Following on from our previous post about verifying and updating your Google My Business listings, every local business should also ensure that they are visible on all the main local directories that people may be using to search for a local business. These local directories can be a good source of additional search traffic, as well as helping to support the number of inbound links to a website.
For anyone searching on Google, the local business listings from Google My Business are an essential part of an online marketing strategy, but other local directories should also be covered to ensure that the business can be found through multiple channels. What’s more, searchers may choose to use other local directories in the search results to find a local business, plus many of these other directories can also help to support your visibility through Google’s local search and business listings as well.
Some local directories will be well known, such as Yellow Pages or True Local, but others should also be found and used for your particular market, with listings added with as much information as possible. Many of these directories provide free listings, but if paid options are available, you need to consider what extra value these may provide and what additional online traffic may be generated.
A good way of finding the local directories relevant for your market is to search Google for your location + directory, or alternatively, search for the names of your competitors and scroll through the Google results to find where these business may also be listed. Some of the most common and useful directories to be listed on will include:
- Yellow Pages
- True Local
- Yelp
- White Pages
- WhereIs
- Hotfrog
- Think Local
Listings on these directories may increase your chances of being found by local searchers. They may also increase your brand awareness and trust, and in some cases, you can also get a direct link to your website which helps your link popularity and can support your local search rankings on Google and in Google Maps.
Make sure you keep a record of where your business details have been listed, including your login details for these sites, and make sure that you include as much information in your listing as possible. Also monitor these listings and make any further changes should any of your business details change.
If you’d like to know more about the opportunities and options for local search marketing and business directory listings, please get in touch.
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