Quick Summary
- By listing your business name, address, phone number, website, hours, services, and location on these trusted platforms, local directory submission enables customers to find your business online.
- Local SEO is all about consistent NAP details. A search engine will check your business name, address, and phone number to see if you're providing accurate and trustworthy information online.
- It's better to select the appropriate directories than to submit everywhere. Building trust through high-quality platforms such as Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Yelp, Apple Business Connect, and niche-specific directories is more important than focusing on a high number of low-quality platforms.
- When it comes to listings, the complete ones are better. Your profile will be much more helpful to customers if you include categories, descriptions, photos, service areas, business hours, and contact information.
- In order to improve your listings over time, you should keep track of them and keep updating. Business information evolves over time, and if it's not kept up to date, you'll lose calls, get the wrong directions, and fall off the radar of your local community.
- One of the easiest ways to help boost your online presence, trust, and attract local customers is to submit your business to local directories. It can help search engines determine the location of your business and the services you offer, whether you're a local business, a service-based business, a clinic, restaurant, agency, or home service company.
- The fundamental goal is straightforward: to provide accurate and consistent business information on trusted local platforms where customers can easily find your business name, address, phone number, website, hours, and services.
What Is Local Business Directory Submission?
Local business directory submission involves listing your company on online directories, listing websites, maps, review sites and industry-specific websites.
These directories will normally include your:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Website URL
- Business category
- Opening hours
- Services or products
- Photos
- Customer reviews
- Map location
Examples are Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Facebook, Yellow Pages, or niche directories specific to your industry. When it comes to online review research and consumer behavior, a higher star rating has been found to boost sales, and a one-star rating has been found to be more detrimental than any other rating.
Why Local Directory Listings Matter?
Local directories not only allow customers to check and verify your business but also aid in the verification process of search engines. If your information is shared in the same way on trusted sites, it improves your likelihood of being discovered and reinforces your local search presence.
Business listings, reviews, location signals, and directory information are all used by search engines when they are deciding which businesses to display when a user types in the query "plumber near me" or "best dentist in [city]".
If you submit to local directories, your business can look to benefit in the following ways:
- Gain more visibility in the local search
- Foster trust and credibility towards new clients
- Boost local SEO signals
- Create referrals from directory sites
- Provide better communications for your customers
- To boost your Google Business Profile ranking.
- Accumulate reviews and social proof
When 2,684 users were asked about what they considered the most important aspects of a website, 46.1% of comments mentioned visual design, which is evidence that the overall presentation of your website, besides the accuracy of the information, also counts.
Step-by-Step Process to Submit Your Business to Local Directories
1. Prepare Your NAP Details
Before submitting your business anywhere, prepare your NAP information. NAP is the acronym for Name, Address, and Phone — and all three are to be exactly the same in all directory listings.
Even small inconsistencies can cause issues. Try not to use variations like:
- One listing states "Street" while the other states "St.
- Various phone numbers for platforms.
- Old or outdated addresses
- Minor variations on your business name
- Inconsistently managed call tracking numbers
NAP consistency enables search engines to link all your NAP listings to the same business and makes it more robust and trustworthy.
2. Create a Business Information Sheet
Gather all your business information in one document BEFORE you start submitting. This will save time, minimize mistakes, and give a consistent beginning.
Include:
- Business name
- Full address
- Main phone number
- Web URL and e-mail address
- Primary industry and secondary industries
- Short and long business descriptions
- Operating hours
- Social media links
- Service areas
- Business logo and images
- Accepted payment methods
With this reference sheet, identical and accurate information can be copied in each directory without fear of variation.
3. Choose the Right Local Directories
Don't sign up for all the directories available; only trusted, active, and relevant ones.
Begin with the major listing sites:
- Google Business Profile
- Bing Places
- Apple Business Connect
- Yelp
- Facebook Business Page
- Yellow Pages
- Foursquare
- MapQuest
- Better Business Bureau
- Local chamber of commerce directories are also a good source.
- Then build out niche directories relevant to your industry. Healthcare practitioners can be included in medical directories, attorneys in legal directories, restaurants in food and review sites, contractors in home service directories, and real estate agents in property sites, for instance.
