While Google Business Profile is a foundational tool — the most important tool, even — for enhancing local search visibility, it's not the only platform that can help you stand out and boost your local SEO.
Diversifying your business listings across multiple sites can significantly improve your online reach and drive more traffic to your doorstep.
In this article, we'll explore some of the best local business listing sites beyond Google Business Profile, discussing the unique benefits each platform offers and providing tips on how to maximize your presence on these essential directories.
Whether you're a restaurant owner, a contractor, a retailer, or a local SEO professional working with different businesses, optimizing your local listings across these platforms can lead to increased visibility, better customer engagement, and ultimately, more business success.
14 of the Best Local Listing Sites for Local SEO
Although Google Business Profile accounts for the vast majority of local search traffic, making it a crucial tool for local SEO, there are many other local business listing sites that can help improve your online presence and visibility.
By listing your business consistently across all relevant local directories and review sites, you can not only build local citations, which contribute to your local rankings, but also reach as close to 100% of your target audience as possible, since not everyone uses Google to find local businesses.
Here are some of the best local business listing sites to consider in addition to Google Business Profile:
1. Yelp
Overview: Yelp is a popular review site that is particularly important for restaurants, cafes, and other service-based businesses.
Benefits: High traffic, detailed reviews, and the ability to interact with customers. Yelp pages also tend to rank highly in local SERPs, and people searching for local service-based businesses often put a high amount of trust in Yelp reviews.
2. Facebook
Overview: Facebook is not just a social media platform; it also serves as a powerful local business directory.
Benefits: High user engagement, the ability to post updates and promotions, and the integration of Facebook reviews and recommendations into local search results.
3. Bing Places for Business
Overview: Bing Places for Business is similar to Google Business Profile, but for Microsoft Bing's search engine.
Benefits: Helps reach Bing users, who make up a significant portion of the non-Google search traffic, and ensures your business appears in Bing Maps. It also integrates with Yelp reviews.
4. Apple Maps (Apple Business Connect)
Overview: Many iPhone users, an increasing number, in fact, rely on Apple Maps for directions and local business information.
Apple Business Connect is Apple's version of Google Business Profile, allowing businesses to take ownership of their listings (known as Place Cards) on Apple Maps.
Benefits: Ensures your business is visible to iOS users and provides integration with Apple's Siri and other native applications.
5. Tripadvisor
Overview: Tripadvisor is essential for businesses in the travel and hospitality industry, including hotels, restaurants, and attractions.
Benefits: High visibility among travelers, detailed reviews, and the ability to attract international customers.
6. Foursquare
Overview: Foursquare is a local search-and-discovery service that also provides personalized recommendations.
Benefits: Focuses on user recommendations, helping businesses engage with customers who are actively seeking the best local experiences.
7. Yellow Pages
Overview: The digital version of the traditional phone book, Yellow Pages, remains a useful free business listing site for local businesses.
Benefits: Long-standing reputation, high traffic, and a diverse user base.
8. Angi (Formerly Angie's List)
Overview: Angi, formerly known as Angie's List, specializes in home services business listings, offering reviews and ratings for everything from pest control companies to home cleaning services.
Benefits: Trusted reviews, particularly valuable for contractors, plumbers, and other service-based businesses.
9. Better Business Bureau (BBB)
Overview: BBB is a non-profit organization that helps consumers find businesses they can trust.
Benefits: Accreditation and customer reviews that can enhance your business's credibility and trustworthiness.
10. Nextdoor
Overview: Nextdoor is a social networking service for neighborhoods that can help local businesses connect with nearby customers.
Benefits: Highly localized user base, personal recommendations, and the ability to post updates and offers directly to local residents.
11. Thumbtack
Overview: Thumbtack connects service professionals with customers looking for specific services, including financial services, home improvement services, and computer repair services.
Benefits: Lead generation, user reviews, and the ability to showcase your expertise and service offerings.
12. Hotfrog
Overview: Hotfrog is a business directory and review site that helps businesses get found online.
Benefits: Free business listing options, SEO-friendly profiles, and the ability to showcase products and services.
13. Chamber of Commerce Directory
Overview: Many local Chambers of Commerce offer online directories of their members. Check the Chamber of Commerce website for your area to see if they have listing options.
Benefits: Local credibility, networking opportunities, and visibility within the community.
14. Manta
Overview: Manta is an established online directory focused on small businesses.
Benefits: Detailed business profiles, customer reviews, and tools to improve online visibility.
Tips for Maximizing the Benefits of Local Business Listings:
- Ensure Consistency: Ensure that your business information (particularly name, address, and phone number, or NAP) is consistent across all listings to build effective local citations.
- Detail and Optimize: Fill out your profiles completely, select all relevant categories, and include keywords relevant to your business naturally in business descriptions to increase their visibility.
- Engage with Reviews: Actively respond to customer reviews, both positive and negative, to show that you value feedback and customer satisfaction, and use feedback to make positive changes to your business that can lead to better reviews.
- Update Regularly: Keep your listings updated with current business information, special offers, and new services or products.
- Use High-Quality Photos: Add attractive images to draw more attention to your listings and enhance your business's appeal.
Conclusion
By leveraging these additional local business listing sites, you can improve your business's visibility, attract more local customers, and boost your overall local SEO efforts.
It's undeniable that Google Business Profile is and will remain the best local business listing site for increasing local search visibility, diversifying your listings across multiple platforms can enhance your online presence, build valuable local citations, and ensure you reach the broadest possible audience.
Each of the sites mentioned above offers unique benefits and opportunities for engagement, making them essential tools in a comprehensive local SEO strategy.
By maintaining consistent, detailed, and optimized profiles, and actively engaging with customer reviews across different online business directories, you can maximize the impact of your local listings and drive more traffic to your business.