Welcome to Part 2 of this series! I’m going to quickly go through the important points I covered in the previous part in this short intro. Remember local citations shouldn’t be used as a linkbuilding technique. Instead, it should be taken as a way to help your customers try to find you easier online.
Start with getting listed on the popular places: Google Places, Yahoo! Local, Facebook & Bing Places. Even if nowhere else, your business should at least be on these networks.
Be consistent across all directories with the data. For example: If you write (02) 5551 5678 as your phone number on one website, don’t write 02-5551-5678 on another. Pick one format, and stick to it. This is so the search engines don’t get confused when pulling your data off the directories.
Read Part 1 of this series: Top 15 Places for Local Citations in the US & UK
Canada
1. YP.ca
Yellow Pages Canada boasts 8 million+ visitors a month and 5 million+ mobile app downloads! Getting a citation on there just requires filling a quick form.
2. Hotfrog.ca
700,000 people a month on this one. That’s certainly some traffic you want to get your business exposed to. Plus Hotfrog goes beyond the basic features that a lot of directories limit business owners to, so you get to convey more about your business than just its location.
3. Yelp.ca
Its name itself is one of the most popular when it comes to online web directories. Getting a business citation from there will help your business both in terms of getting direct traffic and search engine optimization.
4. Ziplocal.ca
These guys do a great job at explaining what they do:
ZipLocal provides relevant search results from over 1.3million businesses with maps and capability for users to review, rate and tag business listings. ZipLocal is focused on creating the most comprehensive and engaging search experience at the neighborhood and city-wide level.
5. N49.ca
This websites gives you the ability to print reminder cards and makes it easy for people to leave a review on your business page by using a simple ReviewUs.ca/YourCompany address. It includes your company name and a QR code as well.
You can also see real-time stats of your listing.
Image courtesy n49.ca
6. Fyple.ca
This directory features over 1 million businesses. It allows you to put up your basic info, as well as a map of your location
7. Ourbis.ca
It’s quite a small site. Their Facebook page has just under 1,800 fans. Reviews are quite rare. However, they do display your info in a nice way. The website has potential for growth, so I would get listed in spite of their current low numbers.
8. Phonepages.ca
Phonepages.ca is an online business directory providing consumers with an extensive database of business listings in Canada. Their total listings in Canada are close to 1 million.
Their About page talks about how user-friendly they are. I had a look at some of their listings and I have to say that indeed, the way they have laid things out is pretty pleasant.
9. WebLocal.ca
Find. Rate. Share.
That’s their tagline.
I also like the way they put everything together on their business pages. However, it looks like you can’t put your URL up; I only saw phone numbers and physical addresses out there.
10. 411.ca
411.ca receives over 1.67 million people per month and has over 150 employees and 20,000 advertisers.
Getting listed with them just…makes sense.
Oh, and they have this line that says “Proudly Canadian Owned and Operated”, so if you’re a patriot, this might be enough to convince you to get listed.
11. ShopinCanada.com
They claim that their portal is becoming the premier community resource online for Canadian consumers and businesses. While I can’t verify this claim, they do seem to be pretty big.
12. Opendi.ca
It has a nice business page with a dynamic cool map as a background/header than can easily be expanded within a single click.
13. Findhere.ca
Okay, so this is another website that calls itself the premier website for finding local businesses and their associated information.
Their business page layout isn’t that cool, but hey, who wouldn’t take a nice citation?
14. GoldBook.ca
Not too much, not too little. This is the impression I got from looking at their business listing pages. They’re just right. Not too many advertisements. Not too little features. Nice font and colors.
15. ProfileCanada.com
They are here to connect you to real people, as well as help you look better in the SERPs. What do I mean by ‘look’ good? Here you go:
Image courtesy profilecanada.com
Australia
1. YellowPages.com.au
Yellow Pages receives more than 9 million visits a month by people looking for businesses. So be where your customers are looking for solutions and take advantage of a free listing. Yellow Pages also works on all types of devices, which is really convenient.
