Best Local Online Directories to List Your Business

Listing your business in trusted online directories has many benefits, such as helping you rank higher in local searches.

2. They help your business rank higher for local searches.

In addition to helping customers find your business, local citations can also help with your local SEO, so you rank higher in local search engine results pages (SERPs). That's because search engines use these citations as a key signal when determining which results to display for a given query.

The logic goes like this: if a search engine sees that your business information is frequently mentioned online (i.e., you have a lot of local citations), they can be reasonably confident that your business exists. As a result, they'll be more likely to rank you more highly for local searches.

We can't tell you how much more confident—search engines keep the exact numbers under lock and key—but we can tell you that local citations are an important ranking factor for local Google searches, according to one study by Moz.

Prospective customers are rarely as self-motivated as Liam Neeson in “Taken,” which is why local citations and business directories are so crucial to online visibility.

What Makes an Online Directory Good for Local Citations?

Not all online directories are equal in the eyes of search engines. 

To reap the rewards of a strong citation profile, you need to focus your efforts on directories that search engines trust. Luckily, there's a metric you can use to determine which directories have the most “authority” in Google's eyes—domain authority (DA).

Domain authority is a search engine ranking score that describes its relevance to its subject area or industry. Or, to generalize, how likely it is to rank well in SERPs. Usually, the higher the DA, the higher the rank.

DA scores range from 0-100, with higher scores representing greater authority. The generally accepted benchmarks are:

• Average: 40-50
• Good: 50-60
• Excellent: 60+ 

Regarding local citations, you should aim for directories with DA scores of 60 or higher. These directories will give your business the biggest boost in SERPs.

Now that you understand the selection process, let's look at some of the top online directories.

10 Top Online Directories to List Your Business for Free 

1) Google Business Profile (DA: 100)

Remember Google My Business (GMB)? Well, it’s now Google Business Profile (GBP). This is the single most important directory for your business. Why? Because it’s provided by Google, the biggest and most influential search engine in the world. Creating a business profile on Google is quick, easy, and free. Plus, it gives you the chance to show up in Google Maps results, which is extremely valuable real estate.

2) Apple Maps (DA: 100)

Apple Maps might not be quite as popular as Google's alternative, but millions of people still use it daily. Apple is also much more likely to feature businesses with complete and accurate listings in its Maps app. So if you want your business to stand out, it's worth taking the time to create a listing.

3) LinkedIn (DA: 99)

LinkedIn is the largest professional networking platform in the world, with over 500 million active users. It's an especially valuable platform for businesses that sell products or services to other businesses (B2B), as it allows you to connect with your target market directly. 

4) Facebook Pages (DA: 98)

Facebook is the largest social media platform in the world, with over 2 billion monthly active users. Creating a business page on Facebook is also quick, easy, and free. Plus, it allows you to take advantage of Facebook's massive reach and suite of business tools to promote your business to a large audience.

5) TripAdvisor (DA: 94)

With over 500 million monthly visitors, TripAdvisor is one of the world's largest travel review and booking websites. If you own a hotel, restaurant, or other business in the travel industry, TripAdvisor is an essential platform for promoting your business.

6) Instagram for Business (DA: 93)

Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the world, and it's a great platform for businesses in visual industries like fashion, food, and travel. If you're not already using Instagram to promote your business, you're missing out on a huge opportunity.

7) Yelp (DA: 93)

Yelp is a top-rated source for local business reviews, with over 140 million monthly visitors. It's especially valuable for businesses in the hospitality and service industries, as customers often use Yelp to find new places to eat, drink, and shop.

8) Bing Places (DA: 93)

Bing gets a lot of hate. And that leads some people to believe that no one uses it. Well, today, we're dispelling that myth. Bing has around 126 million active users and fields an average of 3.5 billion searches every day. It's worth your time to list your business on this search platform.

9) Glassdoor (DA: 91)

Glassdoor is a website where employees can anonymously review their employers. It's also a great platform for promoting your business to job seekers with top talent. And even if you aren't, you can still benefit from its excellent DA!

10) Yellow Pages (DA: 83)

When you think of the Yellow Pages, you're probably picturing the phone book that used to be delivered to your door every year. But the Yellow Pages is much more than that—it's now an online directory with over 20 million monthly visitors.

5 Top Online Paid Directories to List Your Business 

1) FourSquare (DA: 92)

FourSquare is a popular location-based app that helps people find businesses near them. It has over 50 million monthly active users. It's a fantastic platform for retail, hospitality, and service businesses. 

2) The Business Journals (DA: 92)

The Business Journals is a popular website for business news and information, with over 45 million monthly visitors. It's a solid platform for businesses in any industry, but it's especially valuable for businesses that sell products or services to other businesses (B2B).

3) Better Business Bureau (DA: 91)

The Better Business Bureau is a well-known platform where people can find businesses they can trust. It's been around since 1912 and has an excellent reputation. This platform is especially valuable for businesses selling consumer products or services. 

4) Houzz (DA: 90)

Houzz is a popular platform for home improvement and design, with over 40 million monthly active users. It serves businesses in the home improvement, design, and construction industries. 

5) Angi (DA: 77)

Angi (formerly Angie's List) is a popular website where people can find and review local businesses, with over 3 million paying members. It's good for home improvement, health and wellness, and automotive companies. 

Your Online Directory Listing Checklist

So, there you have it, 15 great options to kick-start your citation-building campaign. To finish up, we will be sharing a checklist you can run through when creating business listings to ensure that they're as effective as possible. 

Here's what to include in each listing:

• NAP (Name, Address, Phone number)
• Business category
• Business description
• Website address
• Products/Services
• Business Logo
• Hours of operation
• Payment methods
• Photos
• Videos
• Reviews and testimonials
• Social media links
• Keywords

Start Boosting Your Visibility with Online Directories!

We hope that this article has given you some valuable insights into the world of online directories and how you can use them to better promote your business. If you're looking for more ways to improve your visibility and attract new customers, contact PW Media today!