While large enterprises are beating each other for market domination, an overlooked economic sector quietly works in the background to keep the Canadian economy afloat. The Business Development Bank of Canada estimates that there are roughly 1.1 million small businesses in the country. In the last 10 years, more than 25% of the total GDP is attributed to small business activities. What’s more, this continuously growing sector had the highest rate of employment since the global economic crisis, providing 77.7% of the jobs from 2002 up to 2012.

Canadian Business Directory Free Features

If you are a new player in this field, you might have realized by now how competitive it is. One way to stay in the game is to increase your online presence.

As of 2015, 68% of the entire population of Canada owns at least one smartphone. Among those who use smartphones at home, purchasing products online is one of the top activities. Whether you’re a new tech start-up, or a traditional Mom and Pop shop, now is the perfect time to take advantage of the benefits of an online Canadian business directory free.

Benefits of Enlisting in Canadian Business Directories

Online visibility is a direct benefit of enlisting in well-trusted business directories. You want to be a part of a niche community that receives good traffic on a daily basis. Proximity is important to a customer, that’s why there’s a growing need for locally based sites that prioritize localized businesses in listings. Therefore, create your profile in location-based Canadian business directory free such as Google Places or FourSquare Canada. This will greatly increase your exposure to potential customers within your neighbourhood.

Treat a Canadian business directory free as your tool to expand your network. Having your business profile listed in multiple well-established and trusted directories increases the number of backlinks to your site. This is crucial in making your site rank higher in search engine results. Avoid posting in poor-quality directories. In fact, don’t even think about it. You don’t want to put your business at risk.

Avoiding Directory Scams

Reputable owners of Canadian business directory free sites don’t scam their clients. More importantly, their services are essentially FREE of charge. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) warned businesses about the increasing number of business directory scam incidents. As of June this year, operations of three telemarketing groups based in Montreal have been suspended for allegedly bilking numerous businesses and organizations by making them pay for listings in mediocre directories, which they never availed of.

According to the FTC, these alleged crooks introduce themselves as local yellow pages directories. They then tell the person who answered the company phone that they called just to verify the business address and phone number. The telemarketers will then use the information to claim that the business agreed to avail of the listing that costs over $400. Further, those who refuse to pay received threats through phone calls and mails.

Protect your company from Canadian business directory free fraud by following these tips:

• Teach your staff how to identify this scam. You can mention this in office meetings or you can call their attention through information posters pinned in employee lounge bulletin boards or in time in, time out areas.
• Go through all your invoices on a regular basis. You can also adopt a system that ensures you are only transacting legitimate expenses. Another strategy is to give authority to a group of staff who will approve all pending purchases and bills. They are expected to show diligence in exposing unexpected invoices from unfamiliar companies.

With the aid of Canadian business directory free, small businesses are empowered to reach out to more clients despite their tight budgets. Grow your business rapidly and safely by enlisting with reputable directories.