We have written extensively in the past on how to rank well locally on search engines. Not much has changed in the past few years other than the fact that local listings are becoming more and more important. To rank well on Google’s localized results, you need to:

1. Create a Google Business Places listings and fill it in properly
2. Get lots of quality citations for your business
3. Have great localized content on your website

Although there are hundreds of directories that you can submit to, many will just be a waste of time because of bad credit quality. To save you time, we have compiled a list of about 60 great directories that you should submit to. The list was generated using the following steps:

1. First, we created an expansive list of citation sources with Whitespark that covers different industries (example: home services, professional services, clinics, and restaurants) and cities across Canada.
2. Next, we removed any sector or industry-specific citation sources since this is a general study (we may release sector-specific lists in the future!). We also filtered out low-quality directories that did not past our tests.
3. Finally, we ranked the remaining directories based on an internal algorithm we created. (Homepage PageRank + MozRank + Majestic SEO Citation Flow + Majestic SEO Trust Flow + SEO Moz Domain Authority + # of citations we found across multiple industries)

Top 62 Canadian Business Listing Citations

Creating Effective Local Citations

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when doing link building and completing business citation listings:

1. Consistency: Use the same business name, address and phone number on all your listings.
2. Remember Your Login: Remember to record the username and password for each directory in case you have to update your listing later.
3. Include images – Take advantage of options to include a logo, pictures, or videos.

For more information on search engine optimization, check out our P.A.C.E. digital marketing reference pages and our various digital marketing training courses. We can also build a website that attracts traffic and promote your site for you. For more information, contact us.