SEO, Google Local, domain authority. These are some of the current considerations you may have heard of when starting your own business and developing an online presence. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the overarching means to growing your inbound website traffic, and within SEO are several marketing channels that you can use to drive traffic to your site.
While there are many ways to develop your site’s authority, being online with your competitors is the first way to put your name out there. The first place to list your business is in local Irish directories.
Domain authority is a search engine ranking score that gives you an idea of where your page will rank on search results pages. Because people are more likely to click on the first result of the first page, you want to get your site ranked as close to that top result as possible.
In 2004, two American lads started a blog called SEOmoz. This site was where SEO experts from around the world shared ideas and research. SEOmoz evolved into a consulting firm named Moz that creates SEO tools and marketing analytics based on search engine ranking factors.
Moz is the company that taught people to quantify their site visitors, sow inbound links, and use social media to drive people to their site. They also showed website owners how important it is to create shareable content that generates more traffic. This gradual increase in shares and visitors improves a websites’ credibility, thus creating authority.
Moz uses more than 100 data points to rank sites. Some of the most important factors are the number of links that point back to the site, the quality of those same links, how much content is on the site, and the age of the domain (how long it has been on Google).
Some other important ranking factors are website speed, social media signals, and the quality of the site’s content.
In 2016, Google changed the format of its local search results. By this year, more than half of Google searches took place on mobile devices, and their model of showing seven results wasn’t working for mobile users.
Phone screens can’t hold that many results well. Google replaced the phone numbers with addresses and hours and introduced a button to tap for map navigation. It was a smart move to help users, but it made it harder for businesses to show up in that “Local 3“.
The challenge for new businesses and website owners is to find every means possible to get their site to the top of the search results, and into that Local 3 box.
A business should begin by filling out a Google My Business page. This page establishes the company with Google and gives a company its starting point. You need to repeat what you put on this page across any other listing or social media site. Consistency is key.
Once that information is complete and accurate, it’s on to the local directories. Google places much faith in companies that present themselves consistently across the internet. Each directory should contain the same information as the GMB page, to the letter. So which directories should you list in?
Here are the twenty-five best local directories that should have your business information.
It’s important to note that some of these listings are free, some are free with a paid option, and you have to pay for some. Free listings are not updated as often as paid listings, so you should consider using paid listings for the best quality web presence. The fee is usually nominal and is often worth every penny.
We’ve listed these sites with the domain authority as the top ranking factor.
1. http://www.adverts.ie
Domain authority: 62
Page authority: 52
Moz overall rank: 5.20
Number of backlinks: 1,401,426
Notes: This is the most popular Irish directory site in the country.
2. http://www.donedeal.ie
Domain authority: 58
Page authority: 53
Moz overall rank: 5.30
Number of backlinks: 2,180,457
Notes: This site is an advertising site more than a business listing site. You can place an ad for your business here, but the site features motors, farming, and marketplace items.
3. https://biz.yelp.ie/
Domain authority: 51
Page authority: 38
Moz overall rank: 3.80
Number of backlinks: 12
Notes: Similar to Cyclex, Yelp’s Irish landing page is a prompt to get started with your business listing. The page itself is not a big traffic magnet, but the businesses on this popular site definitely are.
4. http://www.goldenpages.ie
Domain authority: 46
Page authority: 52
Moz overall rank: 5.2
Number of backlinks: 692,902
Notes: Run by FCR Media, this site is a business listing site that also offers digital marketing and SEO insights to paying customers. Based in Dublin, the company also provides website design, Facebook advertising, and email marketing solutions. They have a reputation as Ireland’s #1 local search directory.
5. http://www.mytown.ie
Domain authority: 35
Page authority: 46
Moz overall rank: 4.60
Number of backlinks: 2,817
Notes: If you’ve ever heard of the term “hyperlocal,” this site is the very definition of it. Mytown.ie lists 168 towns with local listings for goods, services, entertainment, and news. Each town page contains radio stations, classifieds, entertainment, photos, and chat groups. If you want to start small, you can do a lot worse than getting attention from potential customers on this site.
6. http://www.yourlocal.ie
Domain authority: 33
Page authority: 47
Moz overall rank: 4.70
Number of backlinks: 5,693
Notes: With its eye on local services, this site presents a service-and-town search bar and lists popular services such as solicitors and hairdressers. It sports a scrolling activity bar that lists recent activity (businesses that have added their information to their directories).
7. http://www.yalwa.ie
Domain authority: 30
Page authority: 46
Moz overall rank: 4.6
Number of backlinks: 21,587
Notes: Aggregating listings from fifty-seven countries, Yalwa GmbH is a local business listing directory that allows visitors to choose from towns and counties when they perform their searches. Headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, this company is committed to sustainability and has planted over 50k trees in Bolivia and Madagascar.
8. https://admin.cylex.ie/
Domain authority: 29
Page authority: 25
Moz overall rank: 2.50
Number of backlinks: 0
Note: This site has no backlinks to its landing page because the first thing that visitors must do is check whether their business is on the site already. Their FAQ.
9. http://www.whatswhat.ie
Domain authority: 29
Page authority: 46
Moz overall rank: 4.6
Number of backlinks: 12
Notes: This site has embraced a different directory model. They have created a platform that feels Facebook influenced. They have a member activity crawl, a spot for member blogs, podcasts, and bonuses. They also feature the “most-visited” companies on their front page.
