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How to Use Local Business Directories to Increase Visibility and Sales

September 14, 2014 By Gail Gardner 34 Comments

Even in small towns, all your potential customers do not know how to find you. For years I’ve been encouraging bloggers to focus more locally. What we really need are local directories to quickly find only businesses that are in your area.

The challenge is to get sufficient numbers of small businesses to list themselves on and promote the same site. Hasan Saleem has added a Local Search Directory for businesses in the United States to his long established directory site.

Sample Local Business Listing in the DirJournal Local Directory
Sample Business Listing – Click image to see actual listing

How to Get the Most Out of Local Listings

When choosing a local directory, make sure they have current content on the domain and are active on social media (as this directory is). Because the DirJournal Directory has eight blogs containing high quality content written by me (Gail Gardner) and top writers including Jennifer Mattern, Ann Smarty, Barry Welford, Lisa Barone, Beth Burgess, and others, it has an established audience that brings in traffic to the directories.

Individual sites are not as effective in raising visibility as a collective site.  The more listings in a particular city, the more potential new customers each will get. Although there are SEO benefits to having listings, your goal is to attract real people to visit your site and business.

Encourage other businesses in your area to list in the same directories you do. Consider pooling your resources to advertise locally and send buyers to a page that features all those who contributed. (Many can more easily afford ads – making the investment pay off faster.)

Hair Lounge - example of a local listing in the new DirJournal Local Directory
Example listing in the new DirJournal Local Directory

Gather This Info

Before you get started making any new listing, gather this information:

  • Official Business Name
  • Address
  • Description (200 characters for Local.DirJournal.com)
  • Logo image
  • Special Offers (optional, but recommended)
  • Hours your business is open
  • Video embed code (optional, but highly recommended)
  • Contact Information
    • Phone
    • Email address
    • Website URL
    • Twitter URL
    • Facebook URL
    • Google Plus URL

TIPS for Local Listings

Take some time to do a thorough job of describing your business accurately. Before you get started, make a list of your products or services. Include brand names. Make a list of the cities, counties, and metro areas you serve.

Incorporate keywords and locations into your business description to be more easily found and ensure anyone interested chooses your business. The better your description, the more new customers any listing can bring to you.

Submitting your listing is fast and easy when you have all of the above collected. Just go to this Submit Your Site page. Be sure you choose the best category or categories. Note that this is not a free directory. They accept payment via PayPal. Paid directories have the resources to publish top content and promote it, growing the audience and increasing SEO value.

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Gail Gardner

Small Business Marketing Strategist at GrowMap
Gail Gardner is the founder of GrowMap.com. She is a Small Business Marketing Strategist who mentors small businesses, bloggers, and freelancers. After 23 years in the field with IBM and 5.5 years managing AdWords accounts, her focus shifted to small business marketing strategy. GrowMap.com is listed by Cision as a Top 100 Site for Marketers and has received three Small Business Influencer Awards from Small Business Trends. Named by D&B a Top 50 SMB Influencer on Twitter, you can follow Gail @GrowMap and on LinkedIn.
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Filed Under: Local Search Tagged With: local directories

Comments

  1. Charles Nickomentes says

    July 12, 2017 at 4:09 pm

    Hi – My website is Delray Biz I was wondering if anyone could give us some ideas on promoting it?

    http://www.delraybiz.com

    Thank you!
    Charles Nickomentes would love you to read ..Top Restaurants in Delray BeachMy Profile

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      July 13, 2017 at 6:39 pm

      Hi Charles,

      The first thing to do is create and/or claim your Google My Business listing. Because Google has a monopoly on search, that is the most important one. You must claim it to ensure no competitors hijack it and steal your customers.

      Next, use something like UBL to get listings in the important databases and directory sites. More information about that is in https://growmap.com/local-business-directories/

      IMPORTANT: use EXACTLY the same name, address and phone number on those listings. This is what local SEOs refer to as NAP. Main St. and Main St and Main Street are all DIFFERENT for this purpose. They must be EXACTLY the same. Those are your highest priorities.

      Next, create social media accounts. You need to make sure you use exactly the same username on at least all the major social networks. To find one that is available, use the free version of Knowem.

      You do NOT have to be active on all of them. Just use the bios on the social networks to send people to your website. You can also let people know where you are most active.

