If you've ever wondered what you can do to enhance your search engine ranking, pay attention.
There's something online called citations, and you want them.
Why?
Citations are an online reference to your dealership name, business address, and phone number. Google uses them to evaluate the online authority of your business.
You might be thinking, "Isn't that a backlink?" Kinda, but not really. Citations differ from backlinks because you don't need to include a link to your website for you to get credit for them.
The difficulty in building citations, however, is that they can be time-consuming. You have to source credible directory websites and then go through the process of creating a profile on each.
That said, there is massive value to doing so especially when considering how mobile device usage has surpassed desktop usage.
The easier it is for people to find your information, the better. That's why our Local SEO specialists have compiled a list of the top 30 Canadian local listing websites you need to know about.
30 Canadian Local Listing Websites
Here is a quick summary of the sites we're going to explore today. Please keep in mind that we're not going to look at the obvious Google Places because, well, it's obvious and you SHOULD already be there by now.
Don't feel like reading the whole post? Click on one of the jump links below.
1.) YellowPages.ca
Start by visiting www.yellowpages.ca and click on the three lines in the top left-hand corner of the screen. Doing so will open a slide-out menu.
Clicking on the "Advertise with us" link will redirect you to their 360 Business Centre website. Don't worry; it's not going to cost you a dime!
In the top right-hand corner of the screen, click on "Free Business Profile."
Finally, fill out all of your business information and click to submit your listing. First listing site = done!
2.) Industry Canada
Like most government websites in Canada, you'll need to select your language to begin.
Industry Canada website is a little bit cluttered, but not near as bad as some of the other websites we're going to look at a bit later. Hover over the "Just for business" link in the navigation and select, "Find Canadian companies."
Scroll down the page until you reach the "Find Canadian Companies" section. Click on the last link that says, "Add or Update your company profile" and follow the prompts from there.
3.) 411.ca
Easy-peasy, all you need to do is click on the "Add your business to 411.ca for FREE!" link and submit all of your company information. DONE!
4.) Yelp.ca
Yelp has done a pretty great job at maintaining their purpose of being a business recommendation and review platform. Chances are, your business is likely already listed on Yelp. In which case, this is a good opportunity to check in and make sure that your information is up-to-date.
Whether your dealership is listed already or not, scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Claim Your Business Page."
Fill in your dealership name and location and then click, "Get Started."
If you already have a listing, it will show up in the list of results. Next to your listing, there will be a "Claim this business" link. Follow the prompts to claim your business.
If your dealership doesn't show up in the results, click on the link at the bottom of the page to get your profile and listing set up.
5.) Facebook Business Page
It's 2017. If you're still using a personal profile as a dealership, you need to STAAAAWWWWWP! And get with the times! Before you can create a Facebook business page, you'll need to be logged in to Facebook using your personal profile.
After you log in, click on the little arrow located in the top right-hand corner of the page. Select "Create Pages."
Since your dealership is a local business, select that as the option.
Make sure you select the category that best reflects your business. In the case of a dealership, I'd recommend "Automotive" as the category. Submit your dealership contact information and click, "Get Started."
Facebook will walk you through the steps of creating your business page. I'd recommend keeping your page unpublished so that nobody stumbles upon it while you're still building it out.
6.) Bing Places
It's true; there are other search engines out there besides Google! Bing makes it easy to submit your business information. Click the big "Get Started" link front and center on the page.
If you scroll down the page, they even have a hand infographic that walks you through the process. Get 'er done!
7.) WebLocal.ca (Yellowbot)
Weblocal is a partner site of Yellowbot directory listings. To get started, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the "Contact Us" link.
You will be redirected to the Yellowbot site where you can submit your business information. In the right-hand column, there is a link where you can submit your business.
8.) Goldbook.ca
I like easy, and this one is that. From the homepage, click the "Add/Update my listing" link to get started.
You'll need to have all of your business information at the ready (which you should have by now) and send an email to them. It's free.
