79 Free And Affordable Business Listing Sites: How To Get Your Business Found By More Customers – Welix Digital

Whether you’re a new business looking to expand your local reach or you’re an established local trade business, staying engaged with your community is key to your business’ success.

But how do you grow your local reach? The answer is Local SEO.

Sure, engaging with existing customers is key (as acquiring new customers costs 5x more than retaining current customers), and they can be a great source of referrals.

But your trade business needs an influx of new customers to stay afloat and profitable. You’ll need new lead generation tactics – like paid advertising or social media content – to expand your market.

For a dynamic, local business, marketing budgets and time can be tight. That’s where Local SEO comes in – and we’re going to focus on ONE incredibly powerful Local SEO strategy…that is 100% free.

Business Listing Websites.

Not only is this strategy free but it is an often overlooked tactic to help grow your business.

These business listing sites allow you to build local citations (don’t worry, we’ll explain what that is) and are proven ways to:

• Unlock valuable exposure
• Increase your web traffic
• Showcase your services to new customers

Not sure local citation sites are worth your time? Consider this: 54% of consumers search for local businesses AT LEAST once a month. That’s a flow of leads on tap, and all it takes is the right business listing for them to find you.

So we’ve assembled the most comprehensive and up-to-date resource with 80 free business listing sites for anyone looking to add their company to local directories and build local citations.

But first…

How to create an effective business listing

Consistency.

We’ll say it again – consistency.

Above all, make sure that your business information is consistent. This is key to making sure that customers don’t get confused about what you offer or how to contact you. It also helps your search engine optimization (SEO) and chances that you’ll start to rank higher in the search results.

When Google sees your business information listed in different ways from site to site it raises red flags that you’re not trustworthy – after all, what trustworthy business would keep changing their contact details?

In terms of the info you want to watch out for, it’s all about the NAP. Or…

• Name of Business
• Address of Business
• Phone number of Business

What to include on free business listing sites

Every listing should include the following details, so be sure to have them on hand when getting started:

• Business Name
• Mailing Address
• Main Phone Number
• Website
• Business Hours
• Description (minimum of 250 characters)
• Business Categories
• Company Logo
• Relevant Photos

Once you put the content together for your first listing, create a document for yourself that keeps all of the information in one place. This way, you can quickly and consistently add new listings on new sites as the need arises by copying from your Master sheet.

How to manage listings on free citation sites

As you add your business to new sites, keep a running list of where you are listed (and the log-in details) so you can return to make updates in the future.

Accuracy is just as important as consistency.

If business details change, such as new categories to match new services or updated operating hours, go back and update your listings. Consider setting yourself a reminder to check these details once every six months. This might seem like a hassle, but it will pay dividends when you keep attracting customers through your correct information.

Feeling nervous at the thought of doing your own SEO? Discover whether you should manage your own SEO campaign right now.

Don’t overlook the power of a picture

One area that many businesses fail to take advantage of is their photos.

Photos can be a great way to instill confidence in new customers about the services you offer.

In fact, research has shown that websites featuring images increase revenue per visitor by 17%. Imagine what adding a few photos to your own free business listings could do for click-through to your own site?

Don’t think your industry or services lend themselves to a photoshoot?

Here are some ideas to consider no matter what industry you work in:

• ‘Before and After’ Comparisons
• Showroom Displays
• Vehicles and Equipment
• Buildings and Workshops
• Team Members and Ownership
• Job or Project Set-Ups
• Services or Catalogue Snapshots

Top Business Listing Sites for International Markets

Some of the most widely known search providers and internet resources offer business options for local listings. Explore some of these global brands double as local citation sites.

