The future is Meta.

CEO Mark Zuckerberk introduced Meta in 2021 as a way to bring together all of Facebook’s apps and technologies under a new brand. And having dethroned Google from the top spot in our 2022 update, there’s something afoot in the Metaverse.

Facebook is way more than just a social media platform these days. Their modus operandi is connection in all forms—with an emphasis on helping people connect with their communities and local businesses. The first step is creating a business profile (Meta) that users can follow.

Though Meta has an innovative, visionary eye towards future technologies like virtual and augmented reality, Facebook is still at the center of the brand’s universe and functions primarily in the way you’re familiar with: a social networking website that doubles as a powerful business listings tool.

In other words, you can still keep in touch with Grandma, share a throwback photo on your timeline, and follow all your favorite businesses and brands all on Facebook.

Ahrefs Rank: 1

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free

Especially for free business listing opportunities, the hundreds of millions of unique visitors in the US alone more than justifies creating or claiming a business’ presence.

Users can follow a company through updates or posts, and customers can post reviews about their experiences with a business on Facebook. Because it is widely recognized as the most robust social network and has the largest user base, reviews and feedback on Facebook are essential content for local businesses.

It’s no wonder that over 10 million advertisers use Meta’s personalized ad tools, with the majority of them being small and medium-sized businesses (Meta).

We admit it. Most of our days begin and end on Google. And it’s synonymous with “let’s look it up!” for a reason—it’s where most people go to discover their next restaurant, travel deal, wedding vendor, lawyer, doctor, or cobbler. Google has the ultimate business directories list.

Google’s Google Business Profile (Google), formerly known as “Google My Business,” is a free tool for businesses to manage their online presence across Google’s ecosystem, including Search and Maps. Verifying and editing the information in a business directory listing can help companies get discovered through local search.

What’s more, Google’s notorious algorithm will prioritize certain businesses over others based on local SEO ranking factors, so it’s important to understand what will help your free business listing rank better in search engines (from Google and beyond).

Ahrefs Rank: 6

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free

When it comes to online business directories, it’s hard to top the ubiquity of Google.

On a basic level, businesses need to be listed on Google because a large volume of users go through the site (hundreds of millions in a month in the US alone!).

Accurate and claimed business listings on Google can improve search engine page ranking, show up more frequently in local search with key terms, and be easily found on Google Maps. Additionally, it's a cost-effective form of local marketing.

Really, though, who needs to be convinced that they need to be listed on Google? Just ensure you keep up with Google’s changes and improvements for business listings (Forbes).

Though Instagram is technically part of Facebook’s Metaverse, we thought it still needed to be listed as a category all its own as it has become an essential and robust tool for businesses over the years.

Instagram is a social network and platform for mobile photo and video sharing. Users can take pictures and videos, and share them either publicly or privately via the app. They can also use hashtags to appear in popular or niche categories.

Staying dialed into fluctuating Instagram trends can also be a huge boost to your business (Instagram).

Ahrefs Rank: 2

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free

Instagram has over 200+ million active business accounts for a reason (Instagram). As a business listings site, it has become just as essential as its parent company Facebook.

However, depending on the industry, businesses may or may not want to spend the time creating a profile on Instagram. It is a platform that has a strong visual appeal and maintaining a free business listing means curating the aesthetic and design of your brand image, to some extent. It may not seem worth the time investment for all businesses.

We’d argue that it is still worth it, though. Instagram used to be the ideal platform for brands that have a unique product or visual identity that can be showcased through strong imagery. Now, we’re seeing every type of business getting creative and claiming their presence on Instagram.

As their motto states, people come to Twitter to discover #WhatsHappening—and it’s a great way to get businesses discovered by new audiences, too.

Twitter, in case you haven't heard, is an online social networking service where users send and read and post short messages, also known as "tweets." Users can tweet messages, links, and images to their followers, or use #hashtags if they want to be found by that word or phrase.

Getting started with Twitter for Business (Twitter) and launching your first campaign with your free business listing is quick and easy.

Ahrefs Rank: 3

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free

Local businesses can put advertisements on Twitter, connect with potential customers, network, tweet about sales to followers and so on. It’s a great venue to build a business’s thought leadership strategy as well.

There are also ad solutions to fit a variety of goals, and some pretty strong statistics to back up their success rate. However, it bears noting that Twitter, like any other social media platform, can be a large time investment to maintain a presence on. We know that in this day and age, the line between a business directories list and social media site is blurred.

