The business outlook in Singapore for the rest of 2023 is on the rise. According to a survey done by the Department of Statistics Singapore, both the Manufacturing and Services sectors are expecting a rise in favourable business conditions. This means that business owners expect a rise in customers and revenue for the next six months.
As more people search to find local businesses around them, a lot of business owners have been employing several tactics to attract customers. One of these digital marketing tactics to get brand recognition is the use of an online business directory, as recommended by local SEO experts.
A local citation, also called the NAP data, is any online mention of the business' partial or complete name, address, and contact number.
These citations occur on local directories, websites, apps or social platforms. It helps new customers discover a local business, and influences local search engine rankings.
In short, a local citation helps a local business gain online visibility.
A few years ago, the marketing of local businesses relied on building offline publicity. However, with the rise of the digital age, companies have been using Internet marketing to promote their services.
Business directories were used before in offline marketing and are still an option now for businesses for online marketing.
The chance of getting backlinks to your website, drawing traffic, and in turn, improving your rankings in search engines are some of the benefits of online directories.
If you're still unaware of what local SEO can do for your business, check our local SEO guide or this case study on local SEO on how it increases traffic in 2 months.
Since business directories index businesses by industry, location or category, a consumer can easily locate a business relevant to their needs. This increases the visibility of their websites and chances of sales.
Some business directories allow companies to submit their information for free, while some would come for a price with additional benefits.
Local directories are one of the ways in boosting a site's SEO. The link from the business directory results in a boost in a site's SERP rankings. However, you have to carefully choose the business directory that you want to be listed on as there are different types of directories to choose from. By ensuring that you're in the part of the right listing gives you a chance to connect with your target consumers.
First, the business directory must be relevant to your business. Relevance is a factor in how search engines crawl a site. If the business directory you chose is not relevant to your brand, you won't get to reach your target clients nor would it help in boosting your SEO.
Second, you might want to consider the domain authority of the business directory. Domain authority is a score that's developed by third parties to determine how likely a website can rank in search.
An inbound link from a site with a high domain authority will help boost access to your site, but not all the time. Google has reiterated multiple times that domain authority is not a ranking signal.
However, getting an inbound link from a high domain authority directory makes your business credible. If you want to check the domain authority of your website or business directories, there are third-party websites that calculate these for you.
If you're looking forward to using an online business directory to connect with new customers, we've compiled a list of 25 Singapore business directories that would help you promote your business.
Google Business Profile is a free directory that allows you to manage your online presence in Google including Search and Maps.
Google is the largest search engine not only globally but also in Singapore, so GMP is one of the best ways to promote local businesses.
You can start by claiming or verifying your listing to rank higher in the localised search. You can also do other digital marketing strategies through GMP such as showcasing products and services, posting updates and offers, and connecting with customers.
Bing Places for Business is a free platform which allows you to manage your online presence in Bing. It's entirely free and the business listing gives you a chance to be seen by millions of daily active users.
LinkedIn is a social network for professionals and is a great place to connect with other businesses or to promote your business with a target audience. You just have to register as a member to be able to create a company page and start building a professional and global network.
FourSquare is a location-based social network that allows you to connect and interact with customers when they check in on your business and leave reviews. You can claim your business on the website for free before starting to promote your services. It also provides data for companies to improve their business strategies and be ahead of consumer demand.
This general business directory helps visitors to find detailed information about local businesses.
You have the option for advertising your business, while users can leave reviews for your business. It also provides an extensive business listing for every industry, which makes it easier for users to find you.
The GreenBook is one of the leading business directories in Singapore with a devoted business listing of consumer and commercial industries for manufacturers or suppliers.
It attracts almost 840, 000 users every year, and provides market research specialities, such as SEO strategies to help your growing business.
If you want to find more SEO strategies, a Singapore SEO consultant might be the key to unlocking these.
YOYS serves over 52 countries apart from Singapore. If you have a GBP account, you can directly import your details to YOYS, which instantly gets you verified on Google My Business. You can also manually set up your business profile if you don't have a GBP account.
Yellow Pages started even before the age of the Internet and remain to be the oldest business directory in the world. Its online version offers you the chance to claim and advertise your business while also providing a free website audit.
