Even with the shift in search behaviour away from traditional Search Engines, directory listings and citations still hold their relevance as a useful tool for increasing your business’s online presence, especially when it comes to Local SEO.
For New Zealand businesses looking to leverage directories, your AI-powered search strategy needs to be focused on quality, consistency, relevance, and also completeness of your business information. AI generative search platforms prioritise authoritative, trustworthy, and accurate localised information about your business, so the more you can reinforce this information, the better!
Directory Submissions - What You Need To Know
Before you dive into listing your business in local directories, there are a few important things you should know:
- Domain Authority Matters. Building backlinks is not about quantity, it's about quality! Not every directory is going to offer value, you need to choose website directories that have high domain and page authority levels for the link to be useful to your business (low-quality backlinks can do more harm than good). Use a tool such as the Free Domain Authority Checker from MOZ to check the Domain Authority of the site you wish to add your business to (it is best to avoid sites with scores of less than 20).
- Consistency Is Key. Making sure your entire web presence is represented by identical information is essential to getting the most out of directory listings. This includes name, address, phone number, opening hours and all other information. This reduces confusion for both AI tools and people and adds to the much-needed ‘trust’ that generative search is looking for.
- Verification Is Required. In almost all instances, you will be required to verify that you are making a legitimate listing for an actual business that exists in the real world. This process can be a little tricky at times and will vary slightly between each directory service, but in its simplest form, it involves a code sent to your email address (or via a phone call) which you then need to enter into the signup process for the directory.
- Professional Profile Submissions Are Best. A complete and optimised profile with accurate name, address and phone number (NAP), hours, services, and photos helps build trust and authority, especially in an online landscape where it can be difficult to distinguish between what's real and what isn't.
- Add Your Address! The most important thing for Local Search is that you should always enter your business address when adding your business to a directory. A valid local address makes the biggest difference to your chances of appearing in the Local Pack and AI search answers. This is what counts for proximity search queries!
Top 10 Directories For Local Search In NZ
What are the main directories that New Zealand businesses in particular should have a presence in? Here's a breakdown of the best directories and some of the key considerations when building quality backlinks.
1. Google Business Profile (GBP)
Currently the top of the list for both Local SEO and AI Search, your GBP listing is by far the most important listing for any NZ business right now. The reason behind this is that your GBP quite literally drives your level of visibility on Google Maps and Local Pack listings and is heavily referenced by AI Overviews and other AI-powered search tools, particularly in searches with proximity intent.
For example, “Restaurants in Christchurch” and most importantly, AI search answer models draw information from your GBP, as it is a highly trusted source of information. Regular and consistent signs of interaction with your GBP are the goal on this one, as this signals to Google that your business is currently active and relevant.
2. Yellow NZ Online Directory
Yellow NZ is a long-standing and highly recognised brand for New Zealand businesses. Originating from what used to be the good-old Yellow Pages phone book company, this more modern version still provides a credible local citation.
Yellow.co.nz is an established authority on the NZ directory landscape with one of the highest domain authority scores for any NZ directory, and its detailed business listings make it a good source for AI models looking for verified business information.
3. Neighbourly
As its name suggests, Neighbourly is a specialist localised service offering social networking and a directory aimed at drilling down on locally based businesses in your neighbourhood. It is excellent for building community trust and reaching residents and businesses who are located nearby.
The targeted local engagement based around community discussions and strict verification processes on Neighbourly signals high local relevance and trust to AI algorithms (especially for proximity-specific searches).
4. Finda
Finda is another very popular and trusted NZ business directory with a high number of local listings. It has long been the go-to for businesses looking for credible and free local directory listing options.
Similar to Yellow NZ, Finda has a well-established presence and volume of listings that contribute to its value as a reliable source of business information and trustworthy source of data for AI search tools.
5. Yelp NZ
Yelp is a globally recognised review-based platform with a strong presence in the United States and in New Zealand. It offers a space where people can find and share reviews about local businesses, kind of like a digital word-of-mouth service. People are able to discover and connect with all kinds of businesses, such as restaurants, shops, and service providers, write reviews, rate experiences, upload photos, and even make bookings directly through the platform.
Yelp matters because reviews are a pretty important ranking factor for AI Search tools. This is because AI Search doesn't know anything unless it is recorded somewhere on the internet, so Yelp's robust review system provides valuable sentiment analysis for AI models, influencing how it perceives businesses and if it should recommend them.
6. Bing Places For Business
Originally known as MSN Search, Bing is a search engine developed and operated by Microsoft. While Google currently dominates the Search landscape and has done for many years, Bing is still a significant player. Adding and optimising your Bing Places listing ensures your business appears on Bing Search and Maps.
