Would you be surprised to hear that web directories still have value? Did you know that even to this day millions of Australians are using listings websites to find the products and services they need? 

Perhaps I should have started my post with a different question: Are you a millennial business owner? Or maybe a Gen Z entrepreneur? (According to Inside Small Business, Gen Z was revealed as the ‘entrepreneur generation’). If you answered ‘Yes’ to these questions, then maybe you are not as familiar with directories as you are with Google. 

Some people believe that online directories are dead. Of course, they were a lot more popular in the very early days of the Internet, when only a few businesses had websites. Once the search engines appeared, people realised that typing (or should I say ‘googling’?) a keyword to get a list of relevant results was a lot more efficient and time-saving than browsing through several categories (this is how business directories work). 

However, if you’re not familiar with online directories let me get to the point. Web directories are business listings or portals where businesses publish their listings. They are online phone books containing relevant details about businesses, such as company name, address, phone number, and website. There are people who still use business directories to find businesses that offer the services they need.

So, maybe you have no experience with web directories. Or maybe you know how they work, but you believe that they are meaningless. Well, they are not meaningless.  

Funnily enough, web directories still matter (and you will read in the following paragraphs why they still matter). Needless to say, nothing is more important for your local SEO than listing your business on Google. By the way, if you’re interested in getting further information about the importance of your Google listing for SEO rankings, please read these posts: How to set up Google My Business with a Virtual Office Address and How to optimise Google My Business for SEO rankings.     

As I was saying, web directories still appear to be a ranking factor for local businesses. So, for a small investment of maybe 30 minutes, you can list on a lot of these directories and gain potential customers.  

Note: Google My Business is actually considered to be a web business directory. But this post is not about the most popular web directories. The purpose of my post is to share a list of web local directories where it is more likely that you didn’t list your business yet (and maybe you didn’t even consider using them for your local SEO).   

Table of contents:

1. Why do web directory listings still matter?
2. What information is required for your directory submission process? 
3. 20 directories to list your business with a Virtual Office address

1. Why do web directory listings still matter?

Before you list your business on several online web directories, you may want to know why they still matter and you shouldn’t ignore them. 

Below you will find the answers:  

• People still use web directories

Not all directories are relevant for your local SEO as some of them contain outdated lists. Moreover, some local directories may require payment without having any free listing option. But some of them still have real traffic. So, if you’re listed in a directory that people are using, you can generate more leads by growing your local visibility. Directory listings make your business more visible to your local community. 

• Boost your online presence

Boosting your online presence means improving your SEO and this in what relevant web directories do. First, they increase your online presence because your business can be found in more places. Secondly, you can improve your SEO rankings if popular search engines like Google and Bing see that you have a presence and reviews on relevant web directories. Thirdly, having more backlinks (links that point from a page on one website to a page on your website) in different places can increase your business visibility. 

2. What information is required for your directory submission process?

Before you start listing your business, please consider that consistent NAP details (Name, Address, Phone) are extremely important for your SEO rankings. In other words, NAP is an important ranking factor because Google (and other relevant search engines) take consistent NAP as a signal that the information is genuine and accurate. 

Also, NAP consistency is important to build customer trust. Would you trust a business that has more than one address and phone number displayed on the Internet? Probably not.  

If you are not using a virtual office yet, let me explain to you why you should get one to have consistent contact details (and, as a result, build customer trust and increase SEO rankings). With a virtual office, you do not need to change your company’s details as you grow. A virtual office allows you to travel anywhere, work from everywhere, expand your team, access more services as you grow, and yet keep the same contact details. 

Also, if you’re not using a virtual office and you registered your business with your home address, you may not want to make your personal details available to anyone who uses these web directories – let alone the fact that your home address is available anyway to anyone who searches ASIC records. 

Now let’s get back to the subject. Typically, all web directories that are listed in this post request the same information even though the submission process may vary. As a general rule, they will require the following information:

• Company’s name (so, decide on the exact name you are going to use across all websites that display your company’s details)
• Physical address, email address, and phone number (you can add the physical address of your virtual office provider and your Australian business landline number – in case they provided you with one) 
• Business tagline (make sure you prepare a unique, catchy slogan)
• Logo file and a few photos of your business (I strongly recommend you prepare them in a jpeg format)
• ABN (some local directories may require it)
• Social media links
• A short description of your business (you are allowed to vary descriptions to create unique listings. Make sure your business descriptions are welcoming and appealing)

3. 20 directories to list your business with a Virtual Office address

Below you will find a list of the top 20 listings websites that you can list your business in with a virtual office address.  

1. Yellow Pages (https://www.yellowpages.com.au) 

For sure you already know the famous Yellow Pages printed edition. On their official website, it is clearly highlighted that your Yellow Pages listing can help your SEO ranking because “Google often scans our information to deliver their results. In fact, Yellow Pages Online listings appear on the first page of search results for more than 900,000 keywords.”

2. Yelp Australia (https://www.yelp.com.au)

Yelp is a popular social networking service where people can recommend local businesses in their area and share their experiences with different businesses. Yelp has been available in Australia since 2011 and it offers you a great opportunity to gain business visibility.

