PartnerPage runs partner directories: public websites where people find a company's partners, such as agencies, consultants or integrations. This article explains who uses a directory, how partners get listed, and how requests move between visitors, partners and the company that runs the directory.
Applies to: vendors, partners and visitors · Availability: all directories; features marked "on request" are switched on by PartnerPage support
Who uses PartnerPage
Three groups of people use a PartnerPage directory:
Vendors run the directory. A vendor is a company with a partner program, such as Acme. The vendor's team manages the directory in the dashboard at https://directory.partnerpage.io.
Partners are the companies listed in the directory, such as Northwind Consulting or Bluebird Labs. A partner's team logs in to the same dashboard to edit its profile, under Your public profiles. A partner listed in several vendors' directories has a separate profile in each.
Visitors are people looking for a partner. Visitors browse, search and contact partners without an account.
The directory
A directory is the vendor's public website of partners. Its main page lists partners as cards, with a search box, filters and a Sort by menu; each partner also has a profile page. A directory lives at an address such as acme.partnerpage.io, on the vendor's own domain, or inside a page of the vendor's website. The vendor chooses the colors, logos and page sections.
A vendor can run several directories, for example one for service partners and one for technology partners.
Partner profiles
A profile (also called a listing) is a partner's page in one directory: logo, description, filter answers, case studies and other sections. The vendor and the partner can both edit it, and the vendor can lock fields so only its team changes them.
Each profile has a status that only the vendor sets: Public (listed for everyone), Searchable (shown only in searches and filtered results), Hidden or Inactive (not listed, and the page doesn't open). See Partner profile statuses: Public, Searchable, Hidden, Inactive.
How partners get listed
Partners join a directory in one of four ways:
Way | How it works | Profile starts as |
Get Listed link | The vendor shares a sign-up link; the partner creates an account and a profile. | Hidden |
Invitation | The vendor invites people at the partner by email to a profile. | Hidden |
Partner application | A company applies on the directory's application form (titled Become a partner unless renamed). If the vendor accepts, PartnerPage creates the profile and invites the applicant. | Hidden |
Added by the vendor | The vendor adds the profile by hand or imports partners in bulk. | Any status the vendor picks |
Get Listed creates a profile straight away; a partner application asks to join the partner program first. See Invite partners to your directory.
How requests work
Requests connect visitors, partners and the vendor. The following table shows who starts each one and who acts on it.
Request | Started by | Goes to | Availability |
Contact request | A visitor, with Contact on a partner's profile | The partner, who accepts or declines it; the vendor oversees all contact requests | On request |
Matchmaking request | A visitor, on the "Get matched with the right partner" form | The vendor, whose team assigns one or more partners; each assigned partner receives it as a contact request | On request |
Deal registration | A partner, from its dashboard or a form it shares with a prospect | The vendor, who approves or declines it | On request |
Partner application | A company that wants to become a partner | The vendor, who accepts or declines it | On by default |
Review | A visitor, with Write a review on a profile | The vendor, who approves it before it shows; the partner can reply | On request |
Contact request emails go to everyone at the partner whose role can open contact requests, unless the vendor has picked specific people for the profile. See How contact requests, matchmaking and deal registrations work.
What "available on request" means
PartnerPage support switches most features on or off for each directory: contact requests, matchmaking, deal registrations, reviews, tiers, badges, translations and many profile sections. When a feature is off, its menu item doesn't appear in the dashboard. A vendor asks support to turn a feature on. A directory's plan unlocks only design features, such as the Theme tab. See Features available on request.
Glossary
Term | Meaning |
Vendor | The company that runs a directory; PartnerPage's customer. |
Partner | A company listed in a vendor's directory. |
Visitor | Anyone browsing the public directory; no account needed. |
Directory | The vendor's public website of partners. |
Profile (listing) | A partner's page in one directory. |
Status | Whether a profile is listed: Public, Searchable, Hidden or Inactive. |
Filter | A category visitors use to narrow the directory, such as Language. |
Tier | A level that groups and ranks partners, such as Gold. |
Badge | An image on a profile, such as "Certified". |
Partner contacts | The people at a partner the vendor picked to edit the profile and receive its contact requests. |
Contact request | A visitor's message to one partner through the partner's profile. |
Matchmaking request | A visitor's request to the vendor to find a partner. |
Deal registration | A deal a partner brings to the vendor for approval. |
Partner application | A company's request to join the vendor's partner program. |
Get Listed | The vendor's sign-up link that lets a partner create its own profile. |
Available on request | A feature PartnerPage support switches on for a directory. |