9.) n49.ca
To list your dealership with n49, click the "Add a business" link in the top right-hand corner of the page.
You will need to create a free account before you can go any further. Enter your email address, password, and username. Once complete, click, "Create My Account."
Check your email and click on the confirmation link they sent to you.
Once your account is created and confirmed, they will redirect you to your account dashboard. Click on the "Add a Business" link and follow n49's setup wizard to complete the process.
10.) HotFrog.ca
It's easy and free. To add your business, click the "Add your business" link from the homepage.
Fill in all of your dealership's contact information and submit. You'll also have the option to create a HotFrog login, which I recommend. Doing so will make it easier to manage your listing if needs be.
11.) iBegin
iBegin is a directory listing website for Canada, the USA, the UK, and New Zealand. To get started, click the "Submit your business" link on the homepage and follow the instructions. Basic, free and easy.
12.) MapQuest
Remember MapQuest?!? They are still around and have a pretty cool interface for adding your business. To claim you business, click on the three-lined icon in the top left-hand corner of your browser.
From the slide-out menu, scroll down until you see "Claim your business."
Fill out the form with your dealership information, and you're off to the races. I'd recommend setting up a profile on Mapquest so that it's easy to manage your listing in the future. They make it easy by linking to the Facebook login api.
13.) BrownBook.net
I love when they are easy. Go to www.brownbook.net and click the "Add a Business" link in the top right corner of the screen. Noticing a trend for how this get's done yet?
14.) ProfileCanada.com
Yes, it's a little cluttered, but it's still a great place to get listed. Once you click on the "Add a Business" link on the homepage, just follow their prompts to complete setup. CHECK!
15.) ShopInCanada.com
Another easy place to get listed, the name says it all. Shop in Canada makes the process of adding a business listing easily.
Start by clicking the "List Your Canada Business" link located just under the logo on the homepage. Done like dinner.
16.) Cylex.ca
To list your dealership on Cylex, you'll need to register an account with them. Click the "Register" link in the top right-hand corner of the screen.
On the next screen, you'll be presented with two options for registering on their site. I recommend selecting the Business Directory. Once selected, follow the instructions to complete your profile setup.
17.) eSourceCanada.com
Ugly site, yes. Valid and easy listing process, also yes. That's kind of the point to these listing sites, though. They don't need to be pretty, and you're not there to show off the beauty of the sites you list with. Remember that the point is to show Google that you've got some Klout.
To get started, navigate to the "List your company" link at the top left of the screen. That's it.
18.) FoundLocally.com
Found Locally is a little more unique because they have segmented their site by region. To kick off the listing process, select your Province from the drop-down menu.
Once you've selected your region, an "Add free listing" link will magically appear in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Click it.
See the big blue arrow on the page? Follow the instructions right below it.
19.) MySheriff.ca
I don't get the name, but I get that listing here is important. After you're done gazing at the beautiful yellow map of the world, click on the "Add your business today and get the top listing free" link.
Done.
20.) Pinbud.ca
I don't know about you, but I just want to meet the people behind this site. You start off with a cartoon, and I'm hooked. I've also always been fascinated with how off the word "enrol" looks to me. At the time of writing this, my grammar correction tool is even screaming at me to change the spelling to "enroll."
Nonetheless, you're going to want to click the link that says, "Enrol Business."
True, it's not a free listing site, but are you really going to cheap out over $2.99? Click the signup link and get listed!
21.) DakiTaki.com
It is what it is. A business Directory. Canada. At least, that's their slogan. Click "Add Listing" to get started. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't want to be a fly on the wall while they came up with the name of this site.
Also not a free service, but there is a reason they are in the top 30 Canadian local listing sites you need to be on. If you're asking my opinion, yes they are valuable enough to be on this list. Would I maybe consider them last? yes. Just my $0.02.
22.) Yalwa.ca
If you guessed that this is another listing website, you'd be correct. Click the blue, "Add business" button in the top right of the screen.
