Setting up a business and hoping the right clients or customers will find you, it’s not enough. It takes work and a whole lot of promoting! Which is why people go out networking all hours, getting active on social media and paying for ads in local or national publications. But, have you thought about getting your company listed in an online business directory?

An online business directory is a website listing information about businesses by industry, niche, product or other category. The amount of information detailed about a business can vary from directory to directory, but will often include the basics (name, telephone, address, location, etc.) plus additional information such as: description; opening hours; services or products; offers; images; testimonials; reviews; and so on. Users can then search these directories and find relevant companies providing a particular product or service.

There are plenty of reasons to list your business in an online directory, but here are our top five:

It’s Free!

One of the benefits of online business directories is they are either completely free, or at least have a freemium (free with a premium choice available) option. So the only investment you need to make is time.

Lead Generation

Most of the directories have a search function and many have a specific option that allows users to request quotes or further information from company’s they are looking to work with. It hasn’t cost you a penny to be listed but could very well send some leads your way – it’s a no-brainer, surely!?

SEO

With competition for webspace in every industry high, it’s all about Search Engine Optimisation. SEO is all about increasing your website’s traffic in an organic way. When someone searches the web for the services or products you provide, you want your website to be one of the first results returned to that user. With that in mind, legitimising your business across the internet is extremely important, and business listings are an excellent way to help do that.

Improve your local visibility

About 46% of online searches are users looking for local information. For this reason, having your information listed in an online directory can improve your online presence and help local customers find you more easily through advanced filter options specific to your business. With a massive increase in “near me” searches that most often bring up local business directories, it is more likely that new customers can find your business when you have your information listed in at least some local directories.

Validation

With so many businesses offering the same services or products, everyone turns to the internet to try to validate and verify. They’re looking for reviews, trading history, a good web presence, they want and need to know you’re the right fit for them, that they’re not going to be let down. Improving, refreshing and updating your online existence regularly and via as many mediums as possible will help do just that.

So what are you waiting for? Make the time and get started…