Given the broader reach of AI Search tools and Bing's Copilot integration of AI, having a well-maintained Bing Places profile is helpful for extra visibility in AI-powered search results.
7. Apple Business Connect
Apple Business Connect is a free listing platform that helps businesses of all sizes enhance their online presence within the Apple ecosystem (Apple Maps, Apple Wallet, and Siri). Business Connect is essential for reaching users on Apple devices.
As AI agents increasingly automate tasks like online shopping, data retrieval, and form completion, essentially acting as an AI assistant for our web-based activities, accurate business information across all platforms, including Apple Maps listings, will become increasingly important.
8. Hotfrog
Hotfrog is another business directory that's been around for a long time within the New Zealand directory landscape. It helps connect consumers with local businesses and actually originated in Australia back in 2005 and has since expanded to operate in over 40 countries, including a tailored version for New Zealand businesses.
Businesses can create dedicated profiles with information about their products, services, contact details, operating hours, and even add photos and special offers.
9. Zenbu
Zenbu is a business directory with a New Zealand-centric approach that primarily lists businesses and locations within New Zealand. This directory is well-established and easy to use for basic listing details. Zenbu also features integrated Google Maps to help users locate businesses precisely.
While perhaps not as high-authority as GBP or Yellow, consistent NAP information across many directories helps solidify a business's online presence, which AI models use for verification and trustworthiness.
10. Zipleaf
Businesses using Zipleaf can create detailed profiles to showcase their services, products, contact information, website links, and other relevant details. While it's a global network, Zipleaf operates localised versions (zipleaf.co.nz for New Zealand) to help users find businesses in specific regions.
Like many online directories, Zipleaf offers both free listing options and paid premium services that provide enhanced visibility and features. Zipleaf has IP-based submission restrictions to ensure only New Zealand (or Australian) subscribers are able to submit their business details.
Key Takeaways For Local AI Search Optimisation
Adding your business to a directory is great, but how can you get the most out of your listing? Here are a few tips and tricks to make sure you come out on top!
- NAP Consistency Matters. Consistency across all platforms is going to be one of the most important factors in gaining traction in AI Search tools. Ensure your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP) are identical across all directories, your website, and social media platforms. Inconsistencies will confuse AI models, reducing their trust in your business.
- Complete Your Profile. Fill out every possible field in each directory if you can. This includes business hours, services, product lists, descriptions, photos, videos, payment options, and links to your website and social media. The more comprehensive and detailed your profile, the more data points AI has to fully understand your business. Of course, these will need to be kept up to date and consistent!
- Optimise Keywords Within Listings. Where possible, naturally incorporate relevant keywords into your business listings. The description and service listings within directories are particularly important here. For example, instead of just "Plumber," use "Emergency Plumber Auckland" or "Certified Commercial Plumber Christchurch", or your business name with its location (e.g., “Christchurch”) immediately after.
- Manage Your Reviews. AI search tools rely heavily on reviews for human-based opinion, sentiment and insight when making recommendations. Aim for a consistent supply of positive reviews and encourage detailed mentions of specific attributes or products (e.g., "The team was friendly and efficient," "The coffee was the best in Christchurch") - and always respond to all reviews, whether positive or negative. This shows regular engagement and accountability, which AI models like!
Local SEO - Beyond Building Links…
Directories are just one piece of the Local SEO puzzle. There are a number of other things you can do to improve your chances of being featured in AI-generated search results. Here are 3 bonus ideas to get you started!
- Structured Data (Schema Markup). Implementing local business schema markup code onto your website provides machine-structured data that AI models can easily interpret. Think of it as speaking the machine's language. Schema tells search tools precisely what your business is, where it's located, services offered, in short form, easily accessible and digestible format.
- Local Landing Pages. If your business serves various locations in different cities or regions, creating dedicated and unique website pages for each location is essential as AI tools value relevant hyper-local content. Embed a Google Maps feature where possible for best results.
- Local Business Citations. AI models prioritise trusted websites because they want to ensure they are giving you accurate information. Building up this trust requires a multifaceted approach so supplementing basic directory listings with local news mentions (NZ Herald, Stuff, The Spinoff, or local community papers), gaining valuable backlinks from relevant professional organisations, sponsorships or industry-specific blogs, and engaging in industry specific online communities such as Facebook groups or LinkedIn groups also helps.
Keep in mind, the goal is to provide AI search tools with clear, consistent, and trustworthy information about your business to help them confidently recommend you to users, and you can't go wrong! Need help improving your digital marketing strategy to meet the demands of AI generative search? Give the team at Digital Influence a call to discuss your options today!
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