Search the question and page one hands you a Grand Rapids in Ohio, a site that sells businesses, and a list of lawyers. So I opened the signup page of 26 directories myself, one at a time, and wrote down what each one actually says about price, scope, and whether a listing links to your website.
Do these first, every one free in the page's own words: Google Business Profile, Apple Business Connect, Bing Places, a Facebook Page, Nextdoor, Yelp, Alignable, and Houzz if you build, remodel, landscape or design.
Three local memberships cost money and buy networking, not a listing: Grand Rapids Chamber (grandrapids.org, from $1,800), West Michigan Hispanic Chamber (westmihcc.org, from $500) and Experience Grand Rapids (experiencegr.com, $250 a year).
Use one spelling of your name, address and phone on all of them. Google's own ranking page says businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up. Link tricks are not the point.
This is written for the owner of a plumbing, roofing, HVAC, electrical, cleaning or landscaping company in Grand Rapids who has been told to "get listed everywhere" and wants to know which of the everywhere is real. I run this exact exercise when I set up a Google Business Profile for a business, so on 15 September 2026 I did it in the open: 26 directories, each signup or claim page fetched and read, each price quoted in the page's own words. Where a page did not say, the table says "not stated on the page" rather than guessing.
Before the list, the reason for the list. Google's local ranking help page (support.google.com/business/answer/7091, read 15 September 2026) opens with this: "Businesses with complete and accurate info are more likely to show up in local search results. If your business info isn't accurate, your Business Profile might not show up for relevant searches in your area."
The same page names three ranking factors, and I am quoting them exactly because people paraphrase them into things Google never said. "Relevance is how well a Business Profile matches what someone is searching for." "Distance refers to how far each business is from the customer who's searching." And the one that directories touch: "Prominence means how well-known a business is. Prominent places are more likely to show up in search results. This factor's also based on info like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have."
Notice what that page does not say. It does not use the word "directories" anywhere, and it does not promise that a listing on Manta moves you up the map. What a listing does is put one more website in the world that carries your name, address, phone number and usually a link, and gives Google one more place to check that your info is accurate. That is the whole job. Whether any of these links is "dofollow" I could not tell from a signup page, because that takes a live listing inspected in the source, so I am saying it once and moving on: treat every listing as a consistency and phone-calls exercise, not a link-building one.
Ranked by where a Grand Rapids customer actually looks for a tradesperson, with each page's own price words. The URL I opened for each is in the full table below.
LinkedIn ("You can create a Page for free") belongs on the list if you sell to businesses rather than homeowners. Manta ("Manage your page for free"), Brownbook ("FREE Listing"), and Cylex ("It's quick, easy, and free!") are low-authority aggregators: do each once for name, address and phone consistency and never log in again.
"Free?" is the page's own wording, not my opinion. "Website link" means the listing has a field or button for your site; the value of that link is not determined for any of them. The last column is the page I opened.
| Directory | Free? | Scope | Website link | Checked URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Yes: "listing your business on Google is free" | National; shows in the Grand Rapids map pack | Yes, "Website" button | business.google.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| Apple Business Connect | Yes: "a free tool" (Apple newsroom) | National (Apple Maps, Siri) | Yes, on the place card | business.apple.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| Bing Places for Business | Yes: "listing it on Bing for FREE!" | National (Bing, DuckDuckGo, Yahoo) | Yes, shown on the listing | bing.com/forbusiness checked 15 September 2026 |
| Facebook Business Page | Yes: "simple and free" | National | Yes, website field | facebook.com/business/pages checked 15 September 2026 |
| Nextdoor Business Page | Yes: "free Business Page" | National, shown by neighbourhood | Yes, website field | business.nextdoor.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| Yelp for Business | Yes: "It's free to be on Yelp" | National | Yes, website field | business.yelp.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| Alignable | Yes: "Join for Free" | National, organised by local community | Field exists; public view login-gated | alignable.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| Houzz Find Professionals | Yes: "free Houzz business account" | National; remodel, build, design trades | Yes, "add your address and website" | pro.houzz.com (guide) checked 15 September 2026 |
| LinkedIn Company Page | Yes: "create a Page for free" | National | Field exists; public view login-gated | business.linkedin.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| Manta | Yes: "Manage your page for free" | National | Yes, "website links" in the free listing | manta.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| Brownbook | Yes: "FREE Listing" | National/global | Website field | brownbook.net checked 15 September 2026 |
| Cylex | Yes: "quick, easy, and free!" | National | Website field | cylex.us.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| BBB (now BBB of Michigan) | Accreditation paid: "annual dues investment". Free profile not verified | Statewide (Michigan) | Yes, on the profile | bbb.org/get-accredited checked 15 September 2026 |
| Local First West Michigan | Membership; cost not stated on the page | West Michigan, locally owned only | Yes, directory entries link out | peoplefirsteconomy.org/local-first checked 15 September 2026 |
| Grand Rapids Chamber | No: lowest tier shown "Executive $1,800" | Grand Rapids / West Michigan | Yes, member directory links out | grandrapids.org/join-the-chamber checked 15 September 2026 |
| West Michigan Hispanic Chamber | No: paid membership, lowest tier "Micro-Enterprise" (price below) | Grand Rapids / West Michigan | Yes, member directory links out | westmihcc.org/membership checked 15 September 2026 |
