The directories below are all free at the basic listing tier and all index into Google's results. The point of submitting to multiple directories is consistency: identical name, address, and phone across each one builds the citation pattern Google uses to disambiguate businesses in the local index.
Source: Book the call.
Tier 1: do these first
- Google Business Profile. Foundational. Without this nothing else matters.
- Bing Places. Around 4% of New Zealand search market share according to StatCounter, but Bing data is also used by other systems Google partially trusts.
- Apple Maps Connect. iPhones make up roughly half of New Zealand mobile devices. Apple Maps listings surface in Siri results.
- Yellow NZ. Free basic listing.
- Localist NZ. Free listing.
Tier 2: niche or industry directories
- Finda. Free, NZ owned.
- NZS Directory. Free.
- Builderscrack for trades. Free profile listing tier.
- NoCowboys.co.nz for trades. Free profile, customer trust signal.
- HiPages NZ. Free profile, paid for active leads.
- Your local council business directory. Auckland Council, Christchurch City Council, Wellington City Council all run free listings.
- Your industry association directory. Master Plumbers, Master Builders, Restaurant Association, etc, if you are a member.
The NAP rule
Name, Address, Phone. Identical across every listing. Even small differences (Street versus St, with or without the unit number) reduce citation strength. Pick one canonical format and use it everywhere. The Google Business Profile address should match the website footer should match every directory.
The Saturday version
Submitting to all of the above takes a few hours of focused work. Each one is a short form: business name, address, phone, website, category, hours, brief description. The repeat exposure builds confidence in the index, which is one of the slower compound benefits of local SEO.
If you want a personalised list including the niche directories specific to your industry, the strategy call covers it.
Edited by a human.