What does MyBizGrade check?

We analyze your website speed, SEO tags, Google reviews, social media presence, and accessibility. Each area gets its own score and letter grade.

How is the grade calculated?

Each category is scored from 0 to 100 based on real data from your site. The overall grade is a weighted average across all five categories.

Yes, the full audit and grade are completely free. You can upgrade to a Pro report with copy-paste fixes for $39 if you want help improving.

What's in the Pro report?

You get a priority action plan, copy-paste ready fixes for every issue, time estimates, and a downloadable PDF. It tells you exactly what to change and how.

How long does the audit take?

Most audits finish in under 30 seconds. Complex sites with many pages may take up to a minute.

Do you store my data?

We store your audit results so you can revisit your report. We never sell your data or share it with third parties.

How often should I check my grade?

We recommend running a new audit every month. Your online presence changes as you update your site, get new reviews, and post on social media.

MyBizGrade was built by a small team of developers who wanted to make online presence auditing simple and affordable for small businesses.

Business Directory Listings: Which Ones Actually Matter

## There Are Hundreds of Business Directories. You Need About 20. Business directory listings (also called citations) are online profiles containing your business name, address, phone number, and other details. They exist on platforms like Yelp, Yellow Pages, BBB, and dozens of industry-specific sites. Directories affect your local search rankings. Google uses citations to verify your business exists and confirm your information is accurate. More citations from reputable sources signal a legitimate, established business. But not all directories carry the same weight. Some drive real traffic and SEO value. Others are spam traps or data farms offering nothing in return. This guide ranks the directories worth your time and shows you how to get listed on each one. ## Why Directory Listings Affect Local Rankings Google's local ranking algorithm considers three factors: relevance, distance, and prominence. Citations directly affect prominence. When Google sees your business listed consistently across multiple trusted sources, it gains confidence your business is real, active, and located where you say it is. This consistency boosts your prominence score. Inconsistent listings hurt you. If your name is "ABC Plumbing" on Google but "ABC Plumbing LLC" on Yelp and "A.B.C. Plumbing" on Yellow Pages, Google is unsure these are the same business. ## Tier 1: Essential Directories (Do These First) These directories have the highest domain authority, the most consumer traffic, and the strongest impact on local SEO. Every business needs a complete, accurate listing on each one. ### 1. Google Business Profile The single most important listing for any local business. Directly powers your appearance in Google Search and Google Maps. If you do nothing else, do this one. ### 2. Yelp High domain authority. Yelp profiles often rank on page one of Google for business name searches. Many consumers use Yelp directly to find and evaluate local businesses. ### 3. Facebook Business Page Facebook pages rank well in search results and serve as a secondary review platform. Even if you do not post regularly, keep your information accurate. ### 4. Apple Maps (Apple Business Connect) Powers search results on iPhones, iPads, Siri, and Apple CarPlay. With Apple devices holding a large market share, this listing reaches millions. ### 5. Bing Places Bing holds about 9% of search market share. Bing Places also feeds data to Cortana, Yahoo, and other Microsoft products. ### 6. Better Business Bureau (BBB) High trust factor with consumers and high domain authority. A BBB profile with an A+ rating adds credibility. Accreditation costs money, but a basic free listing still helps. ## Tier 2: High-Value Directories (Do These Next) These directories provide strong SEO signals and moderate direct traffic. ### 7. Yellow Pages (YP.com) Still carries domain authority and feeds data to other directories. The online version of a legacy brand. ### 8. Foursquare Powers location data for Uber, Twitter, Samsung, and thousands of apps. A Foursquare listing spreads your data across a wide ecosystem. ### 9. Data Axle (formerly InfoUSA) A major data aggregator. Getting listed here feeds your information to hundreds of smaller directories automatically. ### 10. Nextdoor Hyperlocal social network where neighbors recommend businesses. Strong for service-based businesses like contractors, cleaners, and landscapers. ### 11. Angi (formerly Angie's List) Essential for home service businesses. Consumers use Angi specifically to find contractors, plumbers, electricians, and similar trades. ### 12. Thumbtack Another strong platform for service businesses. Customers submit project requests and get matched with local pros. ### 13. MapQuest Still used by millions. MapQuest listings feed from Foursquare and Yext data, but claiming your listing