What is a Business Directory and What is It’s Purpose?

Deuteronomy 8:18 – But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Users can then browse online business directories to locate the appropriate companies that offer a specific product or service. Internet providers can set up local business listings for you in your local area, as well as larger search directories on the Internet. With the huge rise of near me searches, which more frequently result in local business directories, new customers are more likely to find your business when you have information listed on at least a few local directories. Most directories order business listings by location, making it a lot easier for potential local customers to find you.

A listing in a business directory may improve the chances that your business will be discovered by prospective customers, even if they are not searching by name for your business. You can improve the chances of being found or discovered on the internet when customers are searching for products or services by making sure that all your business details are updated and accurate across a number of listings websites and online Web directories. While having your business listed in online business directories is a big plus, incomplete and inaccurate business details could hurt your online reputation and disappoint customers searching for your business.

If you do a search on the internet using the name of your business, it is very likely that you will see that your business appears on directories that you have never submitted a listing to. It should come as no surprise that failing to submit to a popular local directory, and one with niche content, makes your business harder to discover on the internet. Being listed on the web increases your chances of customers reaching you, especially if your business is featured on directories.

Deuteronomy 2:7 – For the LORD thy God hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hand: he knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness: these forty years the LORD thy God hath been with thee; thou hast lacked nothing.

Getting your publicly available information out there will greatly increase your presence on the web, since users are searching for listings based on certain criteria. Search engines love companies that they are familiar with, and getting listed on a local directory that is relevant, or one that is niche, will lead to them learning more about your business. If you are listed on a business directory site, you stand a chance to take advantage of their established SEO and show up on the first page of the big search engines such as Google and Bing.

As a result, businesses appearing on directories gain credibility and rank higher, attracting more local customers to their websites. The more places you are listed, and the more visible you are, the more trusted local business indexes become with the accuracy of your business data — increasing the chances that you will rank well on local searches. The more you list your business online, or you are making its existence known, the more the search engines will use that data to parse through your business information and rank you higher in SERPs.

Colossians 3:23 – And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;

Google My Business is one of the most crucial and influential online listings that your business can have, because Google My Business significantly increases the chances that your business will appear on different local search results, as well as that you will get found on the internet. One of the best ways to make sure that your website shows up frequently in search results is by creating a local business profile in a highly-ranked directory website.

There are many more directory listings sites where potential customers might be searching for your business, so do some research to see which ones are the most relevant for your industry and audience. Let us take a deeper look at the benefits of quality directory listings, along with some consequences that local businesses can experience if they neglect to use a business directory for improving their online presence. In this post, we are going to cover what business directory listings (sometimes called business citations) are, why they are so crucial to SEO, and how you can ensure that you are taking advantage of every single one of the platforms available.

If you realize how important local business listings are, but you do not have the time or manpower to set up your own profile in an online business directory, then you will want to hire the services of local business directory services. Hours of operation, website URL, addresses, telephone numbers, and even reviews of businesses can all be found in local business listings. Before getting into all of the actual benefits, it is best to note that a lot of business by industry information is completely free, or at the very least has a freemium option (free with premium selections available).

1 Corinthians 10:31 – Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

Since online directories list all relevant business information, including links to their social media profiles, it allows those businesses to receive higher levels of engagement. Some small business owners make the mistake of thinking that online directories are huge databases in which their listings would simply get lost in the shuffle. Search engines such as Google cannot figure out your business unless they can find you on reputable directories.

If your information is listed on, and consistent between, platforms such as Facebook, Yelp, Google My Business, and dozens of others, the search engines algorithm can treat you as a high-profile, viable supplier within the local area. One of the ways that Apple Maps, Google, or other directories that feed information into voice search devices such as Alexa or Siri, validates your business is legitimate is to pull your business listing information and make sure that the information is consistent and current throughout Apple Maps. It is important for your business to make sure all of your business information is current in each directory listing.

By simply entering full, accurate information in your listings, the typical online business directory will then link your business with the people searching for it, even if they are not searching for your businesss name explicitly. When a user conducts a search on the online business directory, it will show a list of related results, each of them containing a short snapshot, so that you can decide on which to click on for more. When people perform a search in an enumerated directory, results will show a quick snapshot of businesses related to the keyword entered.

Luke 1:37 – For with God nothing shall be impossible.

You may have heard that you have to list your business on many different directories if you want to boost SEO. For that reason, having your info listed on online directories can enhance your presence on the web, as well as help local customers more easily find you via enhanced filtering options that are tailored specifically for your business.

Cited Sources
https://www.midlandscbd.com/articles/why-business-directories-are-so-important-17914
https://connects.world/top-10-business-directories/
https://imatrix.com/blog/importance-of-business-listings/
https://www.umbrellaconsultants.com/marketing-insights/post/18-reasons-local-listings-are-good-for-businesses-28/
https://checkoutmedia.kayako.com/article/9-8-major-benefits-of-online-business-directories
https://momentumbusinesssupport.com/2018/10/5-reasons-why-you-should-be-using-business-directories/
https://www.approvedprovidersnetwork.com/post/what-is-a-business-directory-listing