3. TrueLocal (https://www.truelocal.com.au/)

Truelocal is a popular local listing site in Australia that is widely used for brand promotion. TrueLocal has been online since 2006 and it also has a mobile app in addition to the online website so that you can easily manage your account and business listing. 

4. Hotfrog (https://www.hotfrog.com.au/)

A free listing site prominent in around 40 countries, Hotfrog is perfect for publicising your local business. Hotfrog was launched in Australia in 2005. Now, it has a large database with millions of companies that range from startups and small businesses to multinational corporations.

5. AussieWeb (https://aussieweb.com.au/)

AussieWeb is one of the powerful local listing sites available in Australia. The company is located in Brisbane. Since 1996, they have helped millions of business owners gain visibility and attract customers by allowing them to list for free their businesses.   

6. StartLocal (https://www.startlocal.com.au/)

StartLocal is a local business Australian directory that receives millions of visitors each year. One of the main advantages of listing your business on their website is that you can receive useful tips and suggestions on how to run your business. 

7. Word Of Mouth (https://www.wordofmouth.com.au/)

Word of Mouth Online (WOMO) is actually a digital version of ‘word of mouth’. The website can give great recognition to your company as it allows customers to review businesses and share their experiences. 

8. Oneflare (https://www.oneflare.com.au/)

Oneflare has thousands of registered Australian businesses. The website was launched in 2012 and it has over 300 categories of businesses. Oneflare connects businesses with consumers by matching customers’ job requests with personalised quotes from local experts. 

9. dLook (https://www.dlook.com.au/)

dLook is another well-known Australian business directory that offers free and paid online advertising options for different types of businesses. dLook started in 2005 as an online business directory focused on the Australian market and now they are providing a wide range of services, such as media management, video content creation, copywriting services, graphic design, etc

10. ShowMeLocal (https://au.showmelocal.com) 

ShowMeLocal gives business owners a wide range of tools to promote their business online. Local consumers use the website to learn more about businesses. ShowMeLocal.com is a privately-owned company based in New York City. 

11. ServiceSeeking (https://www.serviceseeking.com.au) 

ServiceSeeking is an Australian web directory that today counts over 140.000 local businesses. Since 2007, ServiceSeeking  has matched over 4 million local service jobs. Their website has a rich blog that you might be interested in browsing. 

12. EnrollBusiness (https://au.enrollbusiness.com) 

Enrollbusiness is an online directory of businesses and services. Once your business profile is created on their website it will be available to thousands of potential customers. In the beginning, EnrollBusiness was established with a goal to help business owners promote and expand their companies without having a need to have their own website. 

13. Flying Solo (https://www.flyingsolo.com.au) 

Flying Solo is a business community with thousands of members (please note that membership of the Flying Solo community is intended for individuals residing and operating in Australia only). You can also browse discussions on forums, read articles, listen to their podcasts, and more. 

14. Zipleaf (https://au.zipleaf.com)  

With over 6 years of experience in database-driven web applications, ZipLeaf is an easy to use website giving consumers the opportunity to find local companies. Zipleaf is one of Australia’s largest online business directories.

15. Service Central (https://www.servicecentral.com.au) 

Service Central was launched in 2005. On their official website, they are proud to ensure that they’ve ‘been featured in a number of major publications, as well as taking out awards from BRW Australia, My Business Awards and Technation’. Service Central gathered an active community providing thousands of articles, newsletters, and business tips. 

16. Cylex (https://www.cylex-australia.com) 

Cylex is a popular local business directory that aims to connect companies and customers. They offer free basic entries as well as a Premium Entry feature to promote your company online and gain customers. Users can also read and write reviews about your company. 

17. Misterwhat (https://www.misterwhat-au.com) 

Misterwhat is not necessarily the most popular business directory in Australia but some people still use it meaning that listing your business on their website can help you attract some more customers. 

18. SavvySME (https://www.savvysme.com.au) 

SavvySME is a business services marketplace for local Australian businesses that was founded in 2012 in Sydney. Business owners who are part of their community can receive personalised tips and expert advice.

19. Business Listings (https://www.businesslistings.net.au) 

Business Listings is a business directory that allows Australian companies to create an online profile to present their products and services. Listing your business on their website is completely free. Once you sign up, you will get an online web profile, online map, and a link to your website. 

20. National Directory (https://nationaldirectory.com.au) 

National Directory offers customers the opportunity to choose from over 400 categories. You can also connect to end-users via social media and share your business listing. Also, National Directory allows you to add articles, blogs, and media galleries from your desktop PC, tablet, or phone to their Content Management System.

Conclusion – Listing your business on the local directories mentioned above can help you get more web traffic and phone calls from customers, build consistent contact information, and boost your local SEO.

If you’re interested in listing your business on all of the directories above (or, at least, on some of them) we would highly appreciate it if you could consider using a virtual office or virtual address package provided by B2B HQ to create your business listing. 

You can also contact us if you have any further questions on how to list your business on local directories using a virtual office address. Or, you can simply contact us for further details about our services. We would be more than happy to guide and assist you.