Business directories are platforms that index and store specific data about businesses, making that information available to the public. Think of them as online phone books or directories.
Listing your business on multiple directories increases the chances of customers finding you when they search by category or keyword. Some directories serve specific audiences, like navigation systems, while others are broad (e.g., Google, Facebook, Bing, Yelp).
How Your Data is Published
This platform’s partnerships with directories help optimize your location data where it matters most. Depending on your business strategy and country, we can list you on specific directories or all available ones.
Data is sent, received, and updated at different cadences depending on the directory. Connections can be “Real-time submissions” for instant updates or “File” uploads, which happen at set intervals (e.g., this platform submits data to Alexa via file upload once per day).
Publication Timelines
The time it takes to create or edit a location depends on how fast the directory processes the data we send.
- New Listings: Creation should typically appear within a day. However, some directories manually check all new listings, which can take longer.
- Existing Listings: Update speeds vary, but can take up to approximately 10 days. If a directory doesn’t require a listing to be claimed, we can often update the data immediately.
General Disclaimer: The publication times listed below are estimates. There may be instances where data is published sooner or later than the typical timeframe. If you’re concerned about a delay, please contact our support team.
Directory Publishing Targets
The table below outlines the specific directories, their connection types, and typical publication times.
| Directory | Type | Regions | Connection | Typical Publication Times | Claiming Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acompio | Business Directory | UK, US, CA, AU, NZ, ES, IE | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Alexa | Voice Search | AT, CA, FR, DE, IT, ES, UK, US | File | 1 day | No |
| ANNUAIRE (hoodspot.com) | Business Directory | FR | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Apple | Search | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Apple: Siri | Voice Search | Global | Indirect | - | - |
| Auskunft.de | Business Directory | DE | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| BAIDU | Search | Global (outside China) | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Better Business Bureau (BBB) | Business Directory | CA, US | File | 10–15 days | No |
| Bing | Search | Global (except FR) | Real time submission | 15 days | No |
| Bing: Microsoft Cortana | Voice Search | Global (except FR) | Indirect | - | - |
| Branchenbuch Deutschland | Business Directory | DE | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Business Branchenbuch | Business Directory | DACH | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Business Branchenbuch: Unternehmens Auskunft | Business Directory | DACH | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | - |
| Central Index | Business Directory | UK | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Central Index: City Pages | Business Directory | UK | Indirect | - | - |
| Central Index: Scoot | Business Directory | UK | Indirect | - | - |
| Central Index: The Daily Record | Business Directory | UK | Indirect | - | - |
| Central Index: The Evening Standard | Business Directory | UK | Indirect | - | - |
| Central Index: The Liverpool Echo | Business Directory | UK | Indirect | - | - |
| Central Index: The Mirror | Business Directory | UK | Indirect | - | - |
| Central Index: The Scotsman | Business Directory | UK | Indirect | - | - |
| Central Index: Touch Local | Business Directory | UK | Indirect | - | - |
| Chamber of Commerce | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| City Search | Business Directory | US | File | 1 day | No |
| City Search: InsiderPages | Business Directory | US | File | - | - |
| City Squares | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Cylex | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Cylex: Find Open | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | - | - |
| doctor.com (DDC) | Reputation | US | Real time submission | 30–45 days (network) | No |
| DDC: Bing Health | Reputation | US | Indirect | - | - |
| DDC: DocSpot | Reputation | US | Indirect | - | - |
| DDC: Healthgrades | Reputation | US | Indirect | - | - |
| DDC: ShareCare | Reputation | US | Indirect | - | - |
| DDC: Vitals | Reputation | US | Indirect | - | - |
| DDC: WebMD | Reputation | US | Indirect | - | - |
| DDC: Wellness | Reputation | US | Indirect | - | - |
| E Local | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | - |
| Eco-Movement | Navigation & Apps | AT, AU, BE, CA, CH, DE, DK, ES, FR, UK, IE, IT, NL, NZ, PT, SE, US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Eco-Movement: Apple EV | Navigation & Apps | - | Made available to network | - | - |
| Eco-Movement: Eurowag EV | Navigation & Apps | - | Made available to network | - | - |
| Eco-Movement: Google EV | Navigation & Apps | - | Made available to network | - | - |
| Eco-Movement: Here EV | Navigation & Apps | - | Made available to network | - | - |
| Eco-Movement: Opis EV | Navigation & Apps | - | Made available to network | - | - |
| Eco-Movement: Tesla EV | Navigation & Apps | - | Made available to network | - | - |
| Eco-Movement: TomTom EV | Navigation & Apps | - | Made available to network | - | - |
| EZ Local | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Social | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes | |
| Facebook: Instagram | Social | Global | Indirect | - | - |
| Foursquare | Social | Global | File | 1 day | No |
| Go Local | Business Directory | DE | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Go Local: Meinungsmeister | Business Directory | DE | Real time submission | - | - |
| Go Yellow | Business Directory | DE | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Search | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes | |
| Google Maps | Navigation & Apps | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | - |
| Google: Waze | Navigation & Apps | Global | Indirect | - | - |
| HERE Technologies | Navigation & Apps | Global | File | 7 days | No |
| Hotfrog | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| I Global | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Info is Info | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Infobel | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Infogroup (Data Axle) | Data Aggregator | US, CA | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Judy's Book | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Koomio | Business Directory | DACH | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Les Horaires-Le Figaro | Business Directory | FR | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | - |
| Les Horaires: MoneyVox | Business Directory | FR | Indirect | - | - |
| Manta | Business Directory | US, CA, AU, UK | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| MapQuest | Search | US, CA, UK, AU, NZ, ZA | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Marktplatz Mittelstand | Business Directory | DE | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Marktplatz Mittelstand: Busqueda Local | Business Directory | ES | Real time submission | - | - |
| Marktplatz Mittelstand: Ricercare Imprese | Business Directory | IT | Real time submission | - | - |
| Meinestadt | Business Directory | DE | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| My Local Services | Business Directory | US, UK | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| N49 | Business Directory | US, CA | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| NAVMII | Navigation & Apps | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Nextdoor | Social Directory | US, CA, NL, UK, FR, DE, ES, IT, AU, SE, DK | File | 7 days | No |
| Oeffnungszeitenbuch | Business Directory | DE, AT, CH, FR, ES, IT | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Opendi / Stadtbranchenbuch | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Pages 24 | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Petal Search | Search | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Pratique (118000.fr) | Business Directory | FR | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Show Me Local | Business Directory | US, CA, AU, UK | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| TomTom | Navigation & Apps | Global | File | 30 days | No |
| Trip Advisor | Social | Global | File | 1–2 days (non-JP), 1 month (JP) | No |
| Trustpilot | Social | Global | Reviews only | - | - |
| Tupalo | Business Directory | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| US City | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Infobel: US Info Com | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Where To | Navigation & Apps | Global | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Wo Gibts Was | Business Directory | DE | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
| Yellow Pages | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | No |
| Yellow Pages Canada | Business Directory | CA | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | - |
| Yellow Pages: DexKnows | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | - | - |
| Yellow Pages: Superpages.com | Business Directory | US | Real time submission | - | - |
| Yelp | Social | US & CA | Real time submission | 7 days | No |
| Zip.ch | Business Directory | CH, LI | Real time submission | Nearly Instant | Yes |
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to common questions about directory publishing.
What happens if I edit my location on the directory itself?
While some directories like Google My Business (GMB) allow this, we strongly recommend making all changes directly in our platform. This ensures your information remains consistent across all directories. For GMB, changes made directly on Google are no longer automatically overwritten by our sync, but they will be amended when that field is actively updated in our platform.
Why doesn't the category I selected match what's in the directory?
Different directories have different category systems. We internally match your selected category to the closest available option for each specific directory, so in some cases, they will not be the same.
What if my listing is already claimed by someone else?
This depends on the directory.
- Some directories allow us to overwrite the existing listing automatically when we send your data. If this happens, the previous owner might complain to the directory, who will then forward the complaint to us and you.
- Other directories, like Google, do not allow claimed listings to be overwritten. If you believe a Google listing belongs to you, you must contact Google directly to file an official claim.
Best Practices & Directory-Specific Guidelines
Following these best practices can help maintain accuracy, though directories ultimately decide what information they publish.
General Best Practice
For many directories, your website (especially local pages) is the source of truth. It is always best to update your listing’s information on your website first, before updating it in our platform.
- Automated Updates: Google may publish different data (address, hours, etc.) than what is in your Google Business Profile if it believes it has more up-to-date information. It constantly crawls the web, especially your business website and even physical store signage, and might pull data from there.
- Update Reviews: While Google generally publishes updates almost instantly, it may review an update before it goes live, especially for major changes. This review ensures information is accurate and can take a few hours to several days.
- Phone Calls: Be mindful of phone calls from Google, as they might be calling to confirm information like opening hours.
- Multiple Tools/Agencies: Be cautious when connecting multiple tools to your Google account.
- Do not have multiple tools performing the same action (e.g., two tools updating data or responding to reviews).
- It is okay to have multiple tools pulling data or insights.
- The main goal is to avoid conflicting data sources feeding updates to your listings.
Bing
- Bing may aggregate data from user-suggested edits, third-party sources (like your website or other directories), and updates made to your listings.
- It’s possible to have several instances of a listing in different Bing Places accounts. We update your listing from our account, but you could have another instance in your own account with different info.
Apple
- To improve reliability, connect your Apple Business Connect account to this platform. By doing this, this platform becomes one of the main sources of truth for Apple.
Amazon Alexa
- Alexa is a voice-only assistant that provides business information but does not display an online listing URL.
- It is based on a virtual assistant technology.
- Updates to existing listings are typically processed within 24 hours.
- New listings can take up to several days because Alexa conducts manual verification checks, which may include checking the business website, calling the business, or using Google Street View.