There are platforms and services you can use to assist with maintaining a presence on Twitter, and some businesses go the white-label PPC route. Regardless, comparing the costs and benefits can reveal if it makes sense in the use case of each business.

LinkedIn is a social networking website for the business community, making it a strong business listing site. Registered members can link to networks of people they know professionally. Thus, it can also be a great way to grow your professional network and establish thought leadership in your industry or niche.

It has recently become a leads machine for sales teams, so you've likely noticed that every person who's asked for a demo has also asked you to connect. It is a pretty effective business directories list.

Create a LinkedIn Page for your business (LinkedIn) to get started.

Ahrefs Rank: 5

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free

Depending on the type of company, product, or service offered, businesses likely want to spend the time creating a profile on Linkedin. Their four pillars for businesses are: hire, market, sell, and learn. Comprehensive!

LinkedIn offers a free business listing, and potential applicants and vendors alike can find value here. My advice would be to go on the site and look around for similar business listings. If competitors are on there, you should likely follow suit and make a profile. A Linkedin profile appeals to most businesses in most verticals.

Apple Maps is a way to explore, navigate, locate, and discover destinations and businesses both near and far. It’s the equivalent (and the competitor) of the Google Maps vertical in the Google ecosystem. It’s available both as a website for desktop and as a mobile app.

Places on Maps (Apple) is a way to claim your free business listing and manage it across the entire Apple ecosystem. It’s easy to get started on claiming and optimizing your business listings on Apple Maps.

Ahrefs Rank: 11

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free

As part of a business directories list strategy, we suggest expanding your reach by listing in both Google and Apple ecosystems.

The Apple Maps app (that’s a tongue twister!) comes preinstalled on every Apple device. Estimates show that there are nearly 1.5 billion iPhones in use (The Verge) alone, not including iPads, Apple Watches, and laptops. That’s a big potential audience looking for your business (or a business like yours).

After a particularly excellent or subpar experience at a restaurant or local business, how often have you thought, “Yelp is definitely going to hear about this!” Just me?

But if your business is not listed on Yelp, you might not even have a customer coming through the door in the first place—nevermind having a positive experience captured via review.

Yelp is a platform (website and app) where users can publish reviews about local businesses. Yelp also trains small businesses on how to respond to reviews, host social events for Yelpers (a.k.a. Yelp reviewers), and provides data about businesses including health inspection scores.

It takes only 10 minutes to get started with Yelp for Business (Yelp).

Ahrefs Rank: 50

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free

Contrary to popular belief, Yelp isn’t just for restaurant reviews (Mashable). With 36.3 million unique visitors, the Yelp business listing site sees a large volume of local customers and truly fits into the general business directory niche. And it’s a free business listing!

Since a company can list themselves on Yelp's local business directory for free, it is a good idea to get business listings up on the site and let people leave reviews. Of course, once business owners do this, it is essential that they manage their Yelp reviews appropriately. They can manage reviews on the site themselves, or use a review monitoring tool to help manage feedback. Again, look for software or services that meet the needs and budget of the business.

Bing is a web search engine owned by Microsoft. Places for Business (Bing) is a Bing portal where local business owners can add a listing on the Bing network. Similarly to its competitor Google, Bing’s Places for Business is made for both desktop and mobile devices via an app, and your free business listing will appear in Bing Maps.

Ahrefs Rank: 178

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free

For one, consider that Bing is the default search engine on all Microsoft devices. For businesses with a target market in the US, Bing has a high volume of searches at 76.1 million visitors a month.

Business listings may have a better chance of standing out by being placed on Bing as well, since fewer people are advertising here than Google. In fact, many users report being incentivized to switch over from Google to Bing (PC World) and claim that Bing is actually superior. Bada bing!

When it comes to online business directories, Yahoo is a classic (apparently they have done away with the famous exclamation mark when the company name appears in print, but the exclamation mark lives on forever in our hearts).

Founded in 1994, Yahoo is a portal website that incorporates a search engine and a directory of websites organized in a hierarchy of categories. Yahoo Local (Yahoo) is the business listings site portion of the website devoted to, you guessed it, business listings.

Ahrefs Rank: 241

Business Directory Niche: General

Cost: Free with paid package options

There are varying opinions as to how Yahoo holds up as one of the more well-known online business directories, if not only for the fact that it’s been around a while and has a storied, quirky history (Gadgets Now). However, it has dropped in the Ahrefs Ranking rating over the years.

