Online business directories are a vital piece of your local SEO strategy. They increase your visibility and help your customers find you.
TripAdvisor is a popular travel website that connects travelers with restaurants, hotels, and local attractions/destinations. It allows users to share their experiences and read reviews.
Yahoo is a classic search engine with a long history, including its Yahoo Local directory site portion that focuses on local businesses.
1. Yelp
Yelp is the largest user-generated review site for restaurants, salons, hotels, home services and local businesses such as electricians, plumbers and contractors. It is available worldwide.
Consumers visit Yelp over 178 million times each month. According to a recent BrightLocal report, 57% of people who read reviews connect with a business they found on Yelp.
It’s free for small businesses to create a Yelp account and manage their listing. For maximum exposure, consider putting the Yelp logo on your window cling. The company also offers a paid option to boost your profile.
2. Google My Business
A Google Business Profile is a free way to manage local listings for your company. Google’s listings are often visible between paid search ads and the first organic results for relevant searches.
Businesses can update their information on GMB, respond to reviews and ratings, and post news, updates, and promotions with ease. The company also offers NAP consistency across directories and provides the ability to track performance with listing management tools. Verification is available via phone or a postcard sent through the mail. Google also lists categories to help searchers find companies easily.
3. Bing Places
Bing Places is Microsoft’s local business listing service that enables businesses to create and optimize their profiles. They also appear on Bing search results and maps.
Bing Places offers the ability to add photos, a detailed business description and hours of operation. It is also able to manage multiple locations from one dashboard.
It is important to ensure that your information is accurate. A consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) and a complete business description will help your ranking in local searches. Bing also provides a way to verify listings.
4. Yellow Pages
The Yellow Pages is a local business directory that can help businesses find potential customers in their area. It can also be a great tool to promote specials or events.
It’s important to have consistency with your NAP (name, address, phone number) across all directories. Google will lower your rankings if it notices discrepancies. To avoid this, use a listing management tool like Semrush to update all your listings in one place. This will save you time and money. It will also give you better results.
5. Foursquare
Foursquare is a popular location-based service that allows you to find new places to visit and share tips with friends. Users can also earn “badges” and become a “mayor” of a specific place, which may lead to special perks or discounts.
While many predicted that check-ins would die out, the company shifted gears and rebranded itself in 2014 with the release of Swarm. This app was based on the old Foursquare model of checking in, with a focus on reviewing different venues. It also included Pilgrim, a technology that guesses a user’s location without them having to press a button.
6. Yahoo! Local
While Yahoo is no longer a big name in tech, 1 out of 8 internet searches still happens on Yahoo. The company’s local business listings are now managed by Yext and are a great option for businesses looking to build their online reputation and search engine optimization (SEO).
Yahoo offers simple business profiles with customer reviews that play a critical role in building trust and credibility with prospective customers. They also allow users to save and easily retrieve local entities via personalized Collections.
7. City-Data
City-Data presents data and information about cities and provides public online forums for discussion. It is a great tool for potential newcomers to research a town before they move there, as well as writers who need up to date statistics about their local towns to write articles or reinforce arguments. The website features grittier data sets including restaurant inspections, crime statistics, education statistics and more. City-Data includes consumer names and addresses in its profiles but has an opt-out feature to break the web-visible association..
Free city profile reports are available in seconds.
8. Nextdoor
While Nextdoor has received some criticism due to profiling and scams, it provides businesses with a platform that is uniquely suited for local engagement. In addition, the app offers a powerful advertising dashboard.
Nextdoor’s hyperlocal messaging has been criticized for inflating fears and creating an atmosphere of paranoid hysteria. Its opponents say the app weaponizes curtain-twitching and contributes to social isolation by segregating neighborhoods into groups of “good” residents from the “bad.” It also may encourage distrust of strangers, minorities, and the poor. Meira Gebel is a writer and researcher for Digital Trends.
9. Localbiz 99
LocalBiz99 is one of the leading free business listing sites in India, offering a dynamic platform for businesses to expand their online presence and reach a wider audience. With a user-friendly interface and a comprehensive directory, it empowers entrepreneurs and established businesses alike to elevate their online visibility.
By listing your business on LocalBiz99, you gain access to a vast pool of potential customers actively searching for products and services in your niche. This invaluable exposure can significantly boost your brand’s recognition and, ultimately, lead to increased sales and growth. LocalBiz99 is the go-to destination for businesses in India looking to take their ventures to the next level in the digital age.
10. Hotfrog
The online business directory Hotfrog allows businesses to showcase themselves worldwide and generate more inquiries. The site offers a cost-effective marketing solution and improved search engine optimization.
Moboom pursued numerous partnerships with various directories in 2015 and zeroed in on Hotfrog due to its vast global presence. It was acquired 100% by the company in November 2016.
Increase demand for your business with this online directory that is free to use. It features more than 66 million businesses in over thirty-eight countries. Showcase your business details, news and updates, coupons and more to attract potential customers.