Free Business Listings to Claim | Dead River Management

By Brandon Aubey

In short: Nine free business listings for local SEO, rated 1 to 10. What each one does, why it matters, and how to claim it in one step.

Most owners claim Google and stop. That leaves a lot of free spots empty. Each one takes a few minutes. Some of them feed the AI tools people now use to pick a company. Here is the list, rated, with the one step to claim each.

What a listing is

A listing is your company’s page on another site. It shows your name, address, phone, hours, and services. Google and AI tools read these pages. When they all agree, they trust you more. That trust helps you show up when someone in El Paso searches.

The listings, rated 1 to 10

Google Business Profile. 10. This is the big one. It is your map pin on Google. Nothing else comes close. How to: go to Google Business Profile, search your business, claim it or add it.

Apple Maps. 9. Every iPhone user has it. Almost no one claims it. How to: go to Apple Business, search your business, and claim it.

Bing Places. 8. Nobody searches on Bing. But ChatGPT pulls from Bing to recommend businesses. I feel a little bad for Bing. Still, get your info on there. How to: go to Bing Places, search your business, claim it or add it.

Yelp. 7. I know. They love to call you. But Yelp still drives calls. And Apple Maps pulls most of its data from Yelp. How to: go to Yelp for Business, find your listing, claim it. Ignore the sales calls.

Better Business Bureau. 6. Most people think the BBB costs money. It doesn’t. The basic listing is free. It is a strong trust signal for customers and for AI. A few things to know:

Skip the paid section. The free version is enough.
You don’t get a link to your website unless you pay. The listing still counts.
They may call to verify before it goes live. Don’t be surprised.

How to: go to BBB.org and search your business. Claim it or add it. Fill in your info.

Nextdoor. 4. Weak for rankings, good for referrals. It’s an app where neighbors ask each other who to hire. If you’re a plumber in El Paso, that question comes up a lot. Some owners say it works great. Others, not so much. You might as well grab it. How to: go to the Nextdoor Business Center and create a free page. Add your service and area. Then unsubscribe from their emails. There are a lot of them.

Foursquare. 4. Apple, Uber, and a bunch of apps pull location data from it. Claim it once and your info spreads. How to: go to Foursquare for Business, search your business, claim it.

Yellow Pages. 4. It sounds old. It is old. But it still ranks on Google and still counts a little. Worth doing. How to: go to YP.com, search your business, claim it.

Manta. 3. Nobody talks about it. It’s a free directory that ranks well on Google. One more trust signal. How to: go to Manta and search your business. Claim it or add it, then fill in your info.

Pick by goal

You don’t have to do all nine in one sitting. Start with the group that matches what you want.

More local customers: Google, Apple Maps, Bing.
AI recommendations: Bing, Yelp, BBB.
Word of mouth referrals: Nextdoor, Facebook, Alignable.
Contractors: Angi, Houzz, Thumbtack.

All of these are free. Do one group this week. Do the next group next week.

The one rule that matters

Your name, address, and phone must match on every listing. Exactly. Not close. The same spelling, the same suite number, the same phone format. If Google says “Ste 200” and Yelp says “Suite 200”, that’s a mismatch. Small mismatches make Google and AI tools trust you less. Before you start, write your info down once. Copy and paste it into every listing.

Which to skip

Skip anything that asks for money before you can list. Skip the paid BBB upgrade. Skip the Yelp ad package when they call. The free listing does the work. The paid part rarely pays for a home service company in El Paso.

How long this takes

Each listing takes five to ten minutes. The BBB one may take a few days to go live after they call. That’s really it. Nine free pages, one afternoon of work, and your info shows up in more places.

Want us to handle the listings and your map rankings? Look at our Local SEO services or book a strategy call.

We can do this for you

You can do everything above yourself. Most owners do not have the hours. Dead River Management builds and runs it for home service businesses. We work in El Paso and across the country. You keep running jobs. We handle the Google listing and local search work. You judge us on booked jobs, not reports. See Local SEO services, read about the Demand Flow guarantee, or book a strategy call.

Questions

Is the Better Business Bureau listing really free?

Yes. The basic listing costs nothing. You only pay if you want the extras, like a link to your site.

Do I need Yelp if I hate Yelp?

I think so. It still drives calls. And Apple Maps pulls most of its business data from Yelp.

Why does Bing matter if nobody uses it?

ChatGPT pulls from Bing when it recommends a business. So a Bing Places listing helps AI find you.