My advice? Try searching for a few businesses. If you like what you see, then it may be worth the investment to have a local business listed here.

TripAdvisor is a travel website company where users can leave reviews of places they’ve visited. Users can also book hotel rooms, find flights, discover new adventures and things to do, and reserve tables at participating restaurants all through the business directories list.

TripAdvisor also operates websites internationally in over 25 countries, so folks all over the world can find the best deals on accommodations, experiences, and more.

Ahrefs Rank: 115

Business Directory Niche: Travel

Cost: Free to businesses

Since TripAdvisor is a travel site, it makes the most sense to list a local business if they are a hotel (motel and bed and breakfast count too!), vacation rental property, restaurant, or local attraction/destination.

To get on TripAdvisor's business directories list, the site has specific requirements per category. If a business meets the requirements, then claim your free business listing (TripAdvisor). The visitors and traffic the site receives make it a good option.

Take note that being listed on TripAdvisor means businesses are opening themselves up to reviews. You should know how to keep up with and respond to feedback both positive and negative, via a reputation management software or some good old fashioned manual elbow grease.

Better Business Bureau (BBB) has business listings designed to help people find and recommend companies, brands, and charities they can trust. Based on a consumer rating system, BBB educates consumers and assists people in finding trusted businesses. BBB is also designed to protect consumers from fraudulent businesses or scammers.

Ahrefs Rank: 136

Business Directory Niche: Business

Cost: Free and paid package options

BBB is one of the original online business directories for a reason. It has a long-standing history, consumer loyalty and trust, and high volumes of traffic. It has consistently climbed up higher and higher on the Ahrefs and Moz Website Authority ranks over the years.

For those who decide to go the Accredited Listing route, you must first meet the BBB Accreditation Standards (BBB). After you apply and are accepted for accreditation (BBB), the site’s calculator computes potential ROI.

For example, New Accredited Businesses (with 1-10 employees) realize an average ROI of $1,846 in BBB products, services, and marketing visibility within the first 12 months.

Typically, BBB Accredited Businesses see the return on their investment within the first four months of Accreditation.

Houzz is a website for business listings hosting all things related to homes (including interior design, landscaping, and home improvement). They also feature an online community and business listing site for services from contractors, interior designers, and architects.

It has also gained ground on its competitors, climbing higher in the ranks over the years.

Ahrefs Rank: 297

Business Directory Niche: Real Estate/Home Services

Cost: Free with paid package options

Houzz is one of the most popular home renovation websites and is a one-stop destination for homeowners to get ideas and information, along with hiring contractors to do the work on their home.

This is a niche online business directories list for contractors, so if businesses want to target customers who are homeowners, in the process of renovations, and are actively searching for local businesses to hire to do the work, Houzz is the right spot to target those customers.

Houzz has resources to help you get started with your free listing (Houzz Pro).

Foursquare is a local search and discovery service mobile app that helps users discover new places and businesses. Users can let friends know where they are and find out where their friends are.

What sets Foursquare apart is how it has gamified its offering (Heflo), as users can collect points, prize badges, and coupons for checking in at various locations. Fun!

Ahrefs Rank: 518

Business Directory Niche: General

General Cost: Free

Similar to other social media sites, just because you don’t create business listings doesn’t mean that customers aren’t talking about or reviewing you.

By claiming local business listings on Foursquare, business owners can get in on the conversation by responding to customers by either thanking them for their positive feedback, or trying to win them back if they have had a negative experience. It is great for businesses to know who has been "checking in" to understand their customer base.

Zillow is a real estate and rental listing marketplace that gives consumers data and knowledge on finding a home, while also connecting them with local agents who can help.

The site provides value estimates on homes, notes changes in value over time, shows aerial views, and displays prices of comparable homes in the area. The site has a “Find an Agent” local business directory where homeowners can perform a local search of agents that includes agent type and service needed. Users can also leave reviews on their agents within the agent directory.

Ahrefs Rank: 514

Business Directory Niche: Real Estate

Cost: Free for homeowners; agents and other real estate professionals pay a fee

Zillow is a niche local business listings directory for real estate agents. Real estate agents may want to check out the directory, or at least be aware of it. Zillow provides resources for agents to get started and make the most of their listings (Zillow Premier Agent).