With Yellow Pages, you can:
Update your business listing anytime and as many times as you need
Check your ratings and reviews and find tips on how to respond to reviews and common questions
2. Local.com.au
Local.com.au has been a trusted local business directory since 1999 connecting Australian people to Australian businesses. It’s free to list your business with the local directory. And if you want extra customers, Local.com.au has a service that’s guaranteed to get you the exposure you need for as little as $770 a year.
3. YellowBook.com.au
Yellow Book is a local business listing service offered by A to Z Pages. It is designed to offer a simple-to-use and straightforward solutions to finding Australian businesses within specific geographic locations. Users can quickly access reliable information including addresses, phone numbers, websites, and email contact details of the businesses listed.
4. Localstore.com.au
Localstore.com.au connects consumers to local retailers and service providers. The rules are simple. To put up a listing on the service, you need to:
Sell products or a service directly to the public
Own a shop or office accessible to your customers
It’s a good idea to claim your business on localstore.com.au because the more exposure you have online, the more customers you can expect to walk through your door. Listing your business on the LocalStore website is free.
5. dLook.com.au
dLook is an Australian owned company founded in late 2005. The local business directory is renowned for its focus on effective online advertising and has over 1.5 million Australian business listings.
dLook delivers expert online advertising exposure, whether free or premium, and has the advanced technology support to return the most relevant search results to users.
6. Hotfrog.com.au
Hotfrog is a business directory operating out of Sydney, Australia. It was founded in 2005 and is currently operational in 38 countries including Australia. Via the Hotfrog interface, businesses can convey exactly what’s different about their products and services. You can also add images, create coupons, and showcase your business message. For any business, a Hotfrog profile can connect you with the right customers.
7. Flyingsolo.com.au
Flying Solo is home to a thriving community of 65,000 Australian businesses. In addition, the website also:
Hosts active business discussion forums
Runs a program of meet-ups around the country
Stages events
Partners with the government and private sector
And contributes the opinion to the media through detailed research surveys
8. MelbourneBD.com.au
Melbourne Business Directory or Melbourne BD is a thriving business listing service for local businesses in Melbourne. It was founded in 2012 and has since grown into a much-visited online business directory. The service operates on the use of simple keywords and geographic data. It offers an online platform through which you can maximize your online exposure, get higher rankings in the search engines, and capture more local target customers.
9. Street-Directory.com.au
Street Directory Australia, previously Virtual Map Australia, was founded in 2000 as a service to facilitate the production and display of online mapping, routing, and navigation throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Currently Street Directory Australia services both public and private sector organizations using mapping systems to assist local search in the popular cities of Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
10. StartLocal.com.au
Start Local is another popular Australian business directory. An internal team approves all business listings submitted to Start Local manually. So for business to feature on the directory, it must have some kind of local presence although Start Local does allow online businesses based in Australia with a real Australian address to submit a listing. This excludes businesses that do not trade in physical goods.
11. Yelp.com.au
Yelp is highly popular. Any business can set up a free account to post photos and messages for their customers.
Image courtesy Yelp.com.au
12. Yalwa.com.au
Yalwa is a local business directory operating in over 20 English-speaking countries across the globe. On the site, businesses are offered the ability to advertise for free. The directory is easy to use and operate and business owners are empowered to write content and adjust their profiles anytime and for an unlimited number of times.
13. Cylex.com.au
CYLEX is a powerful business tool offering a wide range of free business listing services. Submit your company to the CYLEX business directory now and you can build a rich profile to attract targeted customers and increase your online reach and exposure. CYLEX is different from the other Australian local business listing services in that it allows you to up your game with a presentation that includes a menu, brochure,or price list. You can also create product catalogues and upload videos.
14. bloo.com.au
Their mission (truly honorable): Be Honest to Customers; Be Different; Be Innovative; Be True bloo
It’s really a pretty simple network to use for everyone: business owners and consumers alike.
15. Pinkpages.com.au
This directory is actually ‘pretty’. It looks like it’s very authoritative and is taken seriously.
Featured image made by author