Where to get business directories

You need not list your business on every directory to see good results — just the few that are best for you. A free local business directory is only as helpful as its online reputation, too. Here are 25 of our favorites with a great reputation and widespread reach.

There are more than six billion searches a day on Google. If you choose no other directory to completely fill out, make it Google. This is especially true for restaurants and service-based businesses, like hair stylists and fitness studios.

Foursquare allows you to add status updates to your listing a plus in this social media-hungry climate! Superpages and Yellowpages team up to give you double the bang for your free local business listing buck. City-Data combines free local business directories with discussion forums on a variety of local topics including recommendations for businesses. Brownbook features business related reviews, comments and edits. Although primarily associated with its function as a social networking site, you can also create a Facebook business listing for free.

Creating a business profile will allow you the opportunity to build more awareness about your brand, engage your customers, garnish reviews, and more. City-Data is a website that can be used to locate information on any U. Creating free local business listings on this website is extremely beneficial to your business, particularly as it is a go-to for many tourists visiting an area for the first time.

City-Data distinguishes itself from some other directories in that it features many smaller towns that can otherwise get lost in the shuffle. Another social networking site, LinkedIn is a great place to network, find new employees or employment and to generally build awareness around your company. Creating a LinkekdIn company profile is completely free and can direct a lot of new traffic to your business.

The BBB has been around for a long time and has established itself as a trusted source of information for consumers. Although you do need to go through an application process to receive accreditation, your actually listing is completely free and can do wonders to build your businesses rapport.

EZ Local features a local business directory that has over 2 million indexed pages on Google. They also offer additional features at a cost to manage map listings, monitor social reviews, and more.

To leverage this platform most adequately for your business, make sure to get reviews from your best customers, as this is what will drive free business listings up in rankings.

Part of the DexMedia Group Inc. While you will have to call them directly to claim your listing, it can be well worth it for the link to another reputable site. Merchant Circle distinguishes itself from other listing platforms through its offering of free marketing tools and some specific features typically reserved for social media. In other words, the big benefit of listing here is that you are also gaining access to a bunch of free information that will aid you in your efforts to promote your business.

In addition to offering businesses a free place to list, eLocal also has many advertising options available at an additional cost, of course. This site has grown exponentially in popularity recently, making now a good time to get your business listed. AreaConnect brings all of the various yellow pages, white pages and local directories into one place for 3, cities and towns and growing in the United States.

This gives your business exposure on several sites with minimal effort on your part. Receiving over , site visits per month, B2B Yellow Pages boasts over 16 million businesses in their online directory. This platform is especially helpful for businesses who are trying to reach a more globally-defined market.

In its relatively short existence, Nextdoor has become another trusted source for information on the best and worst local businesses. Claiming your free listing on this site allows you to interact with your local community, get reviews, and, should you choose to budget a little extra, advertise!

Spoke is an online forum where users search for and discuss companies, news, et cetera. It receives over 80, visitors each month and allows users to create a free business or personal listing.

My Huckleberry allows you to create a business profile, act as an expert in your field by answering questions for site visitors, gather customer reviews, and, for a cost, advertise any coupons you create to your local audience. Formerly a standalone platform, MapQuest eventually partnered with Yext to give consumers more control over their search of business listings.

MapQuest gives you the opportunity to search for your business on several different websites. It lets you freely scan your listings on more than 50 online services, including Google and Bing. You can differentiate your search depending on the type of business you have, whether it is a one-location business, a multi-location business, or a marketing agency.

If you run a non-profit organization or a community group, you can get a free listing on American Towns. This directory is very intuitive as you can submit personal requests when performing a search.

It is easy to create an organization page on this site, and afterward you can add events to the calendar and state the venues your events will be in. Sometimes customers will become curious as to how employees are treated by their bosses in a company.

Establishing good morale between employers and employees is very critical to the success of a business. With the help of a directory like GlassDoor , customers can get insight as to how well companies are doing internally. As such, Businesses that appear in directories get to be trusted and figure higher on rankings which attract more local customers to their website. Search engines like companies they know and getting listed on relevant local directories or niche ones will result in them learning more about your business.

Furthermore, it increases the odds of your business appearing in their search results. Choose your directory wisely because only the most specific listings are also more likely to help you target the right audience.

If they cannot find you through mentions, it becomes more difficult for the search engines to recommend you to potential consumers. The reason for that is that your business will not turn up in search results. What is worse than not being on listings is having incomplete or outdated information on the listings you figure. Customers and search engines alike make use of business directories to get the information they are looking for when searching for a business.

That can be business hours, phone number, address, website, opportunities, etc. Potential customers will easily give up visiting your website or even your physical location if the information they find about your business is incomplete. Limited information will thus result in reduced visibility on search results and is just overall bad for the business. The worse part of bad data is that, while it is confusing for search engines and potential customers, it can just literally damage your brand.

Inconsistent logo, website link and address, phone number and low-quality listings to name a few can have all kinds of negative consequences on your business. Needless to say, that wrong, outdated or incomplete data can have heavy consequences for your business if listed on a business directory. Credibility and reduce visibility are amongst the core problems. Search engines that are uncertain about a business, feel less confident in showing it to potential customers in search results.

Do not let bad data spread! To not fall into that, avoid incorrect NAP from the start, update your information regularly and do not let wrong it unattended. Why not turn to an online business directory as your marketing strategy? Opportunities are made for those who create them and know how to make use of them. A business directory is a great place to start for many reasons: to make meaningful connections that can be trusted, to find business partners with influence and reliable business opportunities.

This, together with the fact that more people are susceptible to finding your business, will result in indirect profits for your business. This will only help when developing your business and making profit. Do not limit business directories to just lead generators for companies and customers.

Their true potential can be reached if used for marketing and as a formidable tool for expanding your business. These websites will only benefit you in defining your niche, expand your customer base and make you generate more income. Especially for local businesses who can struggle to find customers.

Also, when you are part of a directory, you can easily connect with businesses that are also part of it. Having an optimized Google My Business listing is the best way to make sure you show up for the majority of internet users seeking what your business offers. If you want customers to find your business, you need to be on Yelp — and you need to be getting positive reviews.

As of March , the site claims million reviews and 35 million monthly mobile app users. Foursquare is nowhere near as popular as Yelp, but it does provide listings for all kinds of local businesses.

Claiming your business is free, although you can expect to be pestered to opt into their advertising options upon signing up. Beyond a business listing, YP stays relevant by offering coupons, providing listings for a large variety of industries, and regularly posting blog content to drive internal link equity back toward their directory pages.

Plus, this site converts. When people go to YP. It also serves a small business owner resource center, through their free listings, paid ad options, and educational articles. The site has more than 2 million business members, and monthly traffic numbers between , and , Businesses, sole practitioners, and anyone doing business with a physical address can add their listing for free.

Businesses can add basic information, reviews, photos coupons, and, of course, a link to their website.