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Do you know there are many sites where you can register your company details – for free?

Below are some tested links to sites that offer free listings and most take no more than 5 minutes of your time – you will know by return mail or telephone call your entry is active – and therefore visible to all potential customers searching for you too.

1. Google Local
Adding your listing to Google Local lets you appear on the maps and company listings that sometimes appear when you search on Google. Your details will also appear on the Google Maps website.

Visit:  http://www.google.com/local/add/  or see the full Instructions with pictures and diagrams at http://www.businessinsites.co.uk/getting-on-google-local/

2. Yahoo Local

Yahoo’s local business directory – The information is used as a database to help people "find the nearest" company. It is used on a lot of website and applications. For example there are several iPhone applications using it. Add one entry here and your listing spreads all over the place.

View at http://uk.local.yahoo.com/
Add your details at http://yahoo.infoservegroup.com/business-owner-form.html 
 

3. Applegate
Applegate appears a lot as one of the results in Google. It might work for you, it might not but it is worth a few minutes adding your details. You will get a sales call at some point trying to get you to upgrade your listing – listen to the pitch and decide for yourself.

To get listed visit www.applegate.co.uk- use the search box to look for your company – if you find it, look for the ‘is this your company’ link at the bottom of the page. Otherwise use the Add/Edit information link to create a new listing.
 

4. Touch Local
Again appears frequently in Google Results. Expect a sales call on this one too.

Visit www.touchlocal.com – search for your company first  and look for ‘is this your business’ link. Otherwise click here to create a new basic free listing.
 

5. Best of
Best of is made up of a series of websites for major towns. They are a franchise with each area run by a franchisee. Experiences vary depending on the skill and experience of the franchisee. I would expect a sales call again.

To get listed find the nearest town to you at their town list. Click on the town and look for the ‘contact us’ page and then click Join.

6.  Ikarma.com

This site offers you a profile (see mine) which get added to Google over time, it also gives your customers a chance to review you.

Visit www.ikarma.com and register. You only need to add the basic details and can skip the first steps if you don’t want to ask people in your contact list to rate you.

7. Free Index
A free listing site with options to upgrade your listing online. Worth asking people to review your business as it raises your profile higher up in their search results.
Visit http://www.freeindex.co.uk/

8. Need some more?

Visit Google and try searching for < Your Town name> Business Directory

Reviews

As a lot of these sites accept reviews of your business, it is worth you monitoring what is being said about you. The reviews can appear even if you don’t add yourself – so it is worth looking just in case. You can of course encourage people to review you and it does make a difference especially if people have a choice of several businesses to take their business to.

Sites accepting reviews : Google Local, Touch Local, Best Of, iKarma and Freeindex.

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