Can a Directory listing be useful to grow your business?

So what is a business directory? And why can it be helpful for small business owners to leverage as a strategy to grow increase exposure and their sales?

First, a business directory is an online listing of businesses. We are all familiar with the traditional telephone directories, which are still relevant is certain local markets. Directories come in many formats. In this article, we are going to focus on online directories where by you can find specific information about a business, such as the name of the business, the address, contact info, and what kind of services or products the business offers.

For starters, getting your business listed on some of the largest and most important business directories, like Google My Business, Bing Place, Yelp, etc., will not only give you an online presence with much more exposure but it will also boost your SEO ranking.

Most small business owners know about the existence of online business directories, but they are not aware of the numerous advantages of listing their business in such a directory.

Businesses are often categorized in a business directory by location, activity or size, which increases awareness and makes it easier for customers to contact the businesses that are relevant to their search.

Let’s look a bit deeper into the Benefits of being listed in an online business directory. We already briefly mentioned a few of the above, but what are the 6 most important benefits an online business directory can offer you and why it is so important to be on it.

An internet online directory can help to:

1. Grow your online presence
One of the advantages to listing your business on an online business directory is that it is automatically listed on many other directories even if you didn’t sign up for them.
This happens because many business directories and listing websites get business details from larger directories like Google and Bing and then create a new listing. This will considerably increase your online presence.

Because the information of your business is getting transferred to other listings, it is very important that when you sign up for a listing that your information is correct and that it is being updated when necessary.

2. Improve your local visibility in a particular area
In most online business directories you have the possibility to customize your settings, which makes it easier to reach the customers in your area. This can be extremely important if you are serving a specific local area.

3. Make it easier for the customer to find you

By putting in detailed information about your product or service when signing up for an online business directory, it will make it easier for customers to find your business.
They can find your business without typing in the name of your business, just by typing in the product or service, with some kind of location reference (like near me, or the name of a city). This makes it a lot easier for customers to find you.

4. Increase your brand awareness
Many business directories offer you the possibility to post pictures or videos of your business. When people start searching for a business in an online directory, your name and the picture will come into their view even if they don’t click on it. This will make a deeper impression on the mind of your customer and will increase the awareness of your brand and possible sales.

5. Boost your SEO ranking
Like we already said above, being listed in an online directory can boost your SEO. In order to rank high for search engine optimization (SEO), you need to gain the trust of search engines such as Google and Bing. You can gain that trust if you rank high in relevant search results. One way to do that is to be listed in online business directories.

6. Make you visible on Google fast
Search engine optimization is one of the ways to get ranked on the first page of Google. Unfortunately, it can take up to six months to get any results.

Using an online business directory can really boost your business, but it is essential that you provide the right business information and make updates when things change. There is nothing worse than having a frustrated customer who can’t find you or contact you.