It may seem like a no-brainer, but people can’t find your business if your business is nowhere to be found. You need to show up in the places that customers are looking for you—and in today’s age, that means online. Having a strong online presence is non-negotiable.
One of the best ways to boost your local SEO and start showing up in the search results is by claiming and optimizing your local business directory listings. This will help to increase your visibility in Google AND on the local business directory sites, your customers are using to find you while still providing potential customers with valuable information about your business.
What is a Business Directory?
An online business directory is a hub of business listings that includes contact information, descriptions, and other relevant details. They are a great resource for customers who are looking for companies in a specific industry or geographic area. Business directories can also be helpful to businesses as they provide exposure and can help boost visibility by providing links to websites and social media pages.
There are tons of online directories out there, but some popular ones you’ve probably already heard of include Google Business Profile, Yelp, and Foursquare.
Best Online Listings and Directories for Small Businesses
7 Top Online Business Listings
Google Business Profile:
Google Business Profile allows businesses to connect with customers via Google Search and Google Maps.
Facebook:
Facebook is the world’s largest social network and provides 40 million small businesses a place to interact with customers and a place for customers to post and read reviews.
Apple Maps:
Apple maps isn’t the most popular navigation map out there, but considering the fact that there are over 1.2 billion iPhone users in the world, it’s worth listing your business there.
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn Company Pages enable businesses to share valuable content and engage with followers, employees, and potential employees. In addition, businesses can create sponsored content to increase brand awareness, generate leads, and extend the reach of your company’s updates.
Bing:
Bing Places for Business is a free local business directory. Creating a Bing business listing will improve local search ranking, provide customers with correct and accurate information about their business, and gives businesses better control over their online reputation.
Yelp:
Yelp helps connect people to local businesses like dentists, hair stylists, mechanics, restaurants, and much more. To date, Yelpers have written 115 million reviews.
Yellowbook:
Yellowbook helps consumers find the latest business listings, reviews, phone numbers, addresses, maps, directions, and more of local businesses.
Listings for Every Small and Local Business
Better Business Bureau:
For more than 100 years the Better Business Bureau has helped millions of consumers find businesses, brands, charities they can trust. Their local business directory hosts reviews on more than 5.3 million businesses.
Whitepages:
Whitepages is the leading source for caller identification and phone spam detection in North America. With a database of more than 600 million mobile and landline phone numbers in the US, and over 1.5 billion unique numbers in its global database, Whitepages leverages its extensive data insights to identify unknown calls and texts and to monitor phone-based threats for consumers and businesses.
Superpages.com:
Superpages.com is a top online resource for finding information and insights on businesses and retailers. The services helps consumers find information about local businesses ranging from driving directions, hours of operations, and customer reviews.
Yext:
Yext enables companies of all sizes to manage location data across their websites, mobile apps, internal systems, and the industry’s largest ecosystem of maps, apps, social networks, directories, and search engines including Google, Apple, Facebook, Bing, and Yahoo.
Yahoo Business Listing:
Local businesses can boost local SEO with a free Yahoo Business listing that will be shown to Yahoo search users.
YP.com:
Yellow Pages has been connecting local businesses with consumers in the community for more than 100 years. The site reaches 70 million consumers on a monthly basis and provides them access to a business’ name, address, and phone number along with relevant information like online reviews.
Directories for Service-Based Businesses
Angi:
More than 3 million households trust and use Angi’s (formerly Angie’s List) 10 million local business directory and reviews to find the best local service providers like roofers, plumbers, handymen, mechanics, doctors, dentists, and more.
CitySearch:
CitySearch is a local business directory guide to a city’s dining, entertainment, retail, travel, and professional services. Different than many online review sites, CitySearch uses a thumbs up/thumbs down method of rating businesses.
ConsumerAffairs:
ConsumerAffairs is a consumer advocacy and news website that provides consumers with relevant information about businesses to improve their decision-making process. The site aggregates reviews for businesses across a wide range of industries including home services businesses like alarm and security, pest control, moving companies, solar, and much more.
HealthGrades:
HealthGrades has aggregated more than 3 million reviews of healthcare providers, including doctors, dentists, hospitals and more. The site provides patients with the information they need to make informed decisions and allows physicians to provide an accurate representation of their practice online.
Local.com:
Local.com is a local-search engine with a database of over 16 million business listings encompassing every zip code across the United States. Local.com gives searchers access to useful information like hours of operation, reviews, services offered, and much more.
MerchantCircle:
MerchantCircle is a network that helps connect small business owners with other local businesses in their community and offers free marketing tools and social media functionality to help them better reach local customers. They help consumers by connecting them with online reviews, testimonials, and tools that let them talk directly with businesses.
Zillow:
Zillow is more than just a website that helps individuals find properties that are for sale or rent in their area. It also helps connect home buyers and home sellers with local real estate agents to help walk them through the home buying process.
Directories for Product-Based Businesses
Edmunds:
Similar to Cars.com, Edmunds.com offers consumers access to vehicle listings across the United States. The site also includes vehicle reviews, tips for purchasing a new car, and dealer reviews.
Cars.com:
Cars.com is a leading online destination that helps car shoppers and owners navigate every turn of car ownership. A pioneer in automotive classifieds, the company has evolved into one of the largest digital automotive platforms, connecting consumers with local dealers across the country anytime, anywhere. It provides car buyers with a comprehensive set of research tools and the largest database of consumer reviews in the industry.
DealerRater:
DealerRater is an online review site focused on auto dealers. The site includes more than 2 million reviews and its content is exposed to 14 million users on a monthly basis.
Solar Reviews:
Solar Reviews is an online review site that connects consumers with reviews and contact information of solar installers in their area.
The Blue Book:
The Blue Book is a commercial construction directory that helps contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers reach new customers and build their online presence.
ConstructConnect:
ConstructConnect’s bidding platform helps commercial construction companies find, bid, and win the right work.
As with any local business listing, the key is getting your happy customers to recommend you with reviews. Podium’s industry-leading review software makes it easy to interact with customers for reviews, customer insights and business growth. Call or text 1-855-716-0428 to find out how you can put Podium to work for you.
How to Add your Local Business to Online Directories?
Adding your local business to online directories is a great way to boost visibility and build your online presence. To get started reaping the benefits of free advertising sites, decide which listings and directories on which you’d like to establish a presence. Then, create accounts on the directories if required and submit your listing with accurate information. Some directories may require verification before publishing your listing. Be sure to monitor and optimize your directory listings regularly with any changes in information about your business.
Podium helps businesses like yours collect reviews, improve their local rankings, and manage their online presence. Interested in seeing what Podium can do for you? Start a no-strings-attached free trial today.
FAQs
Which local business directories are the best?
There are plenty of business directories out there—it can be a little overwhelming. We’d recommend starting with well-known sites like Google Business Profile, Yelp, Apple Maps, and Foursquare. Then, you can start thinking about industry-specific directories.
How do I find a list of local businesses?
Nowadays, many people go straight to search engines like Google and Bing when they’re looking for businesses near them—it’s quick and convenient. You can also ask friends and family for recommendations, take to social media, or even visit your local Chamber of Commerce to get more information about local companies.
What local business listings are free?
The great news is that most online local business directories like Google Business Profile, Yelp, Apple Maps, and others are free to use. Many directories offer paid features, but getting started, in most cases, is totally free of cost.
