Our free Directory Listings service helps promote our members’ businesses by submitting key information to our Directory Database, which is used by over 100 online directories to create listings.

Instead of having to research which business directories are out there, and then figuring out the specific submission requirements for each one, we do most of the work for you. Not only do you save time, but you benefit from teams of experts who specialize in researching and networking with directories, listings, and local search best practices. All you have to do is fill out one simple form in our editor and we’ll take it from there. If your business happens already to be listed on these directories, connection with our directory helps the Directories stay detailed and updated.

Check Twice, Submit Once

Like your website itself, what you get out of our Directory Listings service is based on what you put into it, and it only works if all the information is accurate. As exciting as it is to submit your listings as part of your website launch, it’s best to wait until your website  is complete before promoting it. Take the time to make sure all the important information about your business is on the site, and double, or even triple,  check to ensure for accuracy. You don’t want to hastily submit your billing address instead of your office address, for instance, nor do you want to say your office is on “Oak Street” if it’s really on “Oak Lane.”

I cannot stress enough how important it is that you make sure information is accurate on your website and listings submission. As self-evident as this may seem, you really want to make sure that you spell everything correctly, have the correct and appropriate information showing, and add any details that are important to publicize (including, but not limited to, languages you speak, how a client would set up the first appointment, anything unusual about your location or parking, etc).

While the whole point of directory listings is to promote your business, most online promotion will involve linking to your website, so it’s important to ensure that your website is accurately promoting your business. Once information goes online, it becomes harder to properly update the info later. It’s better to wait to submit accurate information than to submit erroneous information and edit it after the fact. Likewise, if you’re expecting a move or major change, it might be worth waiting to start the listings process until you can promote your long-term information instead of having conflicting information online. Remember, you can always contact us with questions or advice about specific or unusual situations.

While practically everything we do for our members is part of your membership costs, one exception is if we need to resubmit information to our Online Directory Database due to customer error. If you provide inaccurate information which needs to be corrected, there may be a $35 charge.

Remember, we have a whole team of support staff eager to help you, so please let us know if you have any questions or requests.

How it works

Once we receive the information you’ve submitted,  we do a quick cross-reference between the Listings submission and your website.This helps us to ensure that your main information, the Name, Address and Phone Number (NAP) is correct, that the website is up and running, and allows us to review for other issues. If we notice any problems, we contact you by email before publicizing your information.

Please note: while we do our best to double check your submission, the best way to ensure that we submit your information accurately is to provide accurate information to us. We do our best, but our members have more first-hand knowledge of their own information.

Depending on your location and business model, we submit you to one of two major internal databases. Most, and many of the best known, online directories require a physical “brick and mortar” office in the United States. As a result, our main database focuses on this largest batch of directories, many of which include maps to your business. This database includes Yahoo Local, Bing, Localeze, Superpages, numerous online Yellow Pages and many more.

If you don’t operate in the United States, want to keep your address private, and/or your business model is not based on clients coming to your office, we submit you to our web-based database. This connects to over a hundred listings, but focuses exclusively on driving traffic to your website.

Businesses with Multiple Offices

Our standard membership includes submissions for one office to our directory database. Some of our members prefer to have the information for each additional office to also be submitted in full to our directory database. Additional full submissions to our directory database are possible for a one-time fee of $99 per each additional office. The cost for similar services for independent businesses often ranges from $300- 500 per year.

Google Places and Related Tools

Google Places (also known as Google Local and “Google My Business”) is Google’s business directory, and is connected to Google Plus and Google Maps. It is connected to, but distinct from, Google’s Search Engine tool as well. Google’s Search Engine is what most people think of when they say “Google”, so it’s easy to confuse “Google My Business” with the idea of doing a Google search for a business.

Google Places is arguably the best known and most popular online business directory. The downside of this popularity is that it’s the most exploited by spammers, scammers and assorted online ne’er-do-wells, so Google has created a notably labor-intensive and inconvenient way to verify that all listings are for a legitimate and existing business.

Historically, we have searched for existing Google Places Listings for our members, and updated them if and when needed, and we will continue to do this. However, we no longer can create new listings if we do not find one online.
Google has been changing the way that listings are created, verified and managed, placing emphasis on connecting Google business directories with Google+ and seemingly wanting business owners to be hands on. As a result, it is currently impossible for us to create, verify and manage listings as a third party.

As a result, we strongly encourage you to set up your own Google Account via https://www.google.com/business

If you don’t have a Google Account, you may create one for free via https://accounts.google.com/SignUp

Having a Google Account is useful for most of our members, as it allows you to take advantage of Google Analytics to track visits to your website. Google Analytics is the industry standard tool for tracking traffic to your website, and it can provide you with powerful information about your site visitors, what pages they view, how long they stay on the site, and how they are finding you. Analytics allows you to quantitatively track the results of your site promotion efforts – giving you the data you need to tune your site for the best results. With our integration with Google Analytics – all you need to do is sign up, and plug your profile number into the SEO tab of your website editor.

Businesses with multiple offices should create a unique listing for each location.

Editing and updating information

We are happy to update your listings if you move or otherwise change, update, or add important information to your website. Please contact us via [email protected] with questions or edit requests.

Psychology Today

Please note that Psychology Today’s directory is not one of the directories we submit to via the Listings process. They are a completely separate service that charges $29.95/month, although we do partner with them for specific promotions.

If you have any questions about your Psychology Today Therapy Directory profile, you can contact Psychology Today at (212) 260-7210.

More you can do

While we do as much as possible to promote our members’ businesses, there are some directories that are difficult, if not impossible, for us to work with as a third party. Some of these may or may not be relevant to you and your business:

Healthgrades.com; While focusing on Medical Doctors and Dentists, many of our members have found it worth being listed on Healthgrades.

Yelp.com and Citysearch.com; These review-based directories tend to be more focused on bars, restaurants, hair salons, etc., but are worth considering, depending on your practice and focus. These are likely to be very useful for vets, massage therapists, and dentists, but less so for therapists, counselors, and psychiatrists.

Yext.com; Yext is a good service which some of our customers ask about, however, many consider it to be very expensive, and much of their service is redundant if you’ve submitted to our Listings service, especially if you’ve also created listings in Yelp and Citysearch.

There are other companies and services out there that do good work, but many of them charge for what you’re already getting as part of your membership. We don’t want to steer people away from anything that helps them, but we don’t want our members to spend extra money, either. We especially caution you to look into any service or offer that seems too good to be true. Remember, we’re always here for you, so please let us know when you have any questions!

Other ways to enhance your website: The logical next question is “what comes after listings?”. While our SEO department is available to take you in-depth through any of these suggestions, here’s a brief list of other great things to focus on:

1 – Customize your content: We provide some excellent stock content, but the specificity and unique voice you bring to it help potential clients to decide whether or not they want to work with you (link to that blog)

2- Build your content: Bigger is definitely better when it comes to website content. Contact us for suggestions about where to expand on your offerings

3 – Consider Social Media: Search trends lean towards more and more emphasis on the social media sphere, so it’s worth considering the use of such practices in promoting your business.

If you discontinue membership:

If we have created a Google Places Listing for you and verified it, it will remain online, but we strongly suggest you claim it into your own account. Your other listings will be left to expire a year after creation, unless you specify that you are closing your business, in which case we can close the listings outright.

Rich M – TherapySites Support
Email any questions to [email protected]