Being found online and gaining the exposure you deserve is no easy feat. With the drastic change of the business landscape which came with the information age, businesses are now coming up with new ways of finding new customers, which quite literally did not exist a decade ago.
However, one method of this has stood the test of time and has evolved with the technology around us: using company directory listings. And, before you ask, nope, we’re not talking about cracking open a sky-high hard copy of the Yellow Pages. We’re talking about online directory listings and why you should take advantage of them.
For more methods of increasing your online visibility and to better understand how to get found online, be sure to head over to: https://www.colewood.net/blog/seo/how-to-get-found-online-a-small-fish-in-a-big-pond/
Visibility – Optimised
With so much competition amidst the business landscape, potential buyers tend to look to directory listings to find companies that are relevant to their own needs, due to the fact that the information is usually concise and more objective than, say, a piece of marketing copy.
So, by optimising your visibility, you are therefore maximising the likelihood that a potential business/customer (depending on whether or not you’re a B2B or B2C business) will stumble across your company details, which equals more business for yourself. Although this may seem obvious, it is important to note due to the fact that it’s a quick and easy way to gain more exposure for your business. Need I say anything else?
Well, actually, I’m going to. Because the benefits don’t just stop there.
In fact, before we move on, I do think it’s worth a mention that keeping track of the listings you appear on is imperative to any business looking to use online directories. Ensuring phone numbers, URLs, and addresses are all up to date is extremely important if you are going to add your company information to a directory listing. This keeps people in the loop, but most importantly, it would sort of defeat the purpose of using a directory listing if the information provided was incorrect.
Backlinks – Acquired
As well as increasing your visibility, exposure, discoverability, or whatever you want to call it, online directory listings also provide you with… drum roll, please… backlinks! And not just that – they can also provide you with high-quality backlinks.
This is because a lot of online directory listings have a high domain authority, meaning that the links that take searchers to your website are better quality than websites with low domain authority, and thus bear more weight on improving your SEO. If, by this point, you’re not jumping at the idea of adding your company info to a directory listing, then I do not know what to say to you. In simpler terms, high-ranking websites + links to your company website = great for SEO.
For the time (~5 minutes, if that), effort, and money (£0) required to gain such valuable backlinks and reap the SEO benefits of having links from such reputable and high-ranking websites, taking advantage of directory listings is most definitely something that should be considered by businesses of all sizes.
Reputation – Improved
Another key benefit of using online directory listings is that your business’ reputation will be strengthened. Because the directory listings themselves are trusted, this tells any potential onlookers that you too are trusted and that your business is one of high quality. Think of it as having a seal of approval from whichever directory listing you use, which says “This is a business you can rely on”.
Adding another element to this is the fact that many online business directories also have review sections which only serve to further increase your reputation and trustworthiness – as long as you’re on your best behaviour, of course. Allowing customers to leave a review of your company goes to show that you are interested in what your audience think and also tells people that you value their opinion, helping to build and maintain a positive brand image. It goes to show that you are not a fraudulent firm and that you are serious about what it is you do.
To conclude, using an online business directory is a cost-effective, time-effective method of not only increasing your business’ reach, but also strengthening your reputation and improving your overall trustworthiness as a brand. For SMEs and large enterprises alike, the benefits of using online business directories remain. With so many costly and time-consuming methods of marketing in business today, this truly is an opportunity that should be taken advantage of.
