“This one goes to Eleven!”
Listing your business in one of the top online business directories can help you find and land new customers.
To help you with this “quick win”, I have put together a list of the Top 11 US Business Directories that you can list your business on, today.
Why You Should List Your Business In An Online Directory
One of the hardest things that you, as a small business owner may struggle with, is creating and maintaining an online presence. You already have a million and one things to do, this is just another item on your ever-growing “to-do list”.
That said, there is something that you can do that will give you a big return on your investment both in the short and long term.
You will have to put a bit of effort into it upfront. Then, it’s a case of “set it and forget it”.
Registering your business with the top online directories, either in your local area and country. Or related to the industry that you are in. Will help you find more new customers and indirectly influence how you rank in search engines such as Google and Bing.
People will be able to find your business through the directory. But being listed on these types of sites positively impacts how people find your website through popular search engines.
When a popular, trusted website (a directory) links to another website (your business). The sites are deems as having a good SEO “relationship”. Having your website linked to from a “higher ranked” website, helps your website move up these rankings too.
Which Ones To List On?
It isn’t a case of listing in every directory you can find. It can take time to create a listing. So you need to make sure the business directories you do list on will have the potential to start sending you new customers.
To help you get started. I’ve compiled a list of the best business directories in the US. Along with direct links to the submit pages, to make listing your business that little bit easier.
Of the top 11, there are some free local directories and some paid, with each directory being chosen due to its Domain Authority score.
The Domain Authority score is used by many to rate how “valuable” they deem a website to be. These websites appear higher up in search results as they are more trusted. Meaning search engines think that the information on a website will be of interest to the person searching.
Google has been using this as a ranking factor since 2014 and has been steadily increasing its warnings.
Domain Authority? What’s That?
I’m not going to try to explain what that is. I’m going to leave that an amazing SEO expert, Neil Patel.
Here is Neil Patel explaining about Domain Authority. He quickly describes it as
“Domain authority (DA) refers to the number of relevant backlinks—links to your website from other reputable sites—your site has. The relevance of those backlinks also contributes to your score.”
Tips For Listing In Local Business Directories
Here are a few tips for when your are listing your business in the relevant online business directories.
- Select the most appropriate category for your business. Are your main competitors listed in one particular category? It will make sense to also be listed alongside them.
- Make sure you complete as much of the business listing as possible. Contact information, great photos, case studies, and client testimonials (if the directory allows you to enter this sort of information). It will help you stand out above the crowd.
- When entering information such as your name, address, phone number, etc. It needs to match the information listed on your website and your Google My Business Listing. Google and Bing are very clever at linking all this information together, which can help with your websites domain authority rankings
- If you are listing on a local business directory and you operate in multiple locations, make sure you link to the relevant location page on your website, for example, /Brisbane/.
- Don’t just copy and paste from your ‘about us’ page. Google will recognize this and it could affect your ranking. Make sure the description in your listing is unique to that particular directory. Both the online business directory and search engines will like you for it.
- Have a way of tracking which directories you have listed your business on. I have used a spreadsheet in the past, another good way to keep track of your listings, is to use a note-taking tool. I personally love Evernote.
- Also, you want to keep track of your logins to each site. I wouldn’t recommend a spreadsheet or note-taking app for this. Use an online password manager, LastPass is my go-to app of choice. However, they are getting rid of their free version so it may be worth having a look at an alternative.
The 11 Best US Business Directories
“Finally” I hear you scream!
Based on the Domain Authority metric from Neil Patel’s amazing tool Ubersuggest. Here is the list of The US Top Online Directories. Last updated on the 10th March 2021
Yelp
www.yelp.com – Domain Authority: 93
What They Say
“Yelp connects people with great local businesses.”
Create a Yelp listing for your business
Foursquare
foursquare.com – Domain Authority: 92
What They Say
“We believe in the power of location. What people experience in the real world and the places they go are powerful reflections of who they are and what they care about. We help leading global companies tap into this intelligence to create better customer experiences and smarter business outcomes, all based on the world’s leading platform for understanding people, places, and the interactions between them.”
