Marketing Help with Directories

Welcome aboard manny, and good question (moved you over to our marketing section).

There are many directories out there, Us, Qype as you mentioned, and the likes of the UKSBD, Freeindex etc, and most businesses will sign up with multiple directories. This is a pretty standard approach and a good part of your marketing strategy.

Some will have free listings, some will have paid, normally paid will give you more functionality, clean links to your website, chance to add content, reviews etc. Some paid will want an annual re-subscription, others will give you a lifetime listing. Some free ones will allow you to add content and links, but the links tend to be non friendly, masked by a tracking ID, or any SEO benefit is actually passed back to the directory, not the business owner.

So on each directory, you need to make a decision of any perceived value, and if you are going for a paid or free option.

Biggest mistake people make, is either copy and pasting all the content from their home page onto their directory listing, or copying over the same description across every directory they sign up with.

If you are going to go to the time and trouble to sign up with directories, then spend a few minutes and put a little thought in to it, make the content unique and readable for each directory. Whatever functionality is available, use it, get the most out of your listing.

Plus keep a record of who you are signed up with! If you change your phone number or details, then revisit all these directories and change your details. On MyLocalServices we send an annual email asking you to reconfirm or update your details, but don't wait for the directory to chase you.

If you think you are getting nothing from having a directory listing with a certain directory, then have a look, check your analytics. Are you in the right category? Have you changed your description?

Most common question we ask is what category do you want, or what do people type into google to find your services? It's amazing the number of people who don't know

Hope that helps, or food for thought

Some people are too lazy and over use the copy and paste function. Spending those few extra minutes can make the biggest difference

You can make coupon, Arrange some singer to singing every night with dancing.