Top 5 Local Directories for SEO in 2020 As search engine optimisation (SEO) consultants, we are always looking to find the best links and citations we can for our clients. Directories are one place where it can be helpful to be listed. There are some good directories and some bad ones. What do I mean by “good”? Well, these are directories which are considered trustworthy by Google and Bing. If you are on them, then you appear to be legitimate. This will have a positive effect on your credibility and ultimately your local ranking. Poor directories are ones where anyone can add a link; there is no editorial process; there is poor categorisation of businesses; the listings never get updated so the directory becomes bloated with lots of extinct businesses; and it doesn’t really drive any traffic i.e. no one looks at it. It is fair to say that a lot of directories don’t get a lot of traffic, but there are some good ones which do. Best Local Directories 2020 Taking into account what I’ve said about the good, bad and the ugly of directories, here are the top directories that we suggest you add your website to. Particularly if you are a small local business. In all cases adding the right keywords, images and correct contact details is very important. In 2020 these directories are still the top ones to go for! 1. Yelp Yelp can drive a lot of traffic to your website and as a local business so you should be claiming your listing on it. If it is not listed then create one for your business. Furthermore, any reviews will show up on the search results for Bing which is a bonus. So get your business listed and ask your customers for reviews if you really want to stand out from the crowd. 2. Foursquare Foursquare is also featuring in the search results pages for Bing. It is a high authority website and getting your business on there is important as Google will crawl and index the listings which will help with SEO. It also appears on the search results pages if you get any “tips”. 3. Yell Yell is really easy to sign up for and once your business is listed you can add it to many categories where it will feature. There’s link back to your website too which means that it can drive real traffic. Some directories don’t give you a live website link and so it is a bonus to get one. 4. Freeindex Freeindex is a high authority directory with the ability to drive referrals right to your door. It can be a little involved to set up but it is important to get the right keywords and images in your listing to ensure you get the most from it. 5. Cylex Cylex is a high end directory which also can drive real referrals to your business. It allows you to add in loads of information about your business including social profiles. They also want to ensure the information stays up to date so they prompt you every 6 months to log on and check it. The sign of a well-respected directory. and here’s a bonus number 6! 6. Alba Business Directory Yes it is our new directory but we think it is worth a mention because we think it is one of the best business directories on the block in 2020. Human reviewed (by us) and completely optimised so your business in this local directory will be working hard to get seen by customers. There are plenty of directories out there but it is not wise to add your website to every one you see as bulk directory submissions can look spammy. Also avoid ones which say “SEO directory” or similar. You should investigate each one to ensure that you are not going to cause your business any harm long term. You never know when the next Google algorithm update will penalise poor quality directories.