The short answer: most established trades are best off with both. A directory is a good way to be found by people who do not know you yet. Your own website is where people land when they have heard your name and want to check you out. Neither replaces the other.
What a directory does well
- It already has the traffic. People go to a directory because they need a trade today. You are in front of them without having to rank on Google yourself.
- The vetting carries weight. A badge that says you have been checked reassures a customer who has never used you.
- Reviews are collected for you. Customers are prompted to leave feedback, and it builds up in one place.
If you are just starting out and have no reviews anywhere, a directory is often the quickest way to get the phone ringing.
What a directory cannot do
- You do not own the page. The profile lives on their site, under their rules. If the terms or the price change, you have no say.
- You sit next to your competitors. A customer looking at your profile is one click from three other trades in the same town.
- Your reviews help their site rank. Search for your trade and your town, and the directory is often near the top. Your own business name may not be.
- The number may not be yours. Many directory profiles show a tracking number rather than your direct line.
- It stops when you stop paying. If you leave, the profile and the enquiries go with it.
What your own website does
Think about what happens after a neighbour recommends you. The customer types your business name into Google. If nothing of yours comes up, they find the directory instead, alongside your competitors.
Your own site gives that search somewhere to land. It has your direct number, your services, the areas you cover and your reviews, on a web address that belongs to you. It also links up with your Google Business Profile, which is what puts you on the map results.
How to use both together
- Keep the directory for as long as it brings in work that pays for itself.
- Put your reviews on your own site too, so the proof you have earned works for you directly.
- Use your own number and web address on your van, invoices, cards and Google profile. That way repeat customers and referrals come straight to you.
- Ask happy customers for a Google review as well. Google reviews stay with your business whatever you do with the directory.
Over time, more of your work comes from people who already know your name. That is the work a website catches and a directory does not.
When your own site matters most
- You have been trading a few years and get most jobs through word of mouth.
- You want more of a particular kind of job, such as EV chargers, bathrooms or commercial work.
- You are paying a directory every month and would like some of your enquiries not to depend on it.
If that sounds like you, see what goes on a site for electricians, plumbers or barbers.