The Emperor’s New Online Business Directory

I’ve lost count of the number of online directories that sell their directory listings in the following way (or a variation of).

“Want to promote your business on a Top Spot prominent display?
Want to achieve a page 1 presence on Google?
We can network local business to business through chamber of commerce meetings and local Network meetings”

Roughly translated:

1) “You’ll be exposed to HUNDREDS of thousands of people coming to our site!”

2) “We’ll put you on page 1 of Google!”

3) “We’ll set you up and broker introductions…”

In reality:

1) Nobody searches a directory to find your products and services. Like you, they use Google.

2) A simple test (which most directories fail) is this: go into their directory, pick a category and find a paying advertiser in that category. Note the business name, the town and the category. Now go to Google and do a search on that business category in that town. You’d expect to find that business high up in the Google search results, right? So look through all the pages of results to find the directory listing for that named business. If it’s not on page 1, the directory failed to keep this promise. If it’s not there at all, that advertiser’s been had. Try this out yourself the next time you spot someone selling listings in an online business directory.

3) “We can network local business to business through chamber of commerce meetings and local Network meetings”? Er… so can you.

That’s 3 shiny non-benefits in a row.

January 11, 2008 | Filed Under GRRRR!!!, business insight 

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One Response to “The Emperor’s New Online Business Directory”

  1. Touch Local: feedback | 'mu:kaumedia on November 6th, 2008 12:29 pm

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