What are directories?
Also known as business directories or web directories, directories are websites that are specifically designed to collect, organize, and display listings about businesses from all industries.
If you wish to learn more about this topic, check out the FAQ section below:
Question #1: What are business directories for?
The main purpose of business directories is to connect businesses with potential customers. That is pretty much all there is to it.
The way different platforms accomplish this goal, however, varies slightly. Some simply display information about the different businesses on their database. Others also provide businesses with handy add-ons such as coupons and customer reviews.
Google My Business, for example, is considered one of the top web directories today because it gives business owners the power to create a full profile—which can process bookings and customer reviews—for their business and have it appear directly on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) instead of requiring the user to visit a separate website first.
Question #2: How much does it cost to list my business on a web directory?
That is the beauty of it. It costs absolutely nothing to list your business on even the top directories around today. All you really have to do is create your business page and you are all set. That being said, there are still platforms that allow you to pay for extra visibility, but that is completely optional.
Question #3: Do directories help with SEO?
Back in the day, when search engines were not as sophisticated as they are today, getting your business listed on as many web directories as possible is a great way to improve your website’s search rankings. Unfortunately, today, doing so has virtually no direct impact on SEO.
The keyword here, however, is ‘direct’. Since having your business listed on reputable web directories such as Google My Business is still a great way to build brand awareness, improve your reputation, and reach your target customers, it could end up boosting the amount of quality web traffic your website gets, which, in turn, can help bump up its search ranking.
Question #4: Can I list my business in more than one web directory?
Absolutely! In fact, you should list your business in more than one web directory to improve its visibility. It does not cost anything anyway, so there is really no reason not to do it.
This, however, does not mean that you should try to list your business on every single web directory you could find. You can just focus on the biggest, most visited ones.
Question #5: What are some examples of business directories I should consider?
Aside from Google My Business, there are several more examples of business directories you should consider, including:
Yelp
- Yellow Pages
- Nextdoor
Let us take a closer look at each one:
Yelp is one of the top business directories today with close to 180 million unique visitors per month. Considering restaurant reviews account for a whopping 49% of all reviews on the platform, it would be perfect for you if you run a restaurant business.
Yellow Pages—yes, the same company behind the classic phone books—is another viable option if you are looking for a good directory for your business. Since the majority of the people who visit the site are already looking for contact information, they are significantly more likely to actually contact the businesses they find. In fact, out of the 61 million people who use the site per month, 91% end up contacting a business within a single day.
The main selling point of Nextdoor is its highly engaged user base who actively share business recommendations on the platform, which gives you access to one of the most powerful free promotional tools at your disposal: word-of-mouth marketing.
In addition to this, however, Nextdoor also allows you to create Business Posts, which automatically get shared in the feed of potential customers within 3.2 kilometers of your business.