| Experience Grand Rapids | No: annual partner fee (price below) | Grand Rapids / Kent County tourism | Yes, partner listings link out | experiencegr.com/partners checked 15 September 2026 |
| Thumbtack | Profile free: "No subscription fees"; you pay per lead | National lead marketplace | Not determined | thumbtack.com/pro checked 15 September 2026 |
| Angi Pro | Not stated on the page; paid-leads product | National lead marketplace | Yes, on consumer profiles | signup.angi.com/pro checked 15 September 2026 |
| HomeAdvisor Pro (Angi) | Not stated on the page; sells leads | National lead marketplace | Not determined | pro.homeadvisor.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| GRABB | Cost not shown before login | Metro Grand Rapids, Black-owned businesses | Yes, directory listings link out | grabblocal.com/add-listing checked 15 September 2026 |
| The Right Place | No open directory at any price | Greater Grand Rapids | Investor and diverse-business entries link out | rightplace.org/directory checked 15 September 2026 |
| Yellow Pages | No price on the claim page; "free" does not appear | National (Thryv) | Yes, basic listing | yellowpages.com/claim-your-listing checked 15 September 2026 |
| Hotfrog | No price and no "free" on the add-profile page | National | Website field | admin.hotfrog.com checked 15 September 2026 |
| Foursquare | No price and no "free" on the page | National (feeds many apps) | Yes: "hours, website, and other business details" | foursquare.com/products/business-listings checked 15 September 2026 |
| ChamberofCommerce.com | "Join Chamber Free Today!"; not a real chamber | National private directory | Sold in the paid tier; free-tier link not verified | chamberofcommerce.com/members/add-business checked 15 September 2026 |
Method. On 15 September 2026 I opened the signup or claim page of each of the 26 directories above, one by one, and recorded four things: does it exist and accept listings today; is the basic listing free in the page's own words; is it Grand Rapids or West Michigan-specific or national; and does a listing carry a link to the business website. Six pages blocked the command-line fetch and were read in a real browser instead; Bing's page is rendered by script and was read the same way.
Ranking quote. Google's local ranking help page, support.google.com/business/answer/7091, read 15 September 2026: "Prominence means how well-known a business is. Prominent places are more likely to show up in search results. This factor's also based on info like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have."
Gaps. Whether any listing's link is dofollow was not determined for any directory. Houzz Pro's pricing page was down at check time. Anything a page did not say is marked "not stated on the page" or "not verified" rather than filled in.
Ten minutes of preparation, then the free ones in order. The single rule is that your name, address and phone number are spelled the same way on every listing, down to "St" versus "Street" and whether the suite number is on the first line.
Have ready before you open a browser. Your business name exactly as it appears on your invoices. One address in one format. One phone number, the one you actually answer. Your website address. A 250-word description of what you do and where. Your primary category ("Plumber", "Roofing contractor"). Your hours. A logo and five photos of real work. One email address you will use for every login, so the password resets do not scatter across the office.
The order. Google Business Profile first, and allow fifteen minutes because it will ask for verification. Apple Business Connect next, five minutes. Bing Places, five minutes, using its import-from-Google option. Facebook Page, ten minutes. Nextdoor, Yelp and Alignable, five minutes each. Houzz only if you build, remodel, landscape or design. That is the hour.
The second hour, another day. LinkedIn if you sell to businesses. Claim the BBB profile. Then Manta, Brownbook, Cylex, Yellow Pages, Foursquare and Hotfrog, once each, for consistency only. If you have ever moved or changed numbers, fix the old listings before you create new ones, because a wrong old address is worse than no listing at all.
Expect the phone to ring. Yelp and Yellow Pages will call to sell you advertising within days. That is the price of a free listing; say no thank you and get back to work.
Three questions settle nearly every case.
If you would rather not spend the hour, this is the work I do. I set up and manage Google Business Profiles on a flat-fee retainer. If you want to know what is already out there under your name before touching anything, the Site & Business Audit is $750 one-off: a written report in three business days covering 190+ checks, including the local pack, your reviews and your citations. Websites start at $999.
Yes. Google's own signup page, opened on 15 September 2026, says that creating a Business Profile and listing your business on Google is free. You will need to verify the profile, usually by postcard, video or phone, before it shows in the map pack. Nobody needs to be paid for the listing itself; what people pay for is help setting it up, keeping it accurate and getting reviews onto it.
Five of the 26: the Grand Rapids Chamber member directory, the West Michigan Hispanic Chamber directory, the Experience Grand Rapids partner listing, GRABB for Black-owned businesses in Metro Grand Rapids, and Local First West Michigan for locally owned businesses. Every one of them is a paid membership or has an eligibility rule. Nextdoor is a national platform but only shows your page to the neighbourhoods you pick, so in practice it behaves like a local one.
Google's local ranking help page says prominence is also based on info like how many websites link to your business and how many reviews you have. Whether any particular directory passes link value could not be determined from its signup page, because that needs a live listing inspected, so I would not do any of these for link tricks. Do them so that your name, address and phone number are the same everywhere Google looks, and so the people who use those apps can call you.
Only if you want what the money actually buys. BBB accreditation buys a badge and is described on the BBB page as an annual dues investment. A chamber membership buys a room full of people and events, with a directory entry thrown in. Neither is the cheapest or the strongest way to get a listing. Do the free twelve first, then decide whether the badge or the room is worth it on its own merits.
Send me your business name and phone number. I will check which of these 26 already carry a listing for you, whether the address and phone match, and send you the list of what to fix.
Works whether or not you end up hiring me for the retainer.