Best Web Directories for SEO
If you've followed along in our first two posts on the benefits of online directory listings for promoting a small business website and our web directory submission tips, you understand the importance of directory submissions. You know about the study suggesting that 30-40 backlinks from trustworthy, reputable sites increased a website's visibility by 60%. (For most new or low-traffic sites, we believe that the benefits will far exceed 60%!)
30 to 40 incoming, authoritative links may not sound like a lot. However, unless you're a well known entertainer, athlete, or titan in your industry (or you care for baby zoo animals), persuading high-traffic sites to link to you may be harder than you think.
For most of us, submitting our sites to the top online directories is one of the fastest ways to start generating business and creating incoming links. Not only can the directories send you direct traffic, increase confidence and trust in the eyes of your potential customers, and leapfrog you ahead of your more established competition, but links from reputable directories are also a signal to Google that your site may be worthy of a bump in the search results.
As we've also mentioned, however, links from low-quality, spammy directories can just as quickly harm a website's reputation and search engine rankings.
In this final post on the topic, we identify the best online directories and offer a sample DIY submission schedule to get you started.
What better way could there be to identify trustworthy, authoritative online directories than by simply asking Google? It turns out that, no matter how we phrase our search queries, Google identifies a group of 12–15 directories over and over:
The fact that Google appears to trust these directories isn't surprising. All of them have relatively high domain authority and page rank, meaning that they've built strong backlink profiles from highly credible, trusted sites like NYTimes, CNN, etc., plus government and educational sites.
(While these are perfect for general business listings, we often add specialty directories when we build websites for healthcare providers, home services companies, etc.)
List of web directories we recommend for every site
Our top free business listing directories
- Yelp (reviews)
- Foursquare
- Yahoo
- Google My Business
- Bing Place
- YP and SuperPages
- Blogarama
- Merchant Circle
- Hot Frog
- Better Business Bureau
- Apple Maps
- Manta
- Next Door
- TrustPilot (reviews)
- SiteJabber (reviews)
- Expertise.com
- Chamber of Commerce*
- Best of the Web (BOTW)*
*Accept paid listings only. All others on the list accept free, basic submissions as of July 2024.
Most important social media marketing platforms for businesses
- Twitter (X)
- Youtube
- TikTok
- WordPress.com
- Blogspot.com
Our Tried and Tested Submission Strategy
Spread your submissions out over time
Plan on submitting your website to a few directories each week. Spreading out the backlink creation over a month or more looks more natural to search engines. A sudden spike in backlinks raises the risk of triggering search engine spam penalties.
Write unique, interesting, and persuasive descriptions for each submission
Creating unique descriptions for each directory can prevent duplicate content penalties and allow you to vary your keywords and phrases to give search engines a better understanding of your overall products and services. Plus, changing it up each time allows you to tailor listings to each directory's unique audience.
Start with free listings
Get your business listed in the most important free online directories first. This will build a solid online presence without upfront costs.
Optimize and then monitor
Keep your directory profiles up-to-date and respond to reviews. Add high-quality images and detailed descriptions as you complete projects and as your business progresses.
Evaluate paid options
After establishing a foundation, consider paid options in directories. In many cases, these are specific to your industry and can build credibility and trust, and generate enough valuable leads to justify the expense.
Track ROI
Use tools like Google Search Console and Analytics to track your traffic, web page rankings, and leads from these directories to assess their effectiveness and adjust your strategy accordingly. If certain listings are underperforming, revisit and tweak the descriptions or images.
By following these steps, you'll be enhancing your online presence and attracting more clients to your website.
Example Approach for Getting You Started
Week 1:
Submit to Google My Business, Yelp, and Bing Places for Business
Create a unique description for each directory, highlighting your core services and unique selling points. But always keep your 'NAP' (name, address, phone number, email), and all displayed contact information identical with each submission.
Week 2:
Submit to Yahoo Small Business, LinkedIn, and Facebook
Customize each description to feature recent projects, client testimonials, and service specifics.
Week 3:
Submit to the Better Business Bureau, Foursquare, and Manta
Your descriptions here can emphasize industry experience, team members and qualifications, and client success stories.
Summary
By spreading out your submissions and tailoring each description, you'll be maximizing the benefits of directory listings for backlink building, SEO enhancement, educating visitors, and overall online presence.
For help reaching your online goals, call us. We've helped hundreds of clients succeed online, and we'd love the opportunity to help you as well! Contact us today!
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