The internet is the first place your prospects go to find solutions, including the products or services you offer. That's why it's vital to have an online presence. Otherwise, they'll find your competitors instead, and you'll lose the sale.
Having a website isn't enough on its own. You also need your business listed where prospects and customers are already searching, and ideally listed better than your competitors. The question is: where?
Where Should You Promote Your Business?
There are countless places to list a business, and trying to be in all of them would drain your time and budget. Just as you'd diversify your investments, spread your presence across a few different types of listings: the major map and search platforms, the review and local directories that matter in your field, and the social networks your audience uses.
Here are ten places to list your business in 2026 to reach your audience and stay ahead of your competitors.
Map and Search Platforms
These are the foundation. They feed the maps and search results people use every day to find local businesses, and they're all free.
1. Google Business Profile
Google is the giant, and its free Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) feeds directly into Google Search and Maps. A complete, active profile, with accurate information, photos, posts, and recent reviews, helps you appear in the local "map pack" and local results. For almost every business, this is the single most important listing you can have. (Here's a deeper guide to your Google Business Profile.)
2. Bing Places for Business
Microsoft's equivalent is Bing Places for Business. It's quick to set up (you can often import your Google profile directly), and it matters more than Bing's market share suggests, because Bing also powers Microsoft Copilot and other AI tools that pull from these listings.
3. Apple Business Connect
If you or your customers use an iPhone, you're using Apple Maps. Apple Business Connect is Apple's free tool (launched in 2023) for claiming and customizing your business "place card" across Apple Maps, Siri, Messages, and Wallet, reaching more than a billion Apple users. It's Apple's answer to Google Business Profile, and many businesses still haven't claimed theirs, so it's an easy edge.
Review and Local Directories
These build trust and reach people who are actively comparing their options.
4. Yelp
Yelp is still one of the most-used sites for finding local businesses, especially restaurants, home services, and the like. Claim your free profile, add photos and details, and respond to reviews. One important quirk: unlike Google, Yelp asks businesses not to solicit reviews, so let those come naturally.
5. Better Business Bureau (BBB)
A BBB profile, and accreditation if you choose it, signals trustworthiness, and BBB pages often rank well in search. For service businesses in particular, a solid BBB presence and rating reassure cautious buyers who are checking you out before they call.
6. Industry-Specific Directories
Beyond the general sites, list your business where people in your field actually look: TripAdvisor for hospitality, Angi for home services, Healthgrades for medical practices, Avvo for attorneys, and so on. These reach people searching for exactly what you offer, often with high intent to buy.
Social Platforms
Social profiles help customers find you, engage with you, and vouch for you, and they often rank in search, too.
7. Facebook
Facebook (Meta) is still a top platform for many businesses, especially B2C. A Facebook Page lets customers find your information, message you, read recommendations, and engage with your posts and offers.
8. Instagram
Also owned by Meta and tightly linked to Facebook, Instagram is essential for visually driven businesses, retail, food, fitness, beauty, and more. A business profile adds contact buttons and shopping features that turn browsers into customers.
9. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the go-to for B2B. With more than a billion members, it's where you build professional credibility, connect with other businesses for partnerships, and reach decision-makers. Maintain a complete, active company page.
Syndicate Everywhere
10. Data Aggregators and Listing-Management Tools
Finally, the smartest move is to push consistent information to many directories at once. Listing-management services like Yext, Moz Local, or BrightLocal distribute your business details across dozens of maps, apps, and directories (and the data aggregators that feed them), so your information stays accurate everywhere without you updating each site by hand.
5 Things to Keep in Mind
A few principles will help you start and sustain your online presence:
First, most business listings are free. Getting listed doesn't require opening your wallet, but it does require investing some time.
Second, and most important: keep your information consistent everywhere. Your business name, address, and phone number (your "NAP") should match exactly across every listing. Inconsistent details confuse both customers and search engines and can hurt your local rankings. Review your listings every few months to keep them current.
Third, make your business stand out. Highlight what makes you different, use relevant keywords naturally in your description, and include complete contact information and your website URL so prospects can reach you easily.
Fourth, encourage reviews, the right way. Ask happy customers for reviews where it's allowed (Google welcomes it), but never pay for or incentivize them, which violates platform policies. And remember that Yelp specifically asks businesses not to solicit reviews, so follow each platform's rules.
Fifth, these listings can be indexed by search engines, which gives prospects even more ways to find you. And being found is the whole reason you're online in the first place.
If you'd like help getting your business listed and found across all of these, get in touch. We'd be glad to help.
This is part of our guide to marketing your small business online.
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