Zillow's website gets an astonishing 36 million US visitors a month and has one of the most downloaded apps on both Apple and Android (Investopedia) and its living database consists of more than 110 million US homes.

Realtor.com is the official consumer website of the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Realtor aims to provide all applicable parties—buyers, sellers, and renters—with the right tools to buy and sell a home.

Ahrefs Rank: 569

Business Directory Niche: Real Estate

Cost: Free

This website is niche-specific, so it goes without saying that it might be an essential free business listing for realtors and landlords, but a site other verticals can clearly skip. Realtor has relationships with almost 800 listing services, and constantly updates their listings.

Realtor has tons of resources for buyers and sellers, including things like why you should have a realtor, tips on buying your first home, mortgage calculators, and various other collateral.

Trulia is another large website and app in the Real Estate vertical for buying and selling homes. It also boasts a paid directory for agents and brokers. Trulia allows agents to post listings and chat with interested buyers and clients through their platform.

Ahrefs Rank: 2,934

Business Directory Niche: Real Estate

Cost: Agents and brokers pay a fee

Trulia is often pitted against Zillow, and the two share many commonalities. In fact, since 2015 they have been owned by the same parent company, The Zillow Group.

Reasons you might want to list on Trulia instead of (or in addition to) Zillow if you’re part of the Real Estate niche, is that Trulia has a simpler and more user-friendly design, provides neighborhood crime map data, and is specific only to the US (Investopedia).

DoorDash is one of the delivery websites and apps that is changing the restaurant game. Upload your menu and have customers order through the website or app. No delivery person? No problem. DoorDash has a team of drivers that handle pick-up and drop-off.

Ahrefs Rank: 647

Business Directory Niche: Food

Cost: Free to sign up, but Doordash earns a commission on each order, plus any additional advertising restaurants do within the app

DoorDash reaches 80% of American consumers, allowing both chains and locally-owned restaurants to reach new customers with less effort. It is currently leading the pack with a 56% market share, making it the biggest food delivery company in the US (Second Measure).

Available in over 7,000 cities globally, DoorDash brings new customers to restaurants in a 25 mile radius, along with allowing you to make a 60% net profit on incremental orders.

GrubHub is another popular website and app for food delivery and pick-up. Customers type in their address and are shown business listings of restaurants that will deliver to them, ranging from local favorites to bigger chains. They can search by restaurant, type of cuisine, and even specific menu items. Restaurants have the option to use GrubHub's drivers or use their own staff for additional flexibility.

Ahrefs Rank: 962

Business Directory Niche: Food

Cost: Free to sign up, but GrubHub earns a commission on each order, in addition to delivery fees if needed

Signing up for GrubHub means getting more orders (20% more on average and up to 6 times the growth in monthly takeout revenues compared to restaurants not on GrubHub).

GrubHub also provides marketing opportunities, allowing restaurants to send loyal diners coupons and emails. GrubHub also features an order button that can be used with any restaurant's existing website.

As far as online business directories go, BizJournals (or The Business Journals if you want to get formal about it) is an esteemed venue that aims to target business decision-makers. The company has 42 websites, 64 publications and more than 700 annual events, targeted to service a wide demographic with news from local through to national.

The local business directory portion of Biz Journals is a part of their website where businesses can create a listing and consumers can leave reviews about their experiences with local businesses. Visiting the site’s FAQ page for more (The Business Journal).

Ahrefs Rank: 555

Business Directory Niche: Business

Cost: Free with paid package options

You can’t really beat free, and if you choose to go with the gold package, the exposure of over 7 million US visitors a month is a large volume of traffic to their site and online business directory.

As a division of American City Business Journals, Biz Journals has more people, publications, and websites covering business news than any other media organization.

Some of us still remember the days where we’d print out MapQuest maps to get to our destinations before GPS!

Founded in 1967 as Cartographic Services, MapQuest has a history that shifts from traditional to digital media. The company was acquired by AOL in 1999 and then Verizon in 2015. It is a mapping site where users can get directions for their routes or search for hotels, food, gas, coffee, grocers, parking, bars, post offices, and more.

Ahrefs Rank: 527

Business Directory Niche: Maps

Cost: Free

Although MapQuest went from having nearly all of the online mapping market to sharing with dozens of competitors (Google Maps being the obvious behemoth), they are still a highly referenced and relevant site and a worthy directory to consider listing your business on for local search.