{"id":5976,"date":"2014-01-20T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-01-20T20:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/?p=4402"},"modified":"2020-03-30T19:09:25","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T23:09:25","slug":"dramatically-increase-online-visibility-directory-listings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/dramatically-increase-online-visibility-directory-listings","title":{"rendered":"How to dramatically increase your online visibility with directory listings"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you want to make it easier for people to find your small business online, getting listed in online directories is a powerful way to help you do that. It\u2019s also a good way to build your website\u2019s domain authority, because directory listings will increase the number of backlinks to your website\u2014helping you show higher in search results, which can ultimately bring in new leads for your small business. I\u2019ve seen several small businesses grow significantly from spending an afternoon every few weeks on getting listings. So it\u2019s a marketing strategy well worth investing in. As with all search engine optimization<\/a> (SEO) strategies\u2014especially link building\u2014you have to be careful to make sure you are only adding your business to relevant, quality directories that will indeed improve your online visibility. I\u2019ve developed the following three-step process to make sure you\u2019re able to do just that.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Find the Top Directories for Your Business<\/h3>\n

First off, let\u2019s look at some ways you can discover good online directories to submit your business to. As you come across good directories, bookmark them or add them to a spreadsheet so you can keep track of them. The number of options will depend on your type of business, especially considering there are 222 million results when you search for web directory on Google. For this step, I suggest creating a list of 50 \u2013 100 top directories to start with. Then we will discuss how to evaluate which ones make the most sense for you.<\/p>\n

Industry Specific Directories<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to start is to find the highest ranked directories in your industry. For example, if you are a wedding photographer and you do a Google search for wedding photographers, the first two results (after local listings in some cases) are highly relevant industry directories.<\/p>\n

\"wedding-photographers\"<\/p>\n

Since these directories are likely getting a lot of traffic, they are ones you should consider adding your business to. You can also do Google searches for your industry + directory to find more highly relevant directories.<\/p>\n

\"lawyer-directory\"<\/p>\n

You can also find relevant directories by visiting Directory Critic and looking under applicable topics in the Niche Directory Lists<\/a> section. Add these to your spreadsheet along with applicable information (like pricing) and continue.<\/p>\n

Local Directories<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have a local business, you will have an abundance\u00a0 of local directories to choose from. You can start with general local directories like\u00a0Yelp<\/a>,\u00a0Merchant Circle<\/a>,\u00a0Yellow Pages<\/a>,\u00a0Yahoo Local<\/a>,\u00a0SuperPages<\/a>,\u00a0DexKnows<\/a>, and\u00a0Manta<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Then, you can move on to industry-specific local directories. Event planners, for example, can get listed at\u00a0Eventective<\/a>,\u00a0Gathering Guide<\/a>, and\u00a0Punch Bowl<\/a>. You can find more local directories by industry at\u00a0Get Listed<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After that, you can move on to location-based directories. If you do a Google search for your city, state, or region plus directory or business directory, you\u2019ll likely find a lot of good options.<\/p>\n

\"phoenix<\/p>\n

Be on the lookout for directories maintained by local newspapers, the Chamber of Commerce, main city sites, and more. You can also find some good location-specific directories at\u00a0Get Listed.<\/a><\/p>\n

Directories Competitors Use<\/strong><\/p>\n

One good tactic for both visibility and link building is to make sure you are listed in the top directories that your competitors are listed in. The fastest way to find out where your competitors are listed is to analyze their backlink profile \u2013 the collection of incoming links to a competitor\u2019s website. Tools like\u00a0CognitiveSEO<\/a>\u00a0allow you to analyze your competitors\u2019 backlinks and filter out backlinks from web directories.<\/p>\n

\"competitor<\/p>\n

You can also use their tool to sort your competitors\u2019 backlinks by authority, that way you can see the best directories first. You can also use Google to discover the directories your competitors use by searching for their company name plus directory.<\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

General Directories<\/strong><\/p>\n

After you\u2019ve discovered some industry-specific, local, and competitor-used directories, you can move on to general directories. These are ones that simply allow most businesses to list themselves in a specific category. To find general directories that have a category for your business type, do a Google search for inurl:category directory.<\/p>\n

\"inurl<\/p>\n

This search will help you find both general directories with a category for your business as well as additional industry-specific directories.\u00a0You can also refer to the general directories listed on\u00a0Directory Critic<\/a>. Some really good general directories include\u00a0Yahoo<\/a>,\u00a0DirJournal<\/a>,\u00a0Best of the Web<\/a>,\u00a0DMOZ<\/a>, and\u00a0Joe Ant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll go into more detail in the next step on how to evaluate directories, but for now as you discover these general directories, I suggest making sure that they have a rigid approval process in place. Directories that allow anyone to submit a link without any rules (such as no online pharmacy, adult, or casino links) should be avoided. Otherwise, you could find your business listing next to something unsavory.<\/p>\n

Customer Directories<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some service providers that you may be using to run your business may have directories where they list their customers for other customers to find.\u00a0For example,\u00a0Vistaprint<\/a>\u00a0has their own business directory for customers.<\/p>\n

Alumni Directories<\/strong><\/p>\n

Links from universities are typically considered high authority. One way to get one is by checking to see if your alma mater has a business directory on their site\u2014just do a Google search for your college name plus business directory. If so, let them know about your business and get listed! If your business has more than one owner, see if each owner can approach their own university to get multiple listings.<\/p>\n

Certification Directories<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you or someone at your business has a particular certification, see if that site has a listing for certified experts.\u00a0For example, you can get your business listed on Google if you are\u00a0Google Analytics Certified Partner<\/a>. And who wouldn\u2019t want a link from Google.com itself?<\/p>\n

Recommended Service Provider Directories<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you or someone at your business works with a particular product or service, see if that product or service lists recommended service providers. For example, if you are a web designer that works with customizing\u00a0WordPress<\/a>\u00a0designs, you could get listed on pages like\u00a0StudioPress Genesis Developers<\/a>,\u00a0Thesis Designers<\/a>, or\u00a0WooThemes Wooworkers<\/a>. Or if you work with ecommerce platforms like\u00a0Shopify<\/a>, you could get listed on the\u00a0Shopify Ecommerce Website Developers<\/a>page. So think about things you specialize in, and find out if they would list you on their site.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Identify Quality Directories<\/h3>\n

Your next step is to narrow down your full list of possible directories to the ones that are worth your time and effort submitting to\u2014namely the high quality directories that are safe for your business and that will help you dramatically increase your online visibility. If you\u2019ve done a thorough search for directories, you will have turned up several you should definitely get listed in, as well as a handful you should not bother with. Here are some factors you can use to help you separate the top directories from the rest. I suggest trying to identify between 25 \u2013 50 top directories.<\/p>\n