Working with clients to establish their businesses online, I often check in with their overall online presence and make an assessment of what’s out there on Google that has their brand mentioned, listed, and linked to.
There’s been a huge shift in the SEO world of recent toward Entity SEO. Although not a new topic, entity SEO is based on the premise that a business/brand is a real-life entity, a thing that has contextual relevance to other things, therefore, building a network/framework for Google’s knowledge graph.
As Google search gets smarter with the evolution of generative AI, the strategies in SEO are evolving to be more proactive in tidying up, implementing, and strengthening the entire online presence of a brand both on and off the web page (not in the private blog-network backlink way). A key part of this is ways to tie a brand identity together in local business directories.
This article is to help small business owners get cracking on some free, fruitful, and SEO-friendly ways to list their businesses online for free. So, let’s move away from the nerdy SEO talk and jump into my favourite online business directories that offer fantastic free listing services!
But First, The Benefits Of Listing Your Business Online
Listing your business on online directories offers a multitude of advantages.
Firstly, it amplifies your online presence, making it easier for potential customers to discover your products and services. Oftentimes, these business directories are dominating search engine ranked pages (SERPs) for extremely challenging keywords such as [industry][location], so even if your website’s SEO is not up to compete for top spots, your business listing is within those top results anyways!
Secondly, you may be boosting your website’s SEO rankings through valuable backlinks. Some online business directories allow for ‘follow’ links to your website and social media, allowing Google to trace a high-value relationship between the business directory’s authority and the contextual relevance of your listing, to your own business’ website.
Thirdly, online directories provide social proof and credibility, as customers often rely on reviews and ratings to make informed decisions.
1. Yellow Pages
As an Australian-wide online and in-app business directory, Yellow Pages became one of the most established business directories across communities and on Google. Yellow Pages Online listings appear on the first page of search results for nearly 450,000 keywords!
Creating a free listing is relatively easy and the level of customisability on your free listing is enough to fill out a strong profile on their platform.
I will admit that the back end is quite clunky and doesn’t allow you to edit your profile directly once it’s been created. You do just need to message their support team when you require changes, unfortunately.
2. Localsearch
With coverage over 75 regions across Australia, Localsearch‘s online business directory has also dominated SERPs, competing for first page results across many [industry][location] search queries.
Creating a free profile is incredibly easy and straightforward. Quite a few features are locked behind a paywall, but the free listing still allows for review management and fulfilling key NAP (name, address, phone number, and more) information.
Advertising costs are pretty affordable too. This pushes your listing up to the top of your industry and location category.
3. QLD Business Directory
If you’re a Queensland-based business, definitely check out QLD Business Directory.
Unlike Yellow Pages and Localsearch, the link you receive from your free listed profile is ‘follow’. QLD Business Directory doesn’t really appear in Google’s SERPs like other online directories, but it provides strong geographical context to your brand and the link you receive is high-quality.
Just like the other directories, you’re able to list your services, link all of your contact information, and receive reviews.
4. Hotfrog AU
Hotfrog is another great online business directory platform that helps you build a strong online identity for your business.
It is really easy to sign up, edit and manage your business listings. I find it appears very similarly to QLD Business Directory – it appears as a supportive external profile for your brand but doesn’t particularly compete in Google search like Yellow Pages and Localsearch.
5. True Local
True Local is at the bottom of my list because I experienced so many technical issues trying to set up an account and list our business.
Despite this, I do recommend listing your business on the True Local platform as from experience, the strength of a listing on this site significantly supports your brand’s identity online. There isn’t much customisation and ways to build out your profile, but the standard NAP and review management is great.
This platform is particularly great for trades, cafes, mechanics and other similar service-based businesses.
Let's Chat More Online Directories and SEO
There are numerous more online business directories that are fantastic and tailored to specific industries:
The above suggestions are some great SEO-friendly suggestions for most local business styles. As we all know, establishing and maintaining a strong online presence is paramount in today’s digital landscape.
At 5 Twelve, we provide quality and results-driven SEO services to our clients. If you’d like to chat with me or my team, please enquire online today.
