What is an online Business Directory?
Business directories can be an app, a website or a printed listing of information. Businesses are usually listed within niche based categories or regions. Businesses can be categorized by niche, location, activity, popularity, or size. Business data can be collected manually or using automated online search software or “scrapers”. The yellow pages is an both online business directory as well as a more traditional phone book (directory).
Business directory details may vary, they can include the business name, addresses, telephone numbers, location, contact information, services on offer, number of employees, the regions covered and any professional associations. They may include a section for user reviews, comments, and feedback. Old print business directories have recently been upgraded to websites due to the advent of the internet; this enables information to be updated more regularly and for users to be able to contact the businesses more directly.
Why is it important to list in a local business directory?
Creating local listings helps to make your business visible on the Internet and increase your chance of being found by potential customers.
The more places a business is listed the more visible it will be online, increasing their chances of ranking well in local searches. Local business listings are online profiles that contain a business name, contact details and other details. For a listing to be successful, you need to pay attention to these attributes; NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number), Categories, Photos, Social Profiles, Reviews, etc. It is incredibly important that a business specifies the same information on each directory so that each listing reflects the other thus meaning the search engines can understand what your business is about. For example, “Fred” sells Ties and Shoes. Fred needs to say this on all the directories that he creates a listing, otherwise if he was to specify shoes on one directory and ties on the other this would not help the search engine understand his business it would in fact confuse the search engine.
Cost?
Some business directories offer free listings in addition to paid options. Business directories have moved over to the internet and away from printed format. Business directories, whilst not being search engines; they have a search function, enabling users to search businesses by many different fields of information, usually category or location.
We hope that with this article has clarified what a business directory is and why if you are a business owner they can be of great benefit to you. If you would like to know more about the Algarve Business Directory or about owning a business in the Algarve, please feel free to contact us.
Luiana Nascimento & Matt Love