The best directories are the ones that are trusted, in Google's index, and relevant to your business category and location.
4. Select the Correct Business Category
It is imperative that the correct category is selected. Your category tells the directories and search engines what your business is about and what searches you should be showing up for.
If you own a dental practice, use "Dentist" or "Dental Clinic" instead of a general term such as "Healthcare. If you have several services, select one main service, and add the other services if they are available to be added on the platform.
If you place your website in the wrong category, you could be missing out on attracting the right customers to your site.
5. Write a Clear Business Description
The description of your business should clearly describe: What you do, Where you do it, and For whom. Avoid stuffing keywords into the post, since this can appear unprofessional and will end up hurting your post.
A good example: ABC Plumbing offers plumbing services to both residential and commercial properties in Austin, Texas, including leak repair, drain cleaning, water heater installation, emergency plumbing, and pipe maintenance services.
A good description should include:
- What you do, or sell, as your primary product or service.
- Your location/service area
- Your target customers
- What is your business different
- Highlighted key services
6. Add Your Website and Contact Details
Always include your correct Web URL, telephone number, and email address. Before you start submitting, check to make sure that your website is up and working.
If they are not specific listings, your home page is usually the best choice. If a platform has service-specific URLs, you can try to link to relevant service pages, location pages, contact forms, or booking pages – in case it is easier to get users to take action directly after viewing your listing.
Studies have also revealed that mobile users are more likely to click on a mobile listing for nearby stores than on a desktop one, meaning that having easy-to-find and action-oriented listing content is important.
7. Upload High-Quality Photos
Photos complete a listing and add credibility – many people check out photos before they decide to contact a business.
Consider adding:
- Business logo
- Storefront exterior
- Interior of office or workspace
- Team photos
- Photos of the product or service
- Before-and-after work examples
- Menu and/or pricing information (if applicable)
Real, original images always instill more trust than stock photos and provide a true insight into what customers can expect from your business.
8. Verify Your Business Listing
Some directories will have to verify your listing before it can be published. This will verify that you are indeed the real owner or valid manager of the business.
The most common verification methods are:
- Phone call/SMS code
- Email confirmation
- Verification via postcard to the business address
- Website verification
- Business document submission
Google Business Profile, especially, usually needs verification before your business shows up in area search results and Google Maps.
9. Check Listing Accuracy After Approval
After your listing is approved and live, take a look at it before you get on to the next step.
Check the following:
- Business name
- Address
- Phone number
- Website link
- Category selection
- Operating hours
- Map pin location
- Business description
- Photos
- Service areas
Make sure to fix any mistakes as soon as they are made. Wrong information can result in missed calls, lost customers, and a negative impact on your local SEO.
10. Track Your Directory Submissions
Keep track of all the business directories where you submit your business listing. A tracking document will consist of:
- The name of the directory and its listing on a URL
- Login email used
- Submission date
- A status indicating whether the information is verified and approved.
- Any relevant notes
- Date last updated
This record can be much easier to update when your phone number, address, hours or website changes.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Employing variations of business names on various platforms
Listing an out-of-date phone number
Selecting the wrong or a too broad category
Creating or leaving duplicate listings unresolved
Going to shady or spam sites
Not following up on verification e-mails sent after submission
The failure to update holiday and/or temporary hours
Not adding photos to the listing
Having underdeveloped, ambiguous, and/or plagiarized business descriptions
Not having the listing URLs for future reference.
It's always better to be of a quality than a quantity. A few well-done entries on reputable, heavily visited directories will work better than hundreds of partial or poor-quality entries.
How Many Local Directories Should You Submit To?
There's no definitive guideline, but a majority of neighborhood companies will find it advantageous to have 20-50 good quality directory listings.
Prioritize:
Map and navigation systems are vital when it comes to major map and navigation platforms.
Popular consumer review sites:
- Local chamber of commerce directories can be found.
- Industry-specific directories that are relevant to your niche.
- Business directories in cities or areas
- Well-known sites that have proven themselves as credible sources of citations
After you have your core listings setup, you can expand them incrementally depending upon your industry, location, and audience.
