Grace Gay
Helping Small and Medium Businesses Achieving Their Full Marketing Potential | Digital Marketing Experts
The Best Business Directories For Small Businesses
Here’s All the GOOD Bits:
- Directories are an easy win – put your business on the right ones, and you get found by customers searching for you. Plus, get a backlink that boosts your SEO.
- Backlinks aren’t SEO folklore – link structure has been core to Google’s ranking system since day one, so a trusted directory listing is a genuine asset.
- Google Business Profile is a no-brainer – it’s free, and signing up means your business can show up for “near me” searches, which have grown over 100% year-on-year.
Yell’s free tier is worth having – claim the free listing for a solid backlink. - Checkatrade isn’t flat-fee – expect from £30/month + VAT for a basic listing, or £59/month + VAT for lead-generating plans.
- Get listed, then get strategic – putting your business on directories is step one; making them actually work for your SEO is where the results come from.
Business directories are great for helping your business get seen online and therefore drive potential customers to your site. But they’re not just a traffic driver, they also serve as a key aspect of your SEO strategy.
Search engine optimisation or SEO is a key aspect of marketing that contributes to your sales revenue, business reputation, and website traffic – important metrics, right? Well, we definitely think so!
To improve your search ranking on Google, it’s important to build a collection of high-quality links that will give feedback to your website, so you receive relevant customers and Google recognises your website as valuable. Backlinks are the sort of links you want to be building. They are simply links from other websites that feed back to yours – it’s that simple. But these backlinks can’t be any old website that displays your website URL, they have to be trusted, and have a strong reputation in order to show the quality of your site.
Business directories are one way to start building your backlinks, you don’t need to pitch or spend time researching and writing, you simply have to present your business or sign up with your company information and you’ll be visible.
In this post, we’re going to walk through:
- Why business listings are so important for getting found online
- The best directory listings for your business
- Quick tips for setting up your profile on a business directory
What Is A Business Directory?
Directories are like virtual Yellow Pages for businesses. They’re designed to provide users seeking products and services with exactly what they’re looking for so they can choose the best provider for them.
Directory listings vary, but they generally contain the following information about a business:
- Name
- Address
- Phone number
- Website
- Photos
- Customer reviews
- Posts
- Special amenities
- Booking/reservation options
Sometimes a small fee may be required to list your business in a directory, but the leads that you will receive as a result will be worth it.
Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free tool that helps businesses manage how they appear across Google Search and Maps.
An extremely useful tool, Google Business Profile makes it easy for customers to find your business’s information. A simple search, and Google shows customers things like what you sell and where you’re based.
Location is an important example. Think With Google’s research on local search behaviour shows that “near me” searches have grown globally by over 100% year over year. Basic queries like this are what you’ll answer when you create a Google Business Profile.
All of your contact details can be displayed alongside your location and opening hours. You can regulate the amount of information you share. But aim to make your profile as complete and useful to customers as possible.
Not only does Google Business Profile display all your information as part of your business listing, but all of its data is fed back to you as analytics, so you know how many clicks, contacts, and impressions you’ve received.
Here are some common informational points shown on a Google Business Profile:
- Website
- Directions
- Reviews
- Address
- Opening hours
- Phone number
- Appointments
- Questions & answers
- Description
- Social media links
- Photos
It couldn’t be easier to set up. Just go to Google Business Profile, enter your business details (NAP, etc), website links, and follow the various steps needed to verify your identity.
Yell
Yell.com is one of the leading business directories, focusing mainly on localised business activity. It’s designed to make local digital marketing easy.
Similar to Google Business Profile, Yell allows businesses that are listed in their directory to link their website, phone number, and office address.
Despite some negative reviews surrounding Yell and its aggressive marketing, we think this free business directory can still provide a quality backlink for your business.
Checkatrade
Checkatrade is an online trade directory used by customers searching for local tradespeople by postcode. You can’t just sign up; you have to be a licensed tradesperson who meets their criteria:
- Qualifications
- Insurance
- Proof of identity
- References (customer experiences)
- Credit check
The requirements have only been getting stricter over the years. But if your business is registered there, this vetting can help give potential customers more confidence in your business.
A Basic membership starts at £30/month + VAT, while a Growth plan starts at £59/month + VAT. It’s not free like Google or Yell, but the payoff is that customers can find reputable traders and your website gains authority.
If you work in the trades, Checkatrade can be worth considering as part of your local visibility strategy.
A Quick Comparison
| Aspect | Google Business Profile | Yell | Checkatrade |
|---|---|---|---|
| How much does it cost? | It's free | Free basic listing, with paid packages as add-ons | From £30/month + VAT for a basic listing. From £59/month + VAT for a Growth and lead-generation account |
| Who's it for? | Any business | Any business | Vetted tradespeople |
| Is vetting required? | No, just self-verification | No | Yes: qualifications, insurance, ID, references and a credit check |
| Is there a contract? | No, cancel anytime | Not for the free listing | 12 months |
| Where are your business reviews displayed? | Google reviews, Search & Maps | Yell reviews section & on your profile | Checkatrade reviews |
| Where will you be seen? | Google Search and Google Maps | Yell.com, plus syndication to their partners: like Apple, Amazon Alexa, & Microsoft | Checkatrade's own platform and app |
| What's the platform best for? | Building broad local visibility and a free, authoritative backlink | A free extra backlink and listing alongside your main profiles | Winning trust and jobs in the trades sector, plus a backlink |
To Conclude…
With thousands of businesses trying to sell their products and services around the world, sometimes it’s easy to get lost in the crowd – meaning customers can’t find you!
Yes, business listings improve the quality of your website and allow you to appear higher in the search results, but validation is the key take away.
Customers are looking for businesses that they can trust and reviews that can support their decision. We live in a digital world full of self-validation on platforms like social media, so it’s time you validate your business online.
Remember that building backlinks to your site and becoming a part of more business directories takes time, SEO normally does, so remain patient and wait for the results.
Need a hand getting your listings to work harder?
Setting up a directory profile is easy. Making it actually pull its weight, with strong backlinks, consistent NAP details, the right reviews strategy, and a wider SEO plan that ties it all together, takes a bit more know-how. That’s where we come in.
If you’d rather hand the strategy over to a team that does this daily, book a call with The Good Marketer, and we’ll help you turn your directory listings into a proper part of your SEO growth plan.