Team size | Whether it is a solo operator or a team |
| Equipment | Camera models, and the city each is based in |
| Portfolio | Delivered tours, photography, drone footage and video |
| Reviews | Ratings and review text |
| Service coverage | A written coverage area and a map |
Three things worth weighing:
- Location pins tell you about reach. Each pin sits in a region the iGuide Pro covers without travel expenses, so someone with pins in several cities covers more ground than the nearest one suggests.
- The portfolio is the real evidence. Delivered tours show you the standard of work you would be buying.
- Check which reviews you are reading. Google reviews come from the Pro's Google Business Profile, so if that listing covers a wider business they may describe work other than property capture. Where a Pro has completed jobs on ION, you can switch between their ION reviews and their Google reviews.
Use Share to send a profile to a colleague.
Ready to get in touch? See Contacting and Hiring an iGuide Pro.
Related articles
- What is ION?
- How to sign up for ION
- Contacting and Hiring an iGuide Pro
- Posting a job on ION
- Your ION profile: Setup and management
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