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E-mailThe 701 List, a community-built home services directory operated by Badlands Marketing, has officially launched as a direct alternative to national lead-generation platforms such as Angi and Yelp, offering North Dakota homeowners a no-pay-to-play model centered on local contractor verification and transparent rankings.
The platform debuts with coverage of Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota, providing homeowners with verified contractor listings across categories including plumbing and other essential home services. Unlike national aggregators that monetize contractor visibility through paid placements and sold leads, The 701 List structures its directory so that contractor rankings are determined exclusively by verified customer reviews rather than advertising spend.
A Direct Response to the Pay-to-Play Model
National home services platforms have drawn sustained criticism from contractors and consumers alike for practices that insert a paid intermediary between the two parties. On those platforms, contractors frequently purchase leads that are simultaneously sold to multiple competing businesses, while homeowners receive calls from services they did not specifically select. The 701 List eliminates that mechanism entirely. Every listing on the platform connects homeowners directly to a contractor through a click-to-call feature, bypassing any lead-brokering layer.
Contractor listings are verified for local licensing and insurance before appearing in the directory, giving homeowners a baseline standard without requiring them to conduct independent background research. The platform does not charge contractors for placement or prioritize listings based on advertising budgets, meaning a smaller local operator with strong reviews ranks alongside or above a larger competitor with a marketing budget but fewer verified customer endorsements.
"We built The 701 List because homeowners in North Dakota deserve to know exactly who is showing up at their door," said Lexy Tabbert, Founder of The 701 List. "National platforms profit from the gap between homeowners and contractors. We close that gap by making licensing and insurance verification visible and by letting real reviews do the ranking."
Direct Contractor Access Without the Middleman
The structure of the directory reflects a deliberate departure from the aggregator model. When a homeowner finds a contractor through The 701 List, the interaction is direct - no call center, no resold contact information, and no platform fee embedded in the contractor's pricing. Direct contractor access is built into the platform architecture rather than offered as a premium feature.
Contractors operating in the Bismarck and Mandan markets can claim and verify their listings through the platform's contractor claim page, submitting documentation to confirm active local licensing and insurance status. Claimed listings become eligible to receive and display customer reviews, which form the sole basis for ranking within the directory.
Localized Verification as a Competitive Differentiator
The decision to root verification in local licensing requirements reflects a structural advantage that national platforms have struggled to replicate at scale. State and municipal licensing standards vary considerably, and national aggregators have faced documented criticism for listing contractors whose credentials do not meet local requirements. By focusing on North Dakota contractors and applying verification standards aligned with state and local regulations, The 701 List positions local specificity as a functional feature rather than a limitation.
The platform's review system accepts only submissions tied to confirmed service engagements, a measure intended to reduce the manipulation that has undermined consumer confidence in review aggregators at the national level. Homeowners searching the home services directory encounter contractors whose standing reflects documented customer experiences within the same regional market.
About The 701 List
The 701 List is a home services directory serving North Dakota homeowners, operated by Badlands Marketing. The platform offers local contractor verification of licensing and insurance, direct contractor access through click-to-call listings, and review-based rankings with no paid placements. The 701 List is currently available for Bismarck and Mandan, North Dakota. For contractor inquiries or to claim a listing, contact Lexy Tabbert at [email protected] or 605-850-9211. Badlands Marketing is headquartered in Mobridge, SD.
Learn more at The 701 List (operated by Badlands Marketing)
