The email says it can put your business on 120 directories by Friday, for one low price. You can name two of them. One is Google.
What's the difference between a listing, a directory and a profile?
A listing is a page about your company on a site you don't run. A directory is a site that collects listings. A profile is a listing you've claimed, so you can edit it.
Google's own help page says a Business Profile acts like an online listing for your business,[1] so the words blur. What matters is whether you can log in and fix the page. Listings are one part of local SEO; our local SEO checklist for home service companies covers the rest.
Which directories matter for local SEO, and in what order?
Seven are worth the hour, and all are free to claim. Shoppers who read reviews use several sites:
97% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, using about six review sites on average; the share using Google for reviews fell from 83% (2025) to 71% (2026).
Source: BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey · (opens in a new tab) · n=1,002 US adults
- Google Business Profile. Google says it lets you manage how your business shows up on Maps and Search at no charge.[2] If customers never visit your address, hide it and list your service area. Our profile checklist covers the rest.
- Apple Business, for Apple Maps. It replaced Apple Business Connect, and Apple says it's a free service.[3] Your place card shows up in Maps, Siri, Calendar and Messages, and you set the name, hours, phone, website and photos on it. Apple defines the address as where customers can get goods or services during open hours, so a home-based crew should check its rules first.[4]
- Bing Places. Bing calls it a free service for claiming or adding your listing.[5] You can import your Google profile. Bing says that if it matches the two listings, Google's data overwrites its own, so I'd fix Google first.[5]
- Yelp. Claiming your page is free, and Yelp says a claimed page doesn't make you an advertiser.[6] Bing's ranking tips say to list your business on trusted sites like Yelp, where more positive reviews make a listing more popular.[7] Yelp asks businesses not to ask for reviews,[8] so I'd use our scripts for asking on Google instead.
- Facebook and Nextdoor. A Facebook Page is free, shows your address, phone number and hours, and Meta says Google may index it.[9] Nextdoor says home service providers can use a free Business Page, and a page may already exist from public data or a neighbor's recommendation.[10]
- Better Business Bureau. A BBB Business Profile is free to claim.[11] Accreditation is a separate program with an application and annual dues, which BBB says depend on several factors, including size.[12] I'd claim the profile and weigh accreditation on its own.
Lead sites like Thumbtack and Angi are a separate decision. Thumbtack's help page says you pay for leads there.[13] When buying leads still makes sense has the questions to ask first, and Local Services Ads are Google's version.
What does it mean to keep your details the same everywhere?
It means the same name, phone number, website and hours on every page. Google, Apple and Bing each ask for some of it in their own words:
| Platform | What its page asks for |
|---|---|
| Your real-world name, used consistently on your storefront, website and stationery.[14] | |
| Apple | A display name that matches your storefront or website, and hours that match your website whenever possible.[4] |
| Bing | Name, address, phone number, website and other key details kept consistent and up to date across all your online channels.[5] |
Bing adds that it checks what you submit against other search engines, websites and social media.[5] So a stale page you never claimed can still contradict you.
I'd write your details on one page and copy from it. Use the name from your truck door, the phone you own, your website, your real hours and the towns you serve.
Google's guidelines say a profile's phone number must be under the business's direct control, and they don't mention tracking numbers.[14] Bing's data-quality page asks for a working number where customers can reach you, and says not to use a reseller's or partner's.[15]
I'd keep your own number as the primary one everywhere. Google says a profile can carry up to two more numbers,[16] and that's where I'd put a tracking number. How to find out where your leads really come from has the details.
How do you find out where you're listed, in one hour?
Search for yourself the way a stranger would, write down every page that shows up, and fix the big ones first.
- Search your phone number in quotes, then your company name with your town. Do both on a phone.
- Search your name in Apple Maps and Bing Maps. A page may already exist, so claim it instead of creating a second one.[17][18]
- Log every page in a sheet: where it is, what's wrong, and whether you can claim it or only ask for a fix.
- Claim and fix the big ones first, then email the small ones the right details. If a card or an AI answer shows wrong details, trace it to its source first.
- Note who you asked and when.
One hour for an HVAC company in Round Rock
- Searched the main phone number in quotes, then the company name plus Round Rock. Eleven pages came up.
- Claimed and fixed: Apple's card had the wrong Saturday hours, Bing had an old phone number, and Yelp was unclaimed with an old address.
- Already right: the Google profile and the Facebook Page. Nextdoor had a page built from public data, so it was claimed too.
- Emailed for fixes: the chamber of commerce page (old address) and a manufacturer's dealer locator (company name misspelled).
- Left alone: three directories nobody visits. Noted the date, to look again in a quarter.
Illustrative example
If you'd rather not spend the hour, our local SEO audit looks for these mismatches across your profile and listings. The Expert Action Plan ($149) is the complete report plus a 30-minute consultation.
Is a package that lists you on 100 directories worth buying?
Rarely. Google's help page says a third party can't promise or directly influence your ranking on Search or Maps through any special means.[19] It also tells you to get an official copy of your agreement that details the services and their costs.[19]
Bing says a listing is tied to the email you sign in with.[5] It also says a second page for the same business is marked as a duplicate and can't be edited.[18] So before you pay, ask:
- Which sites, by name, and can I open every page?
- Whose email, phone number and website go on each one?
- Do I get the logins, and what happens to the pages if I stop paying?
The FTC describes a different trap: calls about a directory listing that's free or just a renewal, followed by an invoice. Its advice: if you didn't agree, don't pay.[20]
Google's spam policies list low-quality directory links among their examples of link spam.[21] Getting backlinks without buying them covers that side.
What the platforms don't say
No page I read says how much one listing counts toward ranking. Google says it does its best to keep ranking details confidential, and that nobody can request or pay for a better local ranking.[22] Bing's page says a business mentioned more across the web counts as more popular, but it doesn't say how heavily any one part counts.[7]
OpenAI's help page says ChatGPT may get nearby business listings from third-party providers, but it doesn't say which.[23] If a seller claims to know, ask for the page that says it. Claiming also doesn't hand you the whole listing: Apple says some areas of a place card show data from the Apple ecosystem and related partners.[4]