Local business directories are digital databases that organize a company by geographic area or industry; a local business listing is an online entry that contains your business Name, Address and phone number (NAP), which stands for name, address, and phone number and must be identical across listings, along with other details. There are a lot of online directories, platforms and websites like Yelp, Foursquare and Yellow Pages where local businesses can create free local business listings.
Creating local business listings is a key part of any local SEO campaign. Local Listings give more visibility for your business and every new profile that you create enhances your chances of being found online by customers. This directory presence helps you reach potential customers through online directories. The more directories that you are listed on, the more visible you are. If your business is visible online, search engines trust the accuracy of your business data; accurate NAP data improves local SEO rankings, while inconsistent NAP information can lower them. To simplify it all, business listings can be considered as an online version of business information in Yellow Pages, and they can help smaller brands compete on a more level playing field with larger companies.
A business must satisfy the following criteria in order to qualify for a local business listing in any index.
Must have a business name or a DBA (doing Business As..)
The business must have a dedicated physical address. (shared address, virtual offices and PO Box will not do)
The business must have a phone number that matches your location city. (Again, toll free numbers, shared phone numbers and call tracking number won’t do)
The business must make face-to-face contact with your customers. The business should not be conducted virtually and it should not be an online store only.
The concept of local business listing was originally borrowed from the idea of advertising in yellow pages (the book) and in the local newspapers. As search engines evolved, the need to come up with a process for helping customers find local businesses around them also had to evolve. In 2004, Google Local was introduced. It offered relevant neighbourhood business listings, directions and maps. In 2005, Google started offering driving directions and local information to people on the go. Since then, Google local search and how it sources information has undergone many sophisticated changes.
Now, local business listings play an important role in SEO, especially since 46% of all Google searches are local searches. Also, 97% of consumers search online for nearby companies. When an user is searching with a local intent, like “pizza in dallas”, search engines help users find businesses across online directories and map platforms such as Google Business Profile and Apple Maps. If you have incorrect details in your local listing or worse, if you haven’t claimed your listing at all, there’s a good chance that the user will not find the information about your business that he wanted.
A lot of directory sites popped with a motive to help people find local businesses and to make money out of this process, enabling better discovery across different markets, including US markets. Sites like Yelp came into existence when one of the founders got a flu and was not able to readily find a doctor in his neighbourhood. Hence, the idea of helping people find local businesses. After the Pigeon Update, Google wanted to provide more relevant, useful and accurate search results that was tied to the traditional web search ranking signals. The algorithm started ranking a business based on the trust signals it was getting from directories. Verified listings increase consumer confidence and help search engines assess listing quality.
Most of the popular online business directories let you list your business amongst millions of other local businesses for free. Follow the steps given below to get free business listings.
Make a list popular business directory sites for your business niche.
You will have to go to the business section on the specified site to add your listing.
You will be asked to enter information about your business including the Business Name, Address and Phone Number. Additional details like business website, payment methods, photos, specialities, description and business hours might be asked.
Once all the information has been entered, the directory will verify your business. The verification will be done by phone, text or email.
Once your business information is verified, your business listing will be live on the website.
Business listings matter a lot for local SEO. If you want your business showing up near the top of local search results, you need to be listed on at least the major directory sites. For companies with tight ad budgets, directories work as an extra marketing channel that brings in more visitors and more sales. Getting listed is only the first step, though. You’ll keep your local visibility by actively managing those listings and the reviews that come with them. Here are the different ways to get your business listed.
You can hire local SEO consultants who will get your business listed on major directories for your niche, and they may also recommend industry- or sector-focused platforms based on your business type. Many people prefer to hire SEO consultants because they know where to get your business listed. But, here’s what you have to know if you are hiring SEO consultants to get your business listings done - they usually do it on a one-time basis. That means, once they have listed your website on directories, you still have to spend a considerable amount of time managing reviews and maintaining listing quality.
To get one thing clear, freelancers are not SEO consultants. They might not be able to figure out on what sites your business needs to be listed. But, freelancers will be able to help with directory submissions once you give them the right information and the correct platforms. Again, once they have listed your business on various directories, you will have to keep checking if the information is up to date, and active listings and online reviews still need to be monitored. Also, because most freelancers don’t have full time experience doing SEO, there are chances for NAP inconsistencies to creep in.
If you don’t want an external agency or a third-party filling in your business information, you can do it yourself. Though the listing process is easy, it will eat up a lot of your time. You’d rather want to spend this time managing your business. If you go the DIY route, stay focused on quality directories instead of trying to be on many directories at once.
This is the most popular way to get your business listed. Tools like Synup will automate the listing management process across many directories and help maintain active listings, reviews, and directory presence from one place. More than 90% of consumers read online reviews before making a purchase, and they strongly influence potential customers’ decisions. Also, Synup offers you a central dashboard from where you can manage all your business information and listings from a single dashboard. Maintaining active listings with positive reviews builds credibility and consumer trust, and profiles with positive reviews signal credibility to search engines. 88% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, which is why active review management supports business success and growth.
Synup automates listing management across the online directories and map platforms on this page and beyond, helping smaller brands level the playing field and reach potential customers more effectively.