Apart from showing potential clients your business address, you can also add a product catalogue to Yellow Pages.
This business directory gives businesses tips on the latest trends that shapes the Singapore business environment aside from adding you to the listing. They also do business comparisons and rank the best businesses for every niche.
While it's not entirely free, the one-off payment to be included in this directory proves to be worth the benefits.
This business directory has a map of Singapore on its homepage, showing popup guides to potential consumers on their preferred businesses in Singapore.
You can also specify the district your Singapore business is located for a more localised search.
Street Directory allows the business owner to update their listing when they have discounts or offers. Just make sure that you use their Singaporean website as they also offer business directories for other countries.
Singapore Advice offers a phone directory and even provides your business with a free place page on their site on top of a free business listing. It also has a comprehensive range of listing processes for all directories, along with a feature of new businesses in Singapore on its homepage.
Angloinfo is one of the world's leading online media companies that operates in 90 different regions around the world. It gives your Singapore business a chance to promote to almost 3 million unique visitors per month. Its business directory focuses on English-speaking local businesses as it's mostly targeted at ex-pats.
ZipLeaf Singapore is one of the business directories in Singapore that gives consumers an option to search for local businesses. While it serves 15 countries around the globe, they provide localised content for each country. You can add your business to the listing for free, and update it periodically as it grows.
This Singapore business directory lets users who visited your business leave ratings about your services and products. You can add as much useful information about your business in the listing, including images of your physical store.
They have different listing plans that come with different benefits, all of it guaranteed to provide you with more traffic.
Directory SG remains to be one of the biggest Singapore business directories that only requires a sign-up to submit your business to their listing. It offers advertising services and also customer support.
This famous business directory is part of the Times Publishing Group and has a comprehensive compilation of Singapore businesses from Singapore 1000 to SME 1000.
From the registration, they would need details of your contact person. Visitors to their website get a sample of the trending news in Singapore on the homepage.
This international business directory offers business listings for all industries and provides SEO strategies. You just have to create an account to add your company to the listing.
Singapore Business Directory, like other business listings, lets you claim your business and add your social media links to the listing. You can also register your business via email, Twitter or Facebook.
This famous business directory has more than 450, 000 unique monthly users and a network of more than 500, 000 Singapore businesses.
This Singapore business directory offers free listings with an easy registration process. You have to provide a contact person during the registration aside from the business information.
It groups its listing based on the location, which makes it easier for users to find the right business for their needs. They can also leave reviews for your business, which you can answer to provide quality customer service.
Yelp Singapore allows users to leave reviews and rates on businesses. If you're a local business looking forward to getting listed on Yelp, you just need to claim your business on the site and create a business login. With your new Yelp account, you'd be able to respond to reviews via direct message, add links to your website or edit your business information.
Tuugo Singapore has a separate section for recently added Singapore companies on their homepage, which helps users see your business easily. The only thing you're left to do is to create an appealing listing, which is entirely free.
Hotfrog allows businesses to create a demand for their business, and to update and edit their listing. Make sure that you use the right keywords when making your profile, as these are used to match you with potential customers. They also provide tips as well to help small local businesses in improving their practices.
This free business directory lists companies into categories, which makes it easy for users to find them based on their needs. They give businesses access to a search tool organised by sector and region. Kompass Singapore also helps you locate new customers and scale your business. You just have to update your business information to increase your chances of getting noticed.
Singapore is called a "melting pot of people and ideas" for a reason. Expat.com makes the lives of users living and working in Singapore pleasant and successful. Apart from business listings, it also provides other useful information like services and a forum.
It gives a list of the latest businesses registered with their website along with featured businesses, which gives you exposure if you're just starting.
This Singapore business directory offers you a permanent business profile and an online store for free. It also gives users a chance to leave reviews to help you improve your services. You would just need an email address or a Facebook account to create a business profile.
If you're a budding Singapore business owner, business directories will give you the visibility you need to get more traffic to your website or foot traffic to your physical store. You just have to look for the best directory for your specific need.
If you're looking for more ways to get online visibility, a digital marketing consultant in Singapore can help you connect with your target audiences.
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