Create a Foursquare listing for your business
Better Business Bureau
www.bbb.org – Domain Authority: 91
What They Say
“The Better Business Bureau, Inc. (BBB) has been serving the region for more than 80 years and is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting trust between consumers and the business community. Accountability, education and recognition are key components to the BBB’s mission of fostering trust in the marketplace. Today, the BBB has nearly 10,000 Accredited Businesses across it’s service area of Nebraska, South Dakota, The Kansas Plains and Southwest Iowa. Consumers are encouraged to report complaints and possible scams to BBB. As a matter of policy, the BBB does not endorse any product, service or company.“
Create a Better Business Bureau listing for your business
Mapquest
www.mapquest.com – Domain Authority: 89
What They Say
“MapQuest for Business powers thousands of businesses with location-enabled geospatial solutions. Our APIs and SDKs allow access to not only a variety of maps, but also to core functions critical to geospatial applications, such as geocoding, routing, spatial search, type ahead, traffic, and more.“
Create a Mapquest listing for your business
Yellow Pages
www.yellowpages.com – Domain Authority: 87
What They Say
“We’ve been around in one form or another for more than 125 years, always with one goal in mind — helping small businesses compete and win.
We provide the technology, software and local business automation tools small business owners need to better manage their time, communicate with clients, and get paid, so they can take control of their business and be more successful”
Create a YellowPages listing for your business
Angie’s List
www.angieslist.com – Domain Authority: 85
What They Say
“More than 6 million households nationwide check Angie’s List reviews to find the best local service providers, like roofers, plumbers, handymen, mechanics, doctors and dentists. And that’s just the short list. We collect ratings and reviews on more than 720 different services. The people who join Angie’s List are just like you — real folks looking for a way to find trustworthy companies that perform high-quality work.“
Create a Angie’s List listing for your business
Manta
manta.com – Domain Authority: 80
What They Say
“Manta is one of the largest online resources dedicated to small business. We deliver products, services and educational opportunities that are effective, easy to understand and geared to help business owners become more competitive in their respective industries.”
Create a Manta listing for your business
Merchant Circle
www.merchantcircle.com – Domain Authority: 72
What They Say
“MerchantCircle is the largest online network of local business owners in the Nation, so we are a direct line to the businesses in your community who can solve your day-to-day problems.“
Create a Merchant Circle listing for your business
Thumbtack
www.thumbtack.com – Domain Authority: 71
What They Say
“Back in 2008, we asked ourselves a simple question that would later become our mission: Why is it still so hard to hire a plumber? Or a piano teacher? Or any local professional?
In the era of instant-everything, you shouldn’t have to spend an entire afternoon researching, calling and comparing local pros whenever you need one. So we set out to make it easier. Today, millions of customers use Thumbtack technology to find and hire small businesses across the country.”
Create a Thumbtack listing for your business
Super Pages
www.superpages.com – Domain Authority: 68
What They Say
“We’ve been around in one form or another for more than 125 years, always with one goal in mind — helping small businesses compete and win.
We provide the technology, software and local business automation tools small business owners need to better manage their time, communicate with clients, and get paid, so they can take control of their business and be more successful.”
Create a Superpages listing for your business
Local
www.local.com – Domain Authority: 61
What They Say
“Local.com is committed to helping you find exactly what you’re looking for. From restaurants that will help you curb those midnight Japanese food cravings to finding the best home remodeling contractors in your area we’ll help you find it all.
Apart from giving you up-to-date phone numbers and addresses of local businesses across the country, we’ll also give you driving directions to get there! To complete the Local.com experience, you’ll be able read reviews of the businesses, so you can come to an informed decision. You will also be able to rate and review the services you choose, adding value to the site and enriching the next user’s experience. There are more than 100000 listings of local businesses on Local.com and we’re dedicated to adding more every day.”
