How does Online Directories Impact Your Businesses Google Map Ranking
Yes, it’s 2023 and I’m writing an article about online directories. At first glance, this may seem like an old-fashioned tactic, but there’s more to the story. SEO can be difficult to master.
Search engines like Google keep their algorithms close by, leaving some aspects to testing and educated guesses (or harassing webmaster trends on Twitter to his analyst John Mueller).
I mean, not all his SEO tips you hear are usually set. Indeed, many follow the crowd and miss opportunities that could help grow their business.
The truth is that directories are still alive and underutilized. In this guide, we’ll show you why they should be on your radar, how they can help your business, and how to spot the red flags to avoid.
What are online directories?
First, let’s clarify what we mean by online directory. A directory is a list of companies or websites. They are basically like online versions of Yellow Pages where users can find companies that offer a particular service they need.
Think of Mudah, the legendary Yahoo, basically the first version of the internet you can think of before Google is even a thing. Or even that Yellow Page book back in the cupboard of your grandparent’s house
Most successful directories cover a specific niche or industry such as retail, transportation, travel or entertainment.
Some directories only cover specific cities or regions and help people find local businesses to support.
What are online directories?
Why are directories notorious for SEO? In the early days of the Internet, before search engines were invented, directories were essential to helping users find the websites they wanted. Rather than remembering exactly what I needed, I could go straight to one site and browse the popular sites listed.
Then when Google and others came along, the directory ranked his website higher in search results I found a way to attach it.
The more directories you list, the more links you have and the higher the rank.
This is where the problem started as people tried to get listed in as many directories as possible. To meet demand, the directory has become an automated process.
There were no more reviews or anyone running them. Most directories back then were just spam sites with left, right and center links. As search algorithms became smarter and prioritized quality content, these sites were hit hard.
After that, directories fell out of favor and were considered bad for SEO.
How directories can improve your SEO
The reason directories fell out of popularity was that most of them were spam lists created for links, regardless of users.
However, this is not all directories. There are several directories created for users to find the services they need.
Search engines reward them because they are relevant and useful. This means that links to these websites have the same effect as backlinks from other quality websites.
But online directories aren’t just good for links. Being listed there also improves your local search rankings, especially if you add features like location and maps to your directory listing.
Good online directories aren’t just good for SEO
A good directory is not only good for SEO. It’s a way to get customers to find your business, drive traffic, and drive people to your website. This is especially true for niche industries or local directories where users need a particular service but don’t know who will provide it. These directories allow customers to see and compare who is in their area, who can help them, and which companies are the best fit for them. This is how new companies are discovered and screened before they engage with new companies. And if you aren’t in a directory, you can’t participate in the race. Additionally, if your business is listed in a directory that users trust, just being associated with that business will automatically give you credibility and reputation. can be obtained.
How to choose a good directory
So how do you weed out bad listings and find reliable winners to list your business?
For big, recognizable names like Yahoo!, or Mudah, you know people looking for businesses like you use them.
But if you’ve never heard of the company, you’ll have to do some digging. Find out if users trust you, read reviews when you’re nearby, and find out how big they are.
If it looks like a new company with no background, a link from that company won’t help your SEO much.
It’s also worth checking the website’s domain authority. This helps us measure the quality of our website.
See companies already listed in the directory to help you decide if it’s right for you. This also gives you an idea of how your list ranks among other lists.
Then compare these points to your own company. If they are similar to your business, you are more likely to find customers here.
But if they are very different, listing your business here can be a waste of time.
Yes. If it’s a list of everyone without an organization, you’re probably looking at a spam backlink list.
Step by step to identify if an online directory is good
So how do you weed out bad listings and find reliable winners to list your business?
1. Research the directory
For big, recognizable names like Yahoo!, or Mudah, you know people looking for businesses like you use them.
But if you’ve never heard of the company, you’ll have to do some digging. Find out if users trust you, read reviews when you’re nearby, and find out how big they are.
If it looks like a new company with no background, a link from that company won’t help your SEO much.
It’s also worth checking the website’s domain authority. This helps us measure the quality of our website.
2. See who's already listed
See companies already listed in the directory to help you decide if it’s right for you. This also gives you an idea of how your list ranks among other lists.
Then compare these points to your own company. If they are similar to your business, you are more likely to find customers here.
But if they are very different, listing your business here can be a waste of time.
Yes. If it’s a list of everyone without an organization, you’re probably looking at a spam backlink list.
3. Who's accepted?
Check the registration process of the directory and look for the verification process they use.
Search engines won’t rate those sites very highly if the directory just accepts everyone automatically.
However, if you scrutinize each business before allowing them to be listed, then you have found a prestigious and quality directory.
4. How easy is it to use?
It’s always worth investigating how easy it is for users to navigate the directory and find your company.
This is to make sure the platform is really built for the user, not just a way to charge companies for listings that can’t be found anywhere, and a web where the user experience is great sites tend to rank higher, which is good news for his SEO.
Is there an easy way around?
If you’re a small business with limited resources, I would suggest going for local SEO instead of a full fledge SEO.
This is because you most probably serve your local community (within 5 ~ 10km) and you don’t need to be seen by millions of people.
Social media may not be as useful as well unless you’re in big cities like Kuala Lumpur or Penang.
Of course, if you need assistance on how we can help. Set a meeting with us and our team is ready to get things rolling for you!
Google Maps Ranking (or Local SEO) and Online Reputation is an integral part of business strategy for every brick-and-mortar business. Local SEO will help your audience find you when they search online if you have a storefront or business area. We hope you found this article helpful in your quest to gain recognition and credibility for your brand online.
If your business is serving local and you don’t have the skillset and expertise to optimise for this, we’re more than happy to help you out!