We put the internet to work for you.Call Us: 781-850-2525  (serving you from Foxboro, MA)
  • HOME
  • Websites
    • Business Websites
    • eCommerce
    • Responsive Design
    • Mobile Applications
    • Portfolio
  • Marketing
    • Internet Marketing
    • Search Engine Optimization
    • Pay-Per-Click Advertising
    • Social Media
    • Email Marketing
    • Logo and Graphic Design
    • Website/Social Media Updates
  • Web Content
    • Content Management System
    • Copywriting
    • Landing Page Development
    • Photography
    • Video Production
    • Website/Social Media Updates
    • Blogging Services
  • Collaboration
    • eRoom
      • Our Expertise
      • Best Practice Consulting
      • eRoom Hosting
      • eRoom Design
      • Gallery View
      • About eRoom
    • SharePoint
  • Portfolio
  • About Us
    • About OpenVine
    • Our Team
    • Client List
    • OpenVine Blog
    • Become a Guest Blogger
  • Contact us

Small Business Internet Blog

Tips and techniques to help small businesses benefit from using the Internet.

Interested in becoming a guest blogger for OpenVine? Click here to get started.

Increase Your Business’s Online Visibility with Online Directory Submissions

Kelly Thomas Mango
Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Long gone are the days when consumers pulled out the trusty phone book to find local businesses. Now your potential customers are turning to the internet to locate the products and services they are looking for. Will they be able to find you there?

 If you are like many small business owners, you are always on the lookout for inexpensive, relatively painless ways to improve your chances of being found online. One important aspect of search engine optimization that is often overlooked is local citation sources. These are business aggregators and local business directories that list businesses in your area.

How important is it to get your business listed with online directories? According to a 2015 study by Moz, Quality/Authority of Structured Citations was ranked as number 4 of 30 difference-making factors in competitive markets.

Getting added to these listings is pretty easy (and often free), but the key is quantity. Submitting your business information takes time, but it is worth the effort in the long run to boost your local visibility by taking advantage of as many of these directories as possible.

Finding the Best Citation Sources for Your Area

There are a number of websites where you can find the best online directories for your neck of the woods. We especially like Whitespark because you can get a list of directories by city or category. It also includes links to each citation, which saves the hassle of looking the websites up yourself. Very handy.

Here is a general list of business directories and listings that are pretty important regardless of your location:

  1. Google
  2. Bing
  3. Aabaco Small Business from Yahoo! (formerly Yahoo Small Business; involves a monthly fee)
  4. Yelp
  5. Facebook
  6. LinkedIn
  7. Angie’s List
  8. Better Business Bureau
  9. YP.com
  10. Merchant Circle
  11. Yellowbook/Hibu
  12. Whitepages
  13. Superpages.com/Dex Media
  14. Yext
  15. CitySearch
  16. Foursquare
  17. Local.com
  18. USDirectory.com
  19. Thumbtack
  20. Manta

Business Citation Audit Tools

Not sure what online citation sources your business is listed with? Learn where you are accurately listed, where you aren’t listed, and identify any omissions and inaccuracies that may exist for various directories and listings with one of these handy tools:

  • Aabaco Small Business from Yahoo!
  • Yext
  • Moz Local – My Business Listing

Yext online business directory audit toolThese audit tools all function similarly. You will be asked to enter your business name and location or phone number. You will then be shown a report which includes your current listings as well as missing or inaccurate listings. You can choose to correct any errors on your own or opt to have them fixed for you for a fee.

You want your business to be as visible as possible to potential customers when they are searching online. Now that you know where to start, why not get the ball rolling and submit your business to as many online directories as possible?

No time to submit your business to online directories? We can do the legwork for you. Contact OpenVine today to learn how we can get your business listed with relevant online directories as well as other online marketing services we provide.

*Image courtesy of flashon/depositphotos.net


Previous Next

Recent Posts

  • Six Stand-Out WordPress Plugins for Small Business Websites in 2020
  • How to Handle Negative Online Reviews: Tips for Small Business Owners
  • DIY Website Builders Vs. Self-Hosted WordPress: Which Is Better for Your Small Business?
  • The Importance of Using Google My Business for Small Business Owners
  • LinkedIn Advertising: How to Set Up a Sponsored Ad to Reach Potential Clients
  • Guidelines for Developing Great Business Website Content
  • Hyperlocal SEO Tips to Increase Your Visibility in Search Results
  • 11 Proven Marketing Strategies to Help Grow Your Small Business
  • Benefits of Blogging for Your Small Business
  • 7 Tips to Help Small Businesses Compete with Large Businesses in Google Search Results

Get web design and internet marketing tips with our monthly newsletter, OpenVine Insights.


Tags

  • advertising (3)
  • Automation (1)
  • best practice (13)
  • blog writing (11)
  • Blogging (13)
  • bloggings (8)
  • business websites (7)
  • calls-to-action (5)
  • content creation (20)
  • content marketing (8)
  • conversion rate optimization (1)
  • copywriting (7)
  • email marketing (8)
  • Facebook (4)
  • Geo-targeting (2)
  • Google (2)
  • hashtags (1)
  • html (2)
  • hyperlocal (1)
  • Images (3)
  • internet advertising (5)
  • internet marketing (30)
  • keyword research (7)
  • keywords (10)
  • landing page (5)
  • LinkedIn (2)
  • local search (8)
  • mobile websites (5)
  • off-site SEO (3)
  • online advertising (2)
  • online directories (2)
  • on-site SEO (9)
  • optimization (10)
  • Pinterest (1)
  • PPC (3)
  • responsive design (14)
  • RSS feeds (1)
  • search engine listings (11)
  • search engine optimization (22)
  • seo (31)
  • small business tips (3)
  • social media (18)
  • social media marketing (17)
  • tips and tricks (16)
  • trends (3)
  • twitter (5)
  • video (3)
  • video marketing (1)
  • website content (25)
  • Website Conversion (1)
  • website design (19)
  • website metrics (3)
  • website traffic (6)
  • wordpress (1)

Archive

  • December 2019 (1)
  • November 2019 (1)
  • October 2019 (1)
  • September 2019 (1)
  • August 2019 (2)
  • July 2019 (2)
  • June 2019 (2)
  • May 2019 (2)
  • April 2019 (2)
  • December 2018 (2)
  • August 2018 (2)
  • July 2018 (1)
  • May 2018 (2)
  • March 2018 (1)
  • February 2018 (3)
Foxboro, MA | 781-850-2525© Openvine Internet Solutions. All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Terms of Use