Create a ‘Local’ listing for your business
Bonus Online Business Directories
I’ve found another five business directories that have a domain authority of over 50, which is pretty good.
To help you out, and if you aren’t fed up of creating your listings, here are another two you can register with.
Brownbook
www.brownbook.net – Domain Authority: 57
What They Say
“Brownbook.net is the free Global Business Listing Database that anyone can edit. Established in 2007 we’re the largest business listing database on the planet. Anyone can add listings, update them, and review businesses, and its all free and instant.
Brownbook is a global reference resource in which business owners and their agents list their businesses to get found more online. List your business, claim it to verify the details, enrich the listing with additional content like text, photos and videos, add reviews, and get alerted anytime someone reviews your business. Your Brownbook listing helps your website’s ranking on the major search engines, driving more customers to your business.
If you own a business, large or small, or if you’re an agency that helps your clients’ businesses get found online, Brownbook is a must-list location.
Brownbook is trusted by Yext, Uberall, InfoUSA, Acxiom and more.”
Create a Brownbook listing for your business
Chamber of Commerce
www.chamberofcommerce.com – Domain Authority: 59
What They Say
“ChamberofCommerce.com is a platform which helps small businesses grow by allowing our members to promote themselves using effective tools and features on the Chamber website.
Chamber Premium Members get exposure to millions of potential customers each month via top placement in the Chamber directory. In addition, members can utilize the website to promote deals, content, social activity and more.
Chamber’s editorial team of more than 50+ experts provide news, guides and reviews of small business products and services essential for growing your business.
Since 1998, ChamberofCommerce.com has grown to more than 2MM members and is one of the most trusted and authoritative brands online.”
Create a Chamber of Commerce listing for your business
Hotfrog
www.hotfrog.com – Domain Authority: 56
What They Say
“Hotfrog was developed in Australia and launched in late 2005. Since then, the directory now covers 40 countries and is growing rapidly in countries like India, Spain, Germany, France. Hotfrog now has over 70 million listings in 17 different languages.
The use of categories makes HotFrog a true people’s directory. HotFrog allows businesses to classify themselves by creating and editing their own tags with keywords associated with their business.
Moboom pursued a range of partnerships with various directories over 2015. It zeroed in on Hotfrog as its main target due to the directory’s wide global presence. Moboom then acquired 100% of the directory in November 2016. Moboom recognised the value was in the data given the company’s unique ability to leverage content.”
Create a Hotfrog listing for your business
EZ Local
ezlocal.com – Domain Authority: 54
What They Say
“EZlocal is a leader in digital presence management helping thousands of business locations manage their local-social content across internet directories, online maps, social networks, and search engines.
Your online presence made easy! EZlocal manages and grows your business’s digital presence at a price that’s right for you.”
Create a EZ Local listing for your business
Lacartes
www.lacartes.com – Domain Authority: 53
What They Say
“EZlocal is a leader in digital presence management helping thousands of business locations manage their local-social content across internet directories, online maps, social networks, and search engines.
Your online presence made easy! EZlocal manages and grows your business’s digital presence at a price that’s right for you.”
Create a Lacartes listing for your business
Conclusion
Here at Elementary Analytics, we know how hard it is to get people to your website and be able to monitor your stats and bring in new customers.
Listing your small business in an online directory, at a local or national level is a smart things to do.
It is time-consuming to create your listings, making it hard to find the time for you or a member of your team to do it and do it properly.
However, the benefits can be huge, providing a stream of customers, not only within a few days, but long term.
These directories will directly send potential business your way on a consistent basis. If the number of people that use their site is increasing. It also means the number of people you can potentially reach increases too.
When these directories link back to your site they help you climb up the search engine rankings as well. So more and more people will be coming across your site on a day-to-day basis.
I hope you have found this post useful? Thanks for reading.
Oh, just one more thing.
If there are any other directories that you think should be on the list, let me know and I will get this post updated.