Local Directory Submission and Local SEO
Consistent citations throughout the web are created by local directory submission, which helps with local SEO. Any mention of your business name, address, and phone number online is a citation.
These citations help search engines verify your business's legitimacy, activity, and physical presence. As this information appears more consistently on trustworthy websites, the more confident search engines are in surfacing your business in local results.
Successful local SEO can rely on a variety of elements, such as:
- Clear and precise NAP information
- A Google Business Profile verified by Google
- Uniformly listed business in relevant directories
- Positive customer reviews
- Backlinks from local relevant websites
- Correctly choosing business categories
- On-site pages with information about your location
While directory listings are not a "get-rich-quick" scheme to boost search rankings, they are a key building block of local SEO. A TripAdvisor study on managerial responses to reviews revealed that companies that responded to their reviews experienced a .0235-star rating improvement, as well as an increase of 17.3% in future review volume — and that's just a taste of what active engagement with your listing can do for it.
Best Practices for Business Listing Directories
For the greatest value of local business listing websites, adhere to the following tips:
- Use the same business name in all places
- Use the same address format at all locations
- Avoid using out-of-area phone numbers if possible
- Complete and informative business description
- Choose the most precise main category.
- Post genuine and quality business images
- When making multiple listings, check each one after you upload it.
- Find and eliminate duplicate listings
- Ensure all listings are updated in a timely manner if there are changes in information
- Ask customers to write reviews if they are pleased with your service.
Final Thoughts
Including your business in local directories is a sensible and effective method to enhance your online visibility and visibility with local visitors. The process itself isn't complicated, but accuracy and consistency are very important throughout.
First, you need to create your NAP information, choose a trusted directory site, fill out all of the fields with accurate information, verify what you put out there, and watch for the approvals that are received. When you have your listings up and consistent, you can use them meaningfully to help your local SEO, increase customer trust, and get more customers to come to you.
The research bears out the real-world results: Restaurants with a half-star increase in rating on Yelp were 19 percentage points more likely to sell out during the highest-demand times.
FAQs About Submitting Your Business to Local Directories
1. Do local business directories still help with SEO?
Yes. Local SEO remains important by having accurate and consistent listings on trusted and appropriate directories, thus having your business name, business address, phone number, website, and business category all over the internet.
2. Should I submit my business to every directory I find?
No, better stick to quality, not quantity. Focus on large platforms such as Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, and Yelp, and other niche platforms that are relevant to your business, and avoid low-quality or spammy sites.
3. Are paid business directories worth it?
Unless the directory has traffic, local relevance, or is known to have authority in the field, it is not worth paying for. When there is no real visibility or leads from a paid listing, it will probably not be worth the expense.
4. What is the most important directory for a local business?
Most important listings are generally the Google Business Profile listings, which are linked directly to Google Search and Google Maps. Plus, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, Facebook, and industry-specific directories are great additions.
5. How many local directory listings do I need?
High-quality listings are 20 to 50, which is enough for most small businesses. It's not about quantity, it's about accuracy and relevance.
6. Do directory backlinks help my website?
They can, if they are from credible and relevant platforms. Low-quality directory backlinks may seem spammy and can be detrimental; make sure to stick with trusted sources.
7. What should I do if my business information is different on different directories?
Update all listings to have NAP details that match in all locations. Customers may become confused if your company name, address, and/or phone number is inconsistent across the board, and your local SEO signals will be diluted.
8. Can I use a virtual address for local directory listings?
This will vary from platform to platform. Many respectable directories and Google Business Profile need a validated business address. Generally, service area companies can conceal their address and have the ability to reveal just the areas they serve.
9. How long does it take for directory listings to go live?
Time limit is platform-specific. Some listings show up immediately, others take a few minutes to a few days or longer to be verified through phone, email, postcard or document.
10. What is the biggest mistake businesses make with directory submission?
The worst thing you can do is provide incomplete or inconsistent data. A misnumbered phone number, outdated address, wrong category, missing website link, or duplicate listing that is not resolved can lead to lost trust and a complete lack of call to the right place.