Why South African Businesses Should Register On Multiple Directories

Promoting your business online is becoming harder as competition heats up for attention online and not every business will make the most of their efforts or money spent online to create a sustainable business. Social media feeds, Search engine results, email marketing campaigns, content marketing are all still effective tools but you will need to put in substantial money, time and effort to reap the benefits of it. 

There are very few local businesses who have the luxury of time or money to spend on marketing which is a shame as this is a fundamental part of the business process. While many of these marketing channels need active participation all the time, there are a few that don't, one of them being adding your business to various applicable website directories.

Building passive referrals

In most cases, business owners themselves barely ever sign up to a business directory as they simply aren’t aware its something that needs to be done and doesn’t understand what is to gain from doing so.

The process of signing up to multiple directories seems time-consuming and of no tangible benefit to your business, however, I implore you to reconsider that mindset and broaden your horizons to the perks of being present on the various business directories available to your business. 

Building backlinks

The first major benefit of placing your business website on a business directory is the backlinks you will receive. A backlink/inbound link (IBL) is important to consider as various search engines such as Google will determine websites with more backlinks as more relevant in its search results pages. If you have your own website, these backlinks can help you improve your search rankings and send you valuable referral traffic.

Return on investment

Think of it as an unorthodox online marketing campaign by claiming all the free spots or nominal fee spots available to you it really costs you very little to possibly reach out to new customers. If you've spent a day registering on various directories and they send you 1 lead a month for the next year that's 12, 24, 36 leads for the year that you missed out on if you never registered on those 1, 2 or 3 directories.

Keeping online information consistent

Users on the internet don't all follow the same path which is why it's important to ensure you're available in every possible avenue, to able to reach out to relevant users. Directories help by providing a number of places online, let's call it digital real estate for you to advertise and host your contact details online. These contact details are known as NAP. The more consistent and widespread your NAP is online, the more favourable your return on various search engines will be. 

Ultimately your website resembles a big billboard that effectively markets your company in its entirety. Why then would you choose to put little or no effort into getting it onto a business directory where you can gain further exposure? It only makes sense to want to claim each and every bit of online real estate available to you doesn't it?

Take your pick of the bunch

Directories come in all shapes and sizes and your business may be applicable to a number of the sites target audience which is why you should evaluate all directories that fit your niche and start adding your business.

You can look at directories such as:

• General business directories
• Local business directories
• Specialist business directories
• Sector business directories

Remember the more sites you're on the higher the odds of being discovered online so why stop at one or two when you can build a number of free online promotional pages and leverage off of another website's traffic in the process.

Direct more customers to your business

Making use of local business directories can be valuable assets for your local business marketing but be sure to do your due diligence in researching the right directories for your business. Once you've been approved on the various sites and your listing is live, be sure to check that your information is correct across all sites in the event a user stumbles on your details and would like to contact you.

You can also monitor your analytics to determine which local business directory is giving you the most benefit or enquire from the user directly when you receive a lead.

Business directories may seem old fashioned like the yellow pages but they are still pretty valuable especially for those who either have no online presence or do not have the skills or funds to grow into having a strong online reputation.

Tell us your small business story

Have you been frustrated with your small business? How did you or the company overcome it? Are there any tips you would like to share on reducing business expenses and practising a lean methodology? Share it with us in the comments.

Contact us

If you want to know more about digital marketing for your business, then don’t be shy we’re happy to assist. Simply contact us

Are you looking to promote your business?

Business owners can create your free business listing on nichemarket. The more information you provide about your business, the easier it will be for your customers to find you online. Registering with nichemarket is easy; all you will need to do is head over to our sign up form and follow the instructions.

If you require a more detailed guide on how to create your profile or your listing, then we highly recommend you check out the following articles. 

• How to create a nichemarketer profile 
• How to create a nichemarket business listing 

Recommended reading

If you enjoyed this post and have a little extra time to dive deeper down the rabbit hole, why not check out the following posts on website directories.

• South African SMEs Can Now Access Tenders Via Online Portal 
• Why nichemarket is the best place to list your local Business
• Google My Business Could Become A Paid Service
• How To Take Advantage of Digital Marketing For Free
• 40 FREE Business Directories In South Africa

Tags: seo , small business, online marketing