	Citation Site	Cost	Need to Know
1	Google Business	Free	Requires a Google account
2	Google Maps	Free	Requires a Google account
3	Apple ID	Free	Requires an Apple account
4	Yahoo Small Business / Localworks	Paid	Starting at $24 USD/month
5	Cybo	Free	Supports 50+ languages
6	Bing	Free	Requires a Microsoft account
7	BizExposed	Paid	One-time fee at $9.99 USD
8	Business Directory Library	Free	Includes over 60 million companies
9	Biz Community	Free	Tiered packages offer extra exposure
10	Facebook	Free	Requires a verified social media account
11	LinkedIn	Free	Requires a verified social media account
12	Foursquare	Free	Offers options for customer engagement
13	Crunchbase	Free	Offers upgrade and marketing options
14	TripAdvisor	Free	Owners must claim or request a listing
15	Brown Book	Free	Supports image upload
16	HERE Maps	Free	Focuses on local engagement
17	Show Me Local	Free	Lists 22+ million businesses
18	Jayde	Free	Requires businesses have their own domain
19	KnowEm	Free	Helps users establish their brand across websites
20	Tupalo	Free	Offers search engine exposure with free package
21	TrustPilot	Free	Starts with review and profile access

Top Business Listing Sites for USA Markets

If your business is based in or focused on the United States, you can choose from a wide variety of free citation sites. Some of these offer a niche audience, so be sure that where you add a listing makes sense for your industry or products.

	Citation Site	Cost	Need to Know
22	Yelp	Free	Results for businesses of all types
23	Yellow Pages	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
24	Angi (formerly Angie’s List)	Free	Works great for trades but leads cost extra
25	Merchant Circle	Free	Results for businesses of all types
26	Kompass	Paid	Costs $20 to register a listing
27	HotFrog	Free	Results for businesses of all types
28	Sales Spider	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
29	Neustar	Paid	Costs $7/month to register a listing
30	Insider Pages	Free	Lets businesses request a listing if not found
31	Manta	Free	Focuses on small businesses
32	HomeAdvisor	Free	Works great for trades but leads cost extra
33	My Huckleberry	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
34	Better Business Bureau	Free	Requests must be approved before listing
35	CitySearch	Free	Lists businesses automatically but can update on request
36	EZLocal	Free	Lists businesses automatically but can update on request
37	Thumbtack	Free	Works great for trades but leads cost extra
38	WhitePages	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
39	Mapquest	Free	Lets businesses claim their listings
40	Discover Our Town	Paid	Fees discussed on account creation
41	YellowBot	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
42	Chamber of Commerce	Free	Results for businesses of all types
43	US City	Free	Lets businesses claim their listings
44	Data Axle (formerly InfoUSA)	Paid	Fees discussed on account creation
45	Infignos	Free	Results for businesses of all types
46	CitySquares	Free	Lets businesses claim their listings
47	Judy’s Book	Paid	Costs $7/month to register a listing
48	eLocal	Free	Results for businesses of all types
49	eBusiness Pages	Free	Results for businesses of all types
50	Find US Local	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
51	Tuugo	Free	Results for businesses of all types
52	CitiServe	Free	Works great for trades but leads cost extra
53	cityfos	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
54	ABLocal	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
55	Consumer Affairs	Paid	Fees discussed on account creation
56	eKomi	Free	https://www.ekomi.com/us/

Top Business Listing Sites for UK Markets

Make sure that you are capturing traffic from local customers on regional listing sites. If you are based in the UK – or do business there – be sure to get listed on these top local citation sites for your area.

	Citation Site	Cost	Need to Know
57	Yelp UK	Free	Results for businesses of all types
58	Kompass UK	Free	Requires B2B status
59	HotFrog UK	Free	Results for businesses of all types
60	Independent	Free	Results for businesses of all types
61	The Best of UK	Paid	Fees discussed on account creation
62	Scoot	Free	Results for businesses of all types
63	Thomson Local	Free	Includes listings similar to a phone book
64	Touch Local	Free	Results for businesses of all types
65	Express Business Directory	Free	Works great for trades but leads cost extra
66	2 Find Local	Free	Lets businesses claim their listings
67	Find the Needle	Free	Works great for trades but leads cost extra