10. https://www.locanto.ie/
Domain authority: 29
Page authority: 49
Moz overall rank: 4.90
Number of backlinks: 3,427
Notes: This site is also run by Yalwa GmbH. It’s a person-to-person classified site that includes community events, employment, ads, and services.
11. http://www.hotfrog.ie
Domain authority: 24
Page authority: 46
Moz overall rank: 4.6
Number of backlinks: 20
Notes: this website is also a hyperlocal business booking arena that encourages users to review the businesses that they have hired. Reviews are an excellent way to the top of Google’s Local 3.
12. http://www.startpage.ie/
Domain authority: 23
Page authority: 34
Moz overall rank: 3.40
Number of backlinks: 402
Notes: This site feels friendly, with a nice collection of articles, a photo gallery of scenic areas, and a business listing sidebar that includes everything from cinemas to wedding vendors. It also offers information on Irish Sport, tourism, and a collection of regional links that include Belfast.
13. https://www.onlinedirectories.ie/
Domain authority: 22
Page authority: 25
Moz overall rank: 2.50
Number of backlinks: 29
Notes: This website lets users sign up for free but has a nominal charge for including social media links and enhanced listing services. It features RSS feeds from RTE, RTE Business, and the latest sports news, and a Twitter feed. Two other interesting features are a link to Irish government websites and a link to a single-page “rent-a-website” service.
14. http://www.localsearch.ie/
Domain authority: 21
Page authority: 27
Moz overall rank: 2.70
Number of backlinks: 37
Notes: This clean-looking site has three tiers of listing. The free level lists your business, ads your contact details, and provides a link to your website. The next level of service features you in your category: when you click on a category link, it shows five companies, and a “see more” link. It also posts recent reviews in a sidebar on the front page.
15. http://www.browse.ie
Domain authority: 20
Page authority: 45
Moz overall rank: 4.50
Number of backlinks: 2,602
Notes: Utterly bare-bones.
16. http://www.irelandyp.com/
Domain authority: 20
Page authority: 35
Moz overall rank: 3.50
Number of backlinks: 202
Notes: YP has an online presence in 127 countries with 22 million listings. It features a helpful search bar and a profile that can feature contacts, description, a photo gallery, and a map location. The site itself has Irish Lotto results and business listings for over 500 Irish towns and cities. Hyperlocal indeed.
17. http://www.search.ie/
Domain authority: 18
Page authority: 45
Moz overall rank: 4.50
Number of backlinks: 5,357
Notes: This site is also very bare-bones. The design is very simple, and it has a custom Google search bar for internal and external searching.
18. http://www.bigdirectory.ie
Domain authority: 16
Page authority: 45
Moz overall rank: 4.5
Number of backlinks: 0
This site has featured businesses, latest business entries, and a blog. It also sells ad space on its front page.
19. http://www.mysheriff.ie/
Domain authority: 15
Page authority: 32
Moz overall rank: 3.20
Number of backlinks: 30
Notes: Couldn’t reach the site at the time of publication.
20. http://www.dublin24.ie/
Domain authority: 14
Page authority: 28
Moz overall rank: 2.80
Number of backlinks: 4,228
Notes: This site is bright and features sponsored listings, new listings, top listings, and advertising space on its front page. It lists its stats: 3,774 listings in 885 categories. The company’s brand operates in eighteen European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. A nice detail is that it lists subcategories and each of those is a hyperlink, which is a time saver.
21. http://www.localdirectory.ie
Domain authority: 13
Page authority: 28
Moz overall rank: 2.80
Number of backlinks: 801
Notes: Couldn’t reach the site at the time of publication.
22. https://www.aroundtown.ie/
Domain authority: 13
Page authority: 17
Moz overall rank: 1.70
Number of backlinks: 2
Notes: This website is travel- and entertainment-based. The front page is full of beautiful destination photos and restaurant listings. Make sure it’s in your niche.
23. http://www.tradefinder.ie/
Domain authority: 13
Page authority: 27
Moz overall rank: 2.70
Number of backlinks: 7
Notes: Couldn’t reach the site at the time of publication.
24. https://www.yoys.ie
Domain authority: 13
Page authority: 26
Moz overall rank: 2.60
Number of backlinks: 35
Notes: This company operates in 50 countries and is business-to-business as well as business-to-customer.
25. https://www.infobel.ie
Domain authority: 10
Page authority: 15
Moz overall rank: 1.50
Number of backlinks: 2
Notes: Couldn’t reach the site at the time of publication.
If you’re having trouble deciding where to list your business, or don’t want to go through all these sites and track them all, start with the sites that have the most exposure, even if you pay for the listing. Let that listing be for a few months and look at your traffic data.
If the listing hasn’t helped you, leave it and add to it by using one of the sites that offer hyperlocal searches. Make sure you get an “.ie” domain name to establish your website as Irish.
You’ve heard the phrase ‘It’s a marathon, not a sprint.” That applies to your SEO efforts. It takes time to build a customer base and grow your sales with domain authority.
Make sure you keep your social media profiles up to date and create good content for your online presence. When people talk about your company, you get visits. When they visit, you get traffic. When you get traffic, you get business.
Also, make sure you have an SSL certificate on your website. Many of these Irish directories don’t have one (the site is http, not https) and since browsers warn visitors away from sites without basic security, visitors might bounce away before they enter.
A presence on social media alone isn’t going to give you the boost you need to be seen in the crowd of competitors. Check out our blog and services and see how we can help you grow your site traffic.