directly ensures accuracy. ## Tier 3: Industry-Specific Directories These directories matter if they match your industry. They often carry more weight than general directories for your specific search terms. **Restaurants and food:** TripAdvisor, OpenTable, DoorDash, Grubhub, Zomato **Healthcare:** Healthgrades, Zocdoc, Vitals, WebMD, RateMDs **Legal:** Avvo, FindLaw, Justia, Martindale-Hubbell, Lawyers.com **Real estate:** Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, Trulia **Home services:** HomeAdvisor, Houzz, Porch, Bark **Automotive:** CarFax, RepairPal, AutoMD **Hospitality:** Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia **Fitness:** ClassPass, Mindbody Identify 3 to 5 directories specific to your industry and prioritize those alongside the general directories. ## Tier 4: Local Directories Local directories carry outsized value for local SEO because they directly connect your business to a geographic area. - **Chamber of Commerce:** Your local chamber website almost always links to member businesses. The local relevance signal is strong. - **City or county business directories:** Many municipalities maintain business listings. Search "[your city] business directory." - **Local newspaper websites:** Some offer business directory sections. - **Neighborhood association websites:** Hyperlocal directories with strong geographic signals. ## Directories to Avoid Not every directory helps. Some waste your time or harm your SEO. **Paid-only directories with no traffic:** If a directory charges for a basic listing and has no meaningful traffic, skip it. **Link farm directories:** Sites existing solely to collect links. Google devalues or penalizes these. **Directories requiring reciprocal links:** If they demand you link back to them, the exchange is for their benefit, not yours. **Auto-generated listing sites:** Sites scraping your data and creating low-quality pages. Do not bother claiming these. Focus your energy on the tiers above. 20 quality listings beat 200 junk listings. ## How to Set Up Your Listings ### 1. Prepare Your NAP Information Before listing anywhere, decide on the exact format of your: - **Name:** Use your legal business name. No extra keywords. - **Address:** Use the exact format you use on your Google Business Profile, including suite numbers, abbreviations, and formatting. - **Phone:** Use a local number. Keep it consistent everywhere. Write this down. Copy and paste it every time. Do not retype it. ### 2. Prepare Your Standard Content Create a master document with: - Business description (150 words and 300 words, so you have short and long versions) - Categories (primary and secondary) - Hours of operation - Website URL - Email address - Payment methods accepted - Year established - 5 to 10 high-quality photos ### 3. Claim and Fill Each Listing Work through Tier 1 first, then Tier 2, then industry and local directories. For each: 1. Search for your business on the platform 2. Claim the existing listing or create a new one 3. Complete every available field 4. Upload photos 5. Verify (some require phone, postcard, or email verification) Spread this over a week. Trying to claim 20 listings in one day burns you out and leads to mistakes. ### 4. Check for Duplicates Duplicate listings on the same platform confuse Google and split your reviews. Search each platform for your business name and address. Merge or delete duplicates. ## Maintaining Your Listings Setup is half the work. Maintenance keeps your data accurate long-term. **Quarterly review:** Check your top 10 listings for accuracy. Platforms sometimes revert changes or accept user-suggested edits without your approval. **After any business change:** Update every listing immediately when your address, phone number, hours, or services change. **Monitor for unauthorized changes:** Google allows users to suggest edits to business profiles. Other platforms have similar features. Check periodically to confirm no one changed your information. ## How to Track the Impact Measure the value of your directory listings through: - **Google Business Profile insights:** Track calls, direction requests, and website clicks - **Website analytics:** Monitor referral traffic from directory sites - **Search rankings:** Track your position for local keywords before and after building citations - **Citation count:** Use tools to count how many active citations you have ## For more on this topic, read [How to Track Your Online Presence Over Time](/blog/track-online-presence-over-time). For more on this topic, read [Google Business Profile Optimization: The Complete Guide](/blog/google-business-profile-optimization).Get Your Listing Score Want to know how your business listings stack up right now? GradeMyBiz checks your presence across directories, reviews, website, and Google Business Profile in one free scan. Get your score at [https://grademybiz.vercel.app](https://grademybiz.vercel.app) and see exactly which areas of your online presence need work. The right 20 listings do more for your business than 200 random ones. Focus on quality, keep your information consistent, and your local rankings respond.