78% look up local businesses at least<\/em> once a week or more.<\/p>\n What does this tell you?<\/p>\n The internet is the phone book of the 21st century. Remember that big, thick doorstopper of a book that housed every number and address in your local area?<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re not in the phone book, you\u2019re not going to get found.<\/p>\n It goes without saying:<\/p>\n You want your business to be found online. <\/strong><\/p>\n That means you must get your contact details in an online directory \u2013 the internet equivalent of the phone book.<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re not SEO savvy, or if building links isn\u2019t in your wheelhouse, don\u2019t worry\u2026<\/p>\n There\u2019s a web directory<\/a> for that.<\/p>\n Online directories \u2013 also known as business directories or business listings \u2013 are an easy way for businesses to build links and draw traffic to their site.<\/p>\n Here are three benefits of using an online directory:<\/p>\n Directories typically index businesses by niche, location, or category and often include reviews.<\/p>\n When a person uses an online directory, they want to locate a business that is relevant to their needs \u2013 to what they\u2019re shopping for at that very moment.<\/p>\n A directory makes it very easy for consumers to cut through the (marketing) noise.<\/p>\n By having your business listed in a directory, you\u2019re increasing your site\u2019s visibility, which increases the chances of sales, too.<\/p>\n Boosting your site\u2019s SEO and rankings is a nice byproduct of having your business listed in an online directory.<\/p>\n If you are listed in a popular directory that many users trust when looking for businesses, and <\/strong>your listing is relevant to users\u2019 needs, directories can benefit your SEO.<\/p>\n This can mean improved visibility and reach. You might even see some indirect benefits that help your SEO and site rankings.<\/p>\n Many online directories \u2013 for example, Bing Places<\/a>, Yelp<\/a>, and Foursquare<\/a> \u2013 allow businesses to submit their information to their index for free. Some online directories, on the other hand, do charge a listing fee.<\/p>\n It may be worth adding your business information to a paid directory. But be careful.<\/p>\n Paying for links is against Google\u2019s guidelines<\/a>, so don\u2019t pay for listings if you\u2019re looking for dofollow links. <\/strong><\/p>\n Even if a paid listing provides a dofollow link, chances are good you\u2019re throwing your money away.<\/p>\n There are many types of online directories out there. For example, you can find general directories, business listings, local listings, and niche directories.<\/p>\n Choosing the directory \u2013 or directories \u2013 that you want to be listed on isn\u2019t like throwing spaghetti against the wall and seeing what sticks.<\/p>\n As with all other marketing tactics, you need to have a strategy for link building on web directories.<\/p>\n Here are a few things to consider when you\u2019re developing your strategy:<\/p>\n Relevance \u2013 and reaching your target audience \u2013 are crucial to getting the most out of an online directory. Relevance is also a factor that search engines consider when they crawl sites.<\/p>\n Are you a travel agency in Texas that specializes in road trips within the continental U.S.?<\/p>\n Then, don\u2019t add your business to a directory for international travel sites.<\/p>\n It isn\u2019t relevant, you won\u2019t reach your target audience, and even if someone clicks on your link, they\u2019ll only be frustrated to find that you don\u2019t offer international travel services.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re not an international travel business, you don\u2019t want search engines to associate your website with international travel. And yes, that can hurt<\/em> SEO!<\/p>\n Choose a directory that is relevant to your niche, and the chances of reaching your target audience and boosting your SEO will be much higher.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re deciding between online directories, consider domain authority.<\/p>\n It can be more helpful to get an inbound link from a site with high domain authority (but not always \u2013 learn more in The Truth About Domain Authority: What Every SEO Needs to Understand<\/a>).<\/p>\n You can check whether you\u2019re listing your business on a trusted, well-established directory by checking the authority using a tool like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz. They all have slightly different scores and methods of scoring.<\/p>\n It\u2019s critical to remember that all \u201cauthority\u201d metrics are third-party. Google does not have any kind of official authority metric for domains. High authority signals generally mean that the tool you\u2019re using considers the domain to display all the right, \u201cgood\u201d signals. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that the domain holds better SEO value for you than others.<\/p>\n Some online directories go into more detail than others, and it\u2019s up to you to decide whether you want a simple NAP<\/a>+W listing (name, address, phone, and web URL) or a listing that features photos, reviews, and ratings.<\/p>\n For the sake of reaching your target audience, taking advantage of directories with more features will be worth the extra effort.<\/p>\n By listing your business on a directory with added features, you\u2019ll encourage your customers to provide feedback and ratings as well, which is helpful to boost site authority and SEO<\/a>.<\/p>\n If you take advantage of multiple business directories, stay consistent<\/a> with your information and updates across all of your listings.<\/p>\n Ensure every bit of your info, down to the last detail, is accurate, on-brand, and current.<\/p>\n Consistency is necessary across your entire web presence, including your directory listings, if you want to strengthen your SEO and build authority.<\/p>\n![\"how](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/how-to-use-relevant-targeted-directories-for-link-building-via-sejournal-juliaemccoy.png\")
Screenshot from BrightLocal, September 2022<\/span><\/div>\n3 Benefits Of Using Online Directories<\/h2>\n
1. Targeted And Relevant Reach<\/h3>\n
![\"Targeted](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/how-to-use-relevant-targeted-directories-for-link-building-via-sejournal-juliaemccoy-1.png\")
Screenshot from business.foursquare.com, September 2022<\/span><\/div>\n2. Trusted Links<\/h3>\n
![\"Online](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/how-to-use-relevant-targeted-directories-for-link-building-via-sejournal-juliaemccoy-2.png\")
Screenshot from bingplaces.com, September 2022<\/span><\/div>\n![\"Online](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/how-to-use-relevant-targeted-directories-for-link-building-via-sejournal-juliaemccoy-3.png\")
Screenshot from Bing search, September 2022<\/span><\/div>\n3. Cost-Effectiveness<\/h3>\n
![\"It](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/how-to-use-relevant-targeted-directories-for-link-building-via-sejournal-juliaemccoy-4.png\")
Screenshot from Yelp.com, September 2022<\/span><\/div>\n3 Ways To Find The Right Directory For Your Business<\/h2>\n
1. Relevance<\/h3>\n
2. Domain Authority<\/h3>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/how-to-use-relevant-targeted-directories-for-link-building-via-sejournal-juliaemccoy-5.png\")
Screenshot from Semrush, September 2022<\/span><\/div>\n3. The Right Features<\/h3>\n
Get The Most Out Of Online Directories: Stay Consistent<\/h2>\n