They at least had the decency to have a clutter-free landing page promoting the fact that this won't be free. That is respectable. If you want to move to the next step with Yalwa, it'll cost $4.95 per month.
23. Foursquare.com
Foursquare hit with a boom back in 2009, but for some reason started to fade away a little. At least, that's how it seemed to me.
Having said that, there is no scoffing at the fact that Foursquare.com still receives 10-billion (with a B) check-ins per year spanning 55-million active monthly users.
Start by clicking on the "Small Business" link in the top right of the homepage. You will be redirected to their small business portal.
Located just below the search bar, click the "Get started now" link.
Type the name of your dealership and your location and click "Search." If your dealership is already on Foursquare, it will appear in the list of search results. If that's the case, go ahead and click, "Select."
You'll need to claim your dealership (if you haven't already done so). Check the box to verify that you're the owner or someone that represents the owner of the store. Click, "Get started."
Enter the store's phone number or cell phone number of the owner of the store to verify ownership. From what I found, they don't call or send a text. If you were trying to claim a business, it means that they already have preliminary contact information on file that they need to verify.
I entered my cell phone number, and that was all they needed.
The hook. It's not free, but you've already invested this time into getting to step 7. For $20 bucks, you can claim the business and get it listed and maintained in Foursquare's directory. It's a little annoying when it's not free, but $20 is a very small investment considering how much you've already spent on SEO.
24.) Opendi.ca
Ah, simple. Clean. The way websites should be. Click the "Create a free listing" button in the top right corner of the page.
Fill out the form with your business information and submit. That's it. Moving on...
25.) FindUsFast
I don't know if it's just me, but I find it extremely ironic that the name of the directory is "Find Us Fast," but I felt like I was playing a game of "Where's Waldo" trying to find the link to submit a site. :)
As you can see from the image, it's there, but it is small. Click it.
Click the link to add your listing to the Find Us Fast website. That's it. Easy.
26.) About Us
AboutUs is an interesting concept where you can create a page that supports a person, place, or thing. If you fall into one of those categories, they want to know about it.
Start by clicking the "Anything" link.
They've made things super helpful by clicking you through to their user guide. Follow the instructions to learn more about the platform and determine whether it's a good fit for your dealership or not.
27.) Factual
I'm going to save you hours of digging and just link you directly where you need to go. Fill out their form, and submit to get listed.
28.) WorldWeb
To kick things off on WorldWeb.com click the "Business" link on their homepage.
The next page is a little confusing, but whatever. That's why you're here, right?!?
First, do a search for your business. If WorldWeb has your listing already, follow their instructions to claiming it. If it's not listed, click the 'back' button and proceed to step 2.
Follow the on-screen instructions to get your dealership listed on the site.
29.) Where2Go.com
Am I reminded of the old Yahoo! Geocities website my buddy Dan and I used to create? Absolutely. Visiting Where2Go.com brought back some fond memories of my teenage years.
See that tiny little "List Site" link in the navigation? Click it.
They have a specific warning about adding duplicate listings, so I would recommend doing a search to see if you're already on the site. If not, follow the instructions and giddy-up!
30.) ShowMeLocal.com
Phew, you made it! Last, but certainly not least is ShowMeLocal.com. To get started, click on "New Business signup."
If you already have an account, you just need to sign in. If not, fill out the form and click the "Register for Free!" button.
This is a little bit backward but go with me. Right when you register, they immediately direct you to a page where you can enter your business details. Go ahead and do that.
You will get a warning that before they can review your listing, you will need to confirm you account. On most sites, they prompt you to do this before being able to do anything else.
Head over to your email and click the confirmation link they sent you. Once confirmed, you're done.
Conclusion:
As mobile usage continues to rise, giving Google as much insight into your online authority will be crucial. Getting listed on the top 30 directory listing sites covered in this post will help you get the attention of Google and rank even higher than before.
Have any questions or comments? Sound off in the comments!