      For more detailed advice, use the orange and black lead capture form in the right column where the video is to sign up for our autoresponder series that will help you prioritize what to do. You can also see that information on our services page at https://growmap.com/growmap-services/

      That page has valuable information in the order you’re likely to need it.
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Using a Personal Cell Phone, at Your Employer’s Request, Is a Good Thing (and Why)My Profile

      Reply
  2. Robert Dallas says

    December 15, 2016 at 6:54 pm

    Hello, Gail! Thank you for sharing local business directories statistics, It seems I’m searching about business reviews I guess this article has relevant. Thank you!
    Robert Dallas would love you to read ..Monthly Retainer PlansMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Charles Ware says

    November 17, 2016 at 9:10 pm

    Superb local business article, thank you for gathering information and share to us, these numerous tips before started online marketing is considerable to follow, Thank you so much, Gail, for your kind concern to the other online marketers.
    Charles Ware would love you to read ..Monthly Retainer PlansMy Profile

    Reply
  4. Lakhyajyoti says

    September 22, 2016 at 5:26 am

    Very informative post. Learn many important things from the post. I rarely use local business directories to increase sales. But after reading your my mind completely changed.
    Lakhyajyoti would love you to read ..Best Happy Birthday Whatsapp StatusMy Profile

    Reply
  5. Jayasri says

    July 21, 2016 at 6:13 pm

    Very informative post. The importance of local business directories are increasing day by day. Thanks for the great share.
    Jayasri would love you to read ..Best Love Whatsapp Status QuotesMy Profile

    Reply
    • Lakhyajyoti says

      January 29, 2017 at 10:44 pm

      Hi Jayasri, I tried to visit your visit. But don’t know why it is not opening here. If possible try to fix it.
      Lakhyajyoti would love you to read ..Top 5 Budget Hotels in Las VegasMy Profile

      Reply
  6. John Brown says

    April 18, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Thank you Gail . Really helpful article. I was really not aware of using local business directories to Increase my sales. Thanks again!

    Reply
  7. Yat Kiralama says

    February 27, 2016 at 9:24 am

    Have a Great and informative article Gail, your explanation is great and emphasizes on why we need to take advantage of local directories. I have always seen it as risky, since i have always judged them as link directories

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      February 27, 2016 at 3:41 pm

      Hi Yat,

      There are good directions and poor quality directories. I have more information on that in https://growmap.com/business-directory-deals/
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..How to Get Recommended: Recommendations ARE WHAT WORKS to Grow Your Small Business or BlogMy Profile

      Reply
  8. Gail Gardner says

    February 21, 2016 at 4:26 am

    Hi Vikram,

    Yes, sometimes it is easier to rank a local business. Congratulations on your success.
    Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Richard Branson’s Method To Make More Money By Doing Less WorkMy Profile

    Reply
  9. Pradeep says

    February 4, 2016 at 4:54 pm

    get listed is the only choice as you are not buying links, you are just making sure that your business get the right people you want. And the results are also proven and most likely you will get

    Reply
  10. Girish Chouhan says

    October 29, 2015 at 12:37 pm

    Hello Gail,
    This is my first visit to your site. As i found this site as informative. I was unaware of the useing Local Business Directories to Increase my Sales and also Visibility. Great to read this post. This is informative post. Thanks for sharing Gail.
    Girish Chouhan would love you to read ..Friendship Status for WhatsappMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Ashish Sharma says

    August 6, 2015 at 11:04 am

    Thanks for the information, Directories can give to a lot traffic but after the update of penguin spam comes in more visibility. This is great information for people who sell physical products and services too.
    Ashish Sharma would love you to read ..60 Best Lonely Status for Whatsapp – Feeling Alone Whatsapp StatusMy Profile

    Reply
  12. Gulet Charter says

    June 17, 2015 at 8:34 am

    Hi, and thanks for the great article ,paying listed sometimes better,If the use of high pagr rank and DA & PA sites it will help to boost the business.

    Reply
  13. Kevin clarke says

    April 17, 2015 at 4:02 am

    I am a big fan of using local business directories for promoting businesses, the best thing is that it works and every business should do it.
    Kevin clarke would love you to read ..What is this site about?My Profile

    Reply
  14. Manik says

    October 1, 2014 at 8:23 am

    Hello Gail,

    Local Business Directory is one of the best way to get more traffic from local sources and search engines. And there is a big chance to convert those traffic into customers.
    I’m already working for a local online based business company to improve their ranking for local traffic.

    Thanks for sharing these great idea. Find some new points and hope, these will help me.

