Great Britain’s economy showed excellent results within the first quarter of 2024 compared to the last three years. The Office for National Statistics revealed that the GDP expanded by 0.6% up to March. According to the Global Startup Ecosystem Index of 2024, the metropolis of London is home to 65% of the total startups in the United Kingdom. It has retained its 3rd position in the global ranking of the 2024 Index.
This dynamic ecosystem, which has served as a launchpad for multiple new start-ups, is a testament to London’s thriving economy. As an entrepreneur in this vibrant city, you can take pride in your business’s location and the opportunities it presents.
Whenever a new business is launched, entrepreneurs have to deal with multiple variables, finance being one of the pivotal factors to consider. While some startups possess the requisite funds to rope in Hollywood A-listers and top athletes to promote their brand, others must traverse the challenging route before attaining success.
Getting themselves listed in a local business directory as a startup can be a viable choice for new businesses trying to reach a broader audience. If you have launched a startup business or are planning to do so, then read on.
Today, we will elucidate the concept of a business directory that can serve as a startup directory and how listing a startup here can help boost your business. Finally, we will look at one of the best business directories in London and the steps involved in getting yourself listed. Without further ado, let’s get started.
What Is A Startup Directory?
A business directory also acting as a startup directory such as the London Business Directory or the UK Business List is a user-friendly website that allows new startup ventures to list business information under different niche-based categories. It’s like an online Yellow Pages for businesses, designed to be easy to navigate for users looking for businesses or services and products.
Potential clients can browse the pages of the business directory, select their specific niche or location, choose their preferred listing, and contact the listed business for further information.
While both startup directories offer free listing options, choosing a paid listing plan provides more benefits, as explained below. Keep reading to learn why you must get your startup business listed in a directory.
Why Get Your New Business Listed In A Startup Directory?
- If you are a startup operating on a limited budget, then it might be difficult for you to invest in expensive advertising. But with a business directory listing, you can tap into reaching your prospective customers at a fraction of the cost.
- Once your business is listed in a business directory, it also enables greater visibility on search engines like Bing, Google, Yahoo, and others. Let’s take the example of Mittal Hair Clinic, which has been listed with a PRO plan on the UK Business List. You can search for “Mittal hair clinic” on Google and the listing appears in the SERPs as a trust reference and additional mention:
- As you list your startup with an online business directory, this will help enhance the credibility and awareness of your brand. More and more potential customers will leave reviews of your startup on various popular platforms like Google and Trustpilot as well as via the listings. These reviews, from your most valuable asset – your customers, will propel your business growth. Check out how ratings on the LBN Directory improve the trust factor of a listed business with the example of the Quick Wasters listing:
- The London Business Directory and the UK Business List allow startup business owners to include social media handles and website links on their business profile pages for premium business listings. This can help businesses gain organic traffic as prospective customers can find and contact them directly.
It also aids the SEO efforts of companies as getting listed in a business directory increases the chances of them being discovered when a customer types in the appropriate keywords in a search engine or for local business searches. Below, you can check how easy it is for a user to quickly find a niche business in their local London area and select a business category like “property” for example:
- A business listing is cheaper than traditional marketing, such as running PPC campaigns on Facebook or Google. Below, we have listed the different listing plans of the London Business Directory and UK Business List for startups to gauge the plans and features that will suit them best. With these business listings, startups can save massively on advertisement expenditures, which can be diverted towards more resourceful avenues like research and development and recruiting a skilled workforce.
Listing Plans LBN Directory:
Listing Plans UK Business List:
How To Effectively List Your New Business In A Startup Directory?
Want to make your business better known? The UK Business List and London Business Directory can help align your business to your growth trajectory. Every listing submission undergoes stringent manual checking and verification before going live on the websites to keep entrepreneurs buffered from posting errors or misleading information. Companies can benefit from additional options such as adding logos, business links, images, and contact details.
Let’s take a detailed look at the steps involved in getting your startup business listed most effectively on these platforms.
Step 1: Select your Business Directory
You can choose to get listed on the London Business Directory if your business is registered with a London address or the UK Business List if it has a registered UK business address.
For further examples, we will consider the London Business Directory.
Step 2: Navigate to the Submit Listing Page
On the London Business Directory home page, you will find different plans, their prices, and included benefits and features. Choose the “continue” option to be redirected to the Submit Listing Page.
Step 3: Fill In Your Business Details
Once at the Submit Listing page, you must fill in all the business information related to your startup. You can list the following information:
I. Primary Listing Details
- Listing Title: Here, you will have to enter the name of your business.
- Business Tagline: You can check this option and provide a tagline or business slogan if your business has one. Let’s take a look at how these details appear on the business listing page of art studio Munki Magic on its London Business Directory page.
- Full Address (Geolocation): Simply add your full address and it should be picked up via the Google map within the directory. You can also enter your coordinates manually if you right-click on your Google map pin.
- Borough: This is the name of the London borough that will help potential clients discover your business locally when they use the directory’s search filters. Click the drop-down arrow appearing next to the empty box and select appropriately.
- Phone: Including your business phone number or customer help line can help prospective clients contact you before physically visiting your premises.
- WhatsApp: Your business might have a separate phone number and WhatsApp number. In this case, you can provide your WhatsApp contact credentials.
- Website: Providing your website URL is very important as it’s your online presence that readers can visit to get to know your business better. Make sure the hyperlink is fully functional and the website is updated.
II. Category & Services
Listing your business under a relevant business category will help potential users filter through their search more easily. You can check out the business categories of the London Business Directory on the home page or in the search bar:
III. Price Details
Listing your price details will help customers screen according to their affordability.
IV. Business Hours
Listing the business hours is extremely important. You can fill in information regarding the days of the week you operate to ensure customers are aware. Your final result will appear like this on the business listing page:
V. Social media
Linking your social media accounts is extremely important for utilising online marketing. With the premium listing plans you can add your Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter channel links. Check out the business listing of My Car Recovery London in the London Business Directory showing its social media handles:
VI. Frequently Asked Questions
List out all the FAQs and their answers. Check out this example of the Funel.io listing for more inspiration:
VII. Describe your Business
This segment allows you to fill in further information about your startup and you should utilise the business description to tell readers what you’re all about. You can edit the text using bold, italics, underlined, paragraph spacing, bullets, and numbers. With a premium listing you can also include hyperlinks in your text. There is also a separate section where you can enter tags or keywords for an incredible SEO boost. See how digital marketing agency ClickDo Ltd. have made use of those features:
VIII. Add Customised Media
You can add your business video and images (feature image and logo) to premium listings. Visuals are key for branding so check out how in the listing by MJ Tattoo custom images are used:
Step 4: Save & Preview
After filling out all the above details, enter your email address for your user registration. This will help send out notifications when your business listing is approved. Finally, click the ‘Save & preview’ button to review your listing and details – ensure everything is perfect to get it approved and published.
Conclusion
A 2022 report by the Centre for Entrepreneurs revealed that London is the most entrepreneurial city in the United Kingdom. It is also the place with the highest number of startups and thriving startup sectors in the UK. Favourable economic policies by the government and available funding from startup support organisations have helped more and more entrepreneurs realise their dreams.
If you plan to launch your business, then London can be your ideal platform. Coupled with the right tactics, such as getting yourself listed in a London or UK business directory, you can easily catch the eye of your potential customers. Directories like the London Business Directory and the UK Business List can help increase your visibility among the local crowd and boost your business growth to get a head start.
So, get your startup listed and if you need assistance with optimising it, then get in touch with us here.
Passionate reporter and editor for the LBN Directory, sharing the latest London business news, trends, insights and more.
