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Go ahead and do a generic search for a local business. Try “dentist woodstock”. As of today, four of the top ten listings on the first page of Google for this keyword are from directories. One each from yellowbook.com, insiderpages.com, superpages.com, and wellness.com Most of the searches you do for local businesses will come back with results from directories. These directories are simply websites that allow a business owner to create a profile and then enter information about their business. After the listing is approved, sometimes immediately, the business can be found by people searching in the directory for that type of business in that geographical area.
In our example, the first three listings are general directories that list businesses in a large variety of categories and subcategories. The last one, wellness.com, is a directory of businesses in the medical field only. As a business owner, you want to get your business listed on as many as possible. Not only might you get a call just from your listing, but each listing counts as a “citation” to Google. The more citations you have, the better your site will move up in the search engines. There are a number of “directory submittal” services that will automatically list your business on a large number of directories. If you are hard pressed for time then you may consider going this route. However, if you have the time or if you hire someone to do it, registering individually is the best way to go. It ensures that your address and phone are consistent, as well as all of the other information you will be entering. Its also good to make sure that your business description is at least slightly different for all listings to prevent it being flagged as duplicate content.
Note that you need to make sure that you have exactly the same address and phone number on all of the directories you are listed in. That means that you don’t want to enter Suite 999 on one directory and Ste. 999 on another. If your city name is Saint Paul, either use that or St. Paul, but do it consistently.
You find that your business is already listed in a directory and you will need to “claim” the listing. In order to get a lot of content, these directories may have simply gotten your business information from the yellow pages or another directory. There is no telling how old the content may be, and some of the content may be old or simply wrong. There is usually a link to “Claim this business” or “Claim this listing” on the page where you find your business. Click the link and follow the instructions. In order to claim your listing, you will either receive a phone call to your listed number, or you can sometimes get a postcard mailed to your business address with further instructions. This is to prevent people from claiming businesses that are not their own. Once you have successfully claimed the business listing you can then make changes, add your own description, your website address, and perhaps much more, depending on the directory.
Of course, if you don’t find an existing listing you can add your business. Most directories will let you list your business for free. They are happy to do this because:
- It adds to their content, helping their rankings in the search engines.
- They place ads on the listing, potentially adding to advertising revenues.
- They hope that you will pay to upgrade your listing, thus moving your business up in their list.
To pay or not to pay? That is the question you will need to answer for your own situation. Paying for an upgraded profile will cost from $30.00 per year on up into the hundreds of dollars per month, depending on the directory and what level of upgrade you want. For the upgrade you will get listed in “Sponsored listings” in prominent places on the page. You may also get a “followed” link instead of the usual “nofollow” link to your website. This is desirable for SEO purposes but may or may not be worth the extra expense. So weigh your options carefully before you decide to invest the money in a premium listing.
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