The Best Business Listings to Have (And Which to Avoid)

For businesses new and old, maintaining and spreading accurate information about your business is essential for growth. One of the ways we do this is through business listings on various sites. While there are many that you should definitely list on, there are also some you may want to avoid.

Google is one of the largest search engine platforms in existence today.  For business owners, Google My Business is an essential component of distributing information.  By having a Google My Business account you can rest assured that your information is available in Google search, maps, and Google+.

Google

Get started with Google My Business.

Yahoo is one of the world’s largest internet media companies.  It was founded in 1994 by Jerry Yang and David Filo as a search engine platform.

Yahoo

Get your Yahoo Local account.

Bing is a Microsoft owned search platform that was unveiled in 2009.  It is now one of the largest competitors of Google.  Bing Places enables local business owners to add a listing to Bing.

Bing

Go to Bing Places

Yelp is a crowd sourced business review site.  Users can login to rate and review businesses ranging from restaurants to major corporations.  Yelp is a tricky listing as it allows for anyone to rate your business, even competitors.

Yelp

Add your business to Yelp.

MerchantCircle is a start-up company that helps small businesses reach out to local clientele.  MerchantCircle is free and offers several tools to help spread your business’ information.

Merchant Circle

Join MerchantCircle.

Yellowpages.com is the modern day version of its paperback counterpart.  It lists many business and services and provides advertising and online payment options.

Yellow Pages

Get on Yellowpages.

Whitepages has similar origins to Yellowpages (both began as the components of any good phonebook), but as time advanced Whitepages branched out.  They now develop mobile apps and offer services to businesses that make use of contact information.

Whitepages

Get on Whitepages.

Superpages is an online directory that offers many services.  These services include digital display ads, pay-per click, reputation management, and many more.

Superpages

Sign up with Superpages.

Manta offers a free listing and many additional services for paying customers.  They have their own ad services and unique options for your business listings.

Manta

Join Manta.

Citysearch is a local business directory that allows users to vote on businesses.  Getting a listing with Citysearch is a good idea if you have a solid client base that likes to review.

Citysearch

Foursquare is a location intelligence company that offers free online listings and has developed 2 apps: Foursquare app and Swarm.  The Foursquare app lets you explore any town in the world and Swarm is a check-in based game.

Foursquare

Join Fouraquare.

Localeze is not only a listing site but also a listing management service.  It is one of the few paid listings mentioned here, but it is well worth it.  Localeze is a high level resource that other listings pull information from.

Neustar Localeze

Register with Localeze.

Dexknows is another great listing site.  It not only has a great directory but it also allows you to track engagement on your profile.

Dexknows

Get on Dexknows.

Using EZlocal is as easy as its name implies.  Simply enter your phone number and it will scan its database.  If it finds your business you have the chance to claim it.  If it does not find your business then it will let you create a new listing.

Ezlocal

Check EZlocal.

Hotfrog is an easy listing to obtain and it has a surprisingly high authority to it.  It is a must for any business.

Hotfrog

Join Hotfrog.

All of the above listings are great for your business but there is one in particular you should avoid, Yext.  Yext is a listing management service that offers to spread your information across multiple listing sites.  What they do not tell you is that when you cancel their service or your plan runs out, all your listings revert.  So all of your money would be wasted.  Avoid giving yourself a headache and just don’t use Yext.

Does signing up for all of these business listings give you a headache? At Today’s Business, our digital development team ensures you are on all of the top business listing sites so that your company’s information is easily accessible to potential customers!