Online directories are sites that scrape the Internet looking for businesses’ information – at a minimum they’ll include a company’s name, address and phone number (NAP) — to pull into their master database of businesses. Some examples of online directories include Yelp, Merchant Circle, Citysearch, Google My Business, InCityLife and YP.com.

The main Search Engine Optimization (SEO) benefits of getting listed on online directories is that quality online directory listings often show up in search engine result pages (SERPs) when a local business is searched for.

Online directories also allow you to get a backlink to your website from a trustworthy site. In a day when backlinks are still important to the search engines as a ranking factor, it lends to your business’ credibility when you’re accurately linked to on the top online directories.