SEO Boost With Local Business Listings

SEO Boost With Local Business Listings

Listing on Local Business Directories - Guide to Improve Local SEO

What is local SEO?

Local SEO is optimising your website’s presence to attract more traffic from local searches. People regularly search for something locally, for example ‘Web Design, Bishop’s Stortford.’

Users perform local searches on Google, Bing, Apple Maps, Yell.com etc. However, they also perform searches on other local platforms too.

Below is a list of all local directories that Rokit Media have compiled. Most of the directories provide free listings, but do be careful, as they have ways of trying to get you to sign up for a paid service!

At this point, we would also like to stress the importance of ensuring the site is secure. When doing our research, we came across a few directory sites which did not have any security and yet they were obtaining personal information.

Creating business entries on all these local directories does take time and can be VERY boring! However, it is rewarding when you search for your business on Google and all these business directories show up with links to your business.

Before proceeding with any business listing always check that you are not already listed as you do not want to create duplicates – it maybe that you just need to claim the business as yours. Most business directories allow you to claim your business freely, however we have come across one or two that charge.

Information to enter when creating your business listing:

• Business Name
• Address
• Phone Number
• Website Address
• Categories – what your business does
• Opening Times
• Upload a logo if the site permits.
• You can add social profiles too like Facebook and Twitter, these all show that you are an authentic business and builds up trustworthiness.

The most important factor is to keep consistent across all directories. The information must be accurate.

Yell.com offers a free scan to find out how your business is represented online and if there are any inconsistencies. They also offer a free website checker and performance report to assist in optimising your website.

You can also use an online presence tool by Moz to check out your listings and how they appear across the web.

You may come across the word ‘citation’ when listing locally. A citation is basically any mention of your business’s name, address, and phone number online.

Let’s get started … Where to list?

Our Top 10 Listing Sites

These sites are in our top 10 simply because of their popularity, ease of use, ranking and security.

1. Google My Business. You should upload your details onto Google My Business and ensure you verify. Check that your business also appears on Google Maps.
2. Bing Places. Essentially Google My Business equivalent and can be synced with Google My Business. As mentioned above check Bing Maps and verify that your business has been listed. Sometimes they send a verification code by post.
3. Yell.com. An excellent website for listing locally, they offer a free listing and some free tools to help you get started. One of our favourites!
4. Apple Maps. It’s where lots of local people look for local businesses on their phones.
5. Thomson Local. Thomson Local is very similar to Yell.com and has a loyal following.
6. Scoot. We like this because if you list on here it is automatically populated to other directory listing sites which are part of this group.
7. Cylex. This listing site is increasing in popularity and often appears on the first page of Google when you are doing searches for a specific company name. Cylex are Nationwide.
8. UK Small Business Directory. Don’t let the look of the site put you off, it is a tad old fashioned but still serves a valid purpose and has over 245,000 businesses listed on there and appears quite high in Google Rankings. It has been around a long time, signing up is done by completing a form on the website and then contacting them by email.
9. Hertfordshire Business Directory. Obviously, this directory is local to us, but you may find others similar in your area. We like this site because it was clear, easy to use and popular in our area.
10. Scoop Loop. Easy to use and simple to setup. This site offers a bit more in terms of community interaction.

Here are some other local listing websites you can take a look at. As always, be sure to check the security of the site. Some of the verification emails take a long time to come through and often end up in junk mail so remember to check.

• https://www.bizwiki.co.uk/

  Bizwiki crawls the internet looking for new businesses and adds them automatically. This information can take a while to populate. Other local listing sites that rely on Bizwiki’s information are accessplace.com and townpages.com

• https://www.inyourarea.co.uk/advertise-with-us/business-directory
• https://www.yalwa.co.uk/
• https://www.mylocalservices.co.uk/

• https://www.192.com/businesses/

  Charges for listings

• https://botw.org.uk/

  Charges for listings

• https://www.businessmagnet.co.uk/

• https://www.locanto.co.uk/

  Free Classifieds

• https://www.ibegin.com/directory/uk/
• https://www.yelp.co.uk/london/
• https://www.infobel.com/en/uk/
• https://www.opendi.co.uk/
• https://find-open.co.uk/

• https://www.allinlondon.co.uk/

  London-only businesses

• http://business.foursquare.com/

  Although a popular choice, signing up can be quite difficult.

• https://www.brownbook.net/
• https://www.118information.co.uk/
• https://www.approvedbusiness.co.uk/
• https://www.freeindex.co.uk/

• https://thephonebook.bt.com/

  Charges for service

• https://www.fyple.co.uk/
• https://www.locallife.co.uk/

• http://centralindex.com/

  Works in collaboration with a lot of the local listing sites to ensure data is correct and verified.

• https://promote-your-business.europages.com/EN/

  Requires a VAT Number

• https://www.iglobal.co/united-kingdom

Depending on what your business provides, there may be listing websites that are specific to your line of work like checkatrade.com or tripadvisor.co.uk.

You may also wish to list your business on the Local Chamber of Commerce Website which does incur an annual charge.

If you have children at school, there may also be the opportunity to list your business on their own directory if they have one.

Other ways of promoting your business locally are:

• Sign up to Facebook Local Groups and Marketplace
• Enter local business awards
• Find local bloggers who are familiar with your business
• Join local associations or attend networking events

Well, we think you have enough here to get you started on your local SEO. Listing your business locally can be hugely beneficial but be prepared to received a few sales calls!

Just ensure that your listings are consistent and up-to-date. Make sure you have verified your business or claimed it where necessary. We would also advise that at least every six months doing a check to see that your business is still listed on the sites you signed up to, and to check that the listing site is still operational.

Happy listing and if you come across any recommendations for local site listings then do let us know.

Thanks for reading.

Team Rokit