Boost Your Business with Local Directories
Don’t let your business get lost in the crowd
It’s that time of the year again where we remind you about the benefits of good ol’ directories! Before the internet, we relied on finding services through the big yellow brick of a book we received each year. Thanks to the world wide web, we now find them stuffed under uneven table legs or as a booster seat. Today we find what we’re looking for with a click of a button. Does your business stand out?
In 2016, Google took away the right-hand sidebar where the paid adverts were displayed. Now the paid posts soar straight to the top, making it a tough battle for smaller companies to get noticed. Directories can be a cost-effective way to help get found via search engines. Being active on directories increases the chances of your business getting noticed.
Why updating your information is vital
It is important to keep your business updated in directories. If your business has gone through a recent change and you didn’t update your information, you could lose a lot of potential customers!
Never forget to NAP, this means not sleeping on the details. Make sure your Name, Address and Phone data is accurate and up to date. Location and accessibility are two of the most important factors when it comes to customers. If your telephone number is an old one and a customer can’t get through to you, they’re unlikely to try again. Likewise, if you were to put your address as a small town in South America, a New Zealand customer wouldn’t follow up with your business!
Pro tip: Check the directories your company is listed in and confirm your details are correct. Some websites take their information from others; resulting in a cycle of incorrect information.
Updated List of Directories*
This year, we bring you an even bigger list of potential directories your business may be found in. Take a look to see where your business is listed and where it isn’t.
It’s the only thing standing in between you and your next big client.
NB: Not all directories will apply to every type of business, some are more specific to particular fields. (eg. Tripadvisor will benefit restaurants and hotels over a telecommunications company.)
*The directories list has been ranked by domain authority, with the highest ranking at the top (accurate as of July 2018).
New Zealand Directories
| RateBeer – Directory of beers, breweries, bars and stores. |
| Express Business Directory – Business directory. |
| Yellowpages NZ – Search for anything in NZ . |
| Enroll Business – Browse through local businesses and services of New Zealand. |
| MyHuckleBerry – Business directory. |
| Finda – Find anything in NZ. |
| Info News – Directory connected with membership and news. |
| Wises – Services based off an interactive map. |
| Hotfrog – A site where people register their businesses for free. |
| WowCity – Lots of different listings including hotels, real estate, stores, services and health. Get all this information by selecting a city. |
| Lawlink – Connect and share with attorneys around the world. |
| Neighbourly – The easiest way to keep up with everything in your neighbourhood. |
| NZPages – Collection of sites of all kinds and purposes. |
| NZ Search – New Zealand businesses and sights. |
| Zoomin – Businesses broken down by New Zealand city. |
| Zenbu – Collaboratively edited directory of businesses and places that help you find anything, anywhere. |
| ZipLeaf – Online business directory. |
| PathLegal – Directory for lawyers. |
| Cylex – Business directory of New Zealand. |
| Fyple – Efficiently sorted local businesses and services. |
| Local Store – Local stores with updated listings. |
| My Wedding Guide – Everything about weddings. |
| RankedByReview – Find local businesses with the best reputation. |
| MySheriff – Does all the work in finding the best service for you. |
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| NZ Localizer – A directory with many New Zealand companies. |
| New Zealand Search – Directory of websites, a search engine and New Zealand articles. |
| Homeimprovement2day – New Zealand companies for home improvement. |
| 99Nearby – The latest listings of local businesses. |
| The Local Business Network – Free listing of your business and a paid versions with enhanced SEO. |
| OpenDi – Business directory. |
| Directory Pages – Local directory with a premium category option. |
| NZ Blue Page – Business list based on city and map. |
| Opening Hours – Local businesses and their hours of operation. |
International Directories
| Google+ – Google’s social media platform. |
| LaCartes – Find anything. From local activities to exotic destinations. Worldwide site. |
| Maps Connect – Add or update your company details to Apple Maps so customers can find you. |
| Yelp – Directory of a wide range of services and businesses. Worldwide. |
| Issuu – Articles about businesses and services all around the world. |
| Foursquare – Find best places to eat, drink, shop or visit. |
| Community Walk – Create a walk in a neighborhood and find businesses nearby. |
| BrownBook – Global business listing database. |
| Tupalo – Find the best spots in your surroundings and see what other people think about it. |
| 2FL – Local businesses worldwide. |
| Yello Yello – Global business directory. Helpful to find out what’s going on in your city. |
| Sales Spider – Site with multiple purposes. Lots of reviews and products but also business directory. Has a community on site. |
| Kompass – Businesses worldwide (requires tax/vat number). |
| TripAdvisor – For things to do on your trips. Claim your business at https://www.tripadvisor.co.nz/Owners. |
| Zee Maps – Create and publish maps of business lists. |
| CallUpContact – A directory based on maps |
| Link Centre – Internet directory and search engine. |
| Viesearch – Find the most popular businesses based on 5 star ratings. |
| Cybo – Business directory with a wide range of categories. |
| Where2go – Business directory. |
| Find Us Here – Global business directory. |
| Factual – Location data company. |
| Lekkoo – Give a street name and find anything around there. |
| Epage – Free classified ads and business options. |
| So Much – A link directory without ads. |
| Expatriates – Classified ads for expatriates. |
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Top Design Firms – Reviews and rankings of top web design firms, ecommerce development, graphic designers and design agencies around the world.
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| CompanyFM – Create a page to promote your company and brand, showcase your product or service, expose your content, build customer loyalty, or just be found. |
| Wand – Worldwide directory of businesses. |
| Place Reference – Place yourself on a map and see what’s around you (with the list and streetview). |
| BeanHunter – For finding the best cafes and coffees in various cities. |
| Fonolist – Find businesses, events, and reviews. Narrow it down by the country and city you’re looking at. |
| Local Wall – Free classifieds and advertisements worldwide. |
| Places Map – World places map directory. |
| Nettica – Online directory of products and services worldwide. |
| College Zoom – College directory with reviews and achievements. |
Hi Rebecca,
It is unfortunate how many people are still not utilizing the better directories because of all the poor quality directories out there. Thanks for sharing some you find useful. I’ve written about the top directories in the U.S. for DIRJournal.com in the past. If you are interested, I can find the link. They are also running a 25% off discount that I wrote about on my site. All someone needs is the code Perm6 and to submit before the end of June 2017. There are more details on my site.
Gail – thanks very much for this insight and also sharing the promotion code! Appreciate it. Rebecca
I think directories have got a bad rap in recent years, especially in SEO circles because of the whole “submit your site to 5000 directories for $9.99!” rubbish that was popular for a long while. Thanks for posting this list of the high quality ones, I’ll add any that we are listing to our list 🙂
Thanks for this – you are SO right about directories. But in the same way that auto-posting to Social Media has become ineffective, I’m glad that manual directory submissions are effective again. It makes marketing “human” rather than automated.
Thanks for the list, some of them proved to be very useful.
Happy to help, April. Are you in new business development?