    Reply
  15. vkonnect says

    September 26, 2014 at 6:04 am

    I really like your idea promoting your business by local directories i have also some thing to share with you and rest of blogger you can more promote your listing by using Auto post to multiple social networks

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 28, 2014 at 6:28 pm

      What tool are you using to auto-post?
      Gail Gardner would love you to read ..Understanding How Innovation Creates Successful Businesses My Profile

      Reply
  16. hussey says

    September 24, 2014 at 6:21 pm

    Thanks Gardner for posting such a useful article about local listing . Its very important to use local business directories to increase visibility . You thrown light on this . It will surely help everyone who read this
    hussey would love you to read ..100 Best Whatsapp Facebook Status in hindiMy Profile

    Reply
  17. John Allen says

    September 24, 2014 at 8:02 am

    Thanks for sharing such a nice article. I think If the use of high pagr rank and DA & PA sites it will help to boost the business.
    John Allen would love you to read ..Basic Tricks of WordPress Functions.php to Customize & Improve Your WP ThemeMy Profile

    Reply
  18. Krysia Kalinowska says

    September 22, 2014 at 11:12 am

    very informative blogs….local listing is more important based on new google updates…

    Reply
  19. Emily Earhart says

    September 20, 2014 at 12:50 pm

    I would like to add one point here. If we use high quality business directories, it would be much better than low and spam business directories. This article is really useful and tells us what should we do to boost our business.

    Reply
  20. Jeffrey W. Schultz says

    September 18, 2014 at 8:16 pm

    I used YEXT to see where I wasn’t listed and then did the rest myself. I did not register on every site. But I got the major ones.
    Jeffrey W. Schultz would love you to read ..Accounting and Tax Planning Saves A BusinessMy Profile

    Reply
    • Dr. Abyaneh says

      September 21, 2014 at 3:40 pm

      thank you so much for mentioning this ideas.
      to complete your topic I can say now a days with pigeon algorithm in Google, they are putting more attention on local search. so by putting more attention on your local area your are going to be the best against your competitors.
      wish to read more about this in your blog 🙂
      thanks

      Reply
  21. Marius Jakobsen says

    September 18, 2014 at 11:19 am

    Google has said that if the directories are of high pr then they have best SEO Benifits…

    Reply
  22. Matt Banes says

    September 17, 2014 at 7:27 am

    Great and informative article Gail, your explanation is great and emphasizes on why we need to take advantage of local directories. I have always seen it as risky, since i have always judged them as link directories but your explanation makes me understand the essence of local business directories. I will be updating my writing business in most of them and see the effect on traffic. Thank you for sharing this

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 18, 2014 at 6:56 pm

      There are poor quality directories you do not want to be listed in, but those that are manually reviewed are as safe as most anything else you can do. (One never knows what Google may declare bad next.)

      Reply
  23. Leonard says

    September 16, 2014 at 9:58 am

    Hi Gail! This is great information for people who sell physical products and services.Is it a good idea for bloggers who earn their living on advertisement (they write great content and get organic traffic) to list their blogs on local business directories? Does it have SEO benefits or can their sites even get punished if Google thinks they are buying links?

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 16, 2014 at 2:28 pm

      Hi Leonard,

      Google has said that if the directories are of high quality with human editors they have SEO benefits. See the Matt Cutts video in growmap.com/business-directory-deals/ for more details.

      Reply
  24. Stan Harrison says

    September 15, 2014 at 9:54 am

    Paying a directory is a great idea for starting up a local business to get brand awareness, I don’t feel like it would be a good idea to keep using this method as you would be losing too much money if you already have clients that can spread your company through word of mouth.

    Reply
  25. Stefan Lalev says

    September 15, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    Hi, and thanks for the great article. I have one question – in google webmasters I have errors of this type –
    hcard MARK: microformats.org

    As I read in internet this error is connected with google local business?
    Thanks in advance if you can help me.
    Have a nice day
    Stefan

    Reply
    • Gail Gardner says

      September 15, 2014 at 5:28 pm

      Hi Stefan,

      This is related to html you have on your site. See https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/146897?hl=en and http://www.htmlandcssbook.com/extras/introduction-to-hcard/

      Reply
  26. Aditya Antil says

    September 15, 2014 at 7:38 am

    Hi Gail,
    Sometimes paying to get listed is the only choice as you are not buying links, you are just making sure that your business get the right people you want. And the results are also proven and most likely you will get the right people for you. And expanding yourself locally surely affects the business. People get to know who you are, where you are and why you are present.

    Reply

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