Business sites in India: top business directory websites

People look for business directory websites for one of two reasons: to list their own business so customers find it, or to find other businesses to sell to. The sites are the same; how you use them is not.

Where to list your business in India

These are the directories most Indian customers actually use. Each lets you create a basic listing without paying; paid plans add more visibility or leads. Check each site's current terms, as plans change.

• Google Business Profile. Puts you on Google Search and Maps, with reviews, photos, opening hours and a call button. Free, and the most important one for local customers.
• Bing Places and Apple Business Connect. The same idea for Bing and Apple Maps, both free.
• Justdial. India's best-known local search directory, used heavily for shops, services and clinics. Basic listing free; paid packages for more prominence.
• IndiaMART. The biggest B2B marketplace for manufacturers, wholesalers and suppliers, where buyers post requirements. Free basic listing; paid plans for more buyer enquiries.
• TradeIndia and ExportersIndia. B2B marketplaces, the second focused on exporters. Both offer basic free listings.
• Sulekha. For local services such as tutors, packers and movers and home services. Profiles are free; it earns by selling leads.
• LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram pages. Not directories in name, but buyers search them, and they are free.

Three tips that matter more than the number of sites

1. Use exactly the same business name, address and phone number everywhere. Mismatches confuse both customers and Google.
2. Pick the most specific category on each site ("Orthodontist", not just "Doctor").
3. Ask happy customers for reviews on Google and Justdial; reviews decide who gets the call.

Using directories to find businesses

Directory sites are built for customers looking for one business at a time. To build a prospect list from them you copy listings one by one, often behind a login, with the same business appearing several times and many entries showing only a call-centre number. Copying them automatically is against most sites' terms.

If what you need is every business in a city or an industry in one sheet, a ready-made directory is faster.

Ready-made business directories by city and state

Starleads has a business directory for 227 cities and 30 states: every kind of business in that place in one Excel file, with the business name, contact person, mobile number, email and address where available. The biggest city directories:

• Mumbai 5,77,978 contacts · 41% email · 76% mobile ₹499
• Hyderabad 4,09,205 contacts · 36% email · 89% mobile ₹499
• Bengaluru 3,39,403 contacts · 34% email · 98% mobile ₹499
• Chennai 2,97,138 contacts · 39% email · 79% mobile ₹499
• New Delhi 2,92,834 contacts · 44% email · 96% mobile ₹499
• Pune 2,48,520 contacts · 41% email · 89% mobile ₹499
• Ahmedabad 1,56,718 contacts · 47% email · 98% mobile ₹499
• Kolkata 1,48,354 contacts · 33% email · 75% mobile ₹499
• Jaipur 1,19,033 contacts · 34% email · 86% mobile ₹499
• Coimbatore 80,463 contacts · 44% email · 87% mobile ₹499
• Gurugram 79,422 contacts · 45% email · 97% mobile ₹499
• Surat 70,801 contacts · 44% email · 89% mobile ₹499

Whole states:

• Maharashtra 11,30,630 contacts · 41% email · 81% mobile ₹499
• Delhi 9,85,771 contacts · 41% email · 89% mobile ₹499
• Tamil Nadu 5,34,044 contacts · 39% email · 85% mobile ₹499
• Karnataka 5,23,289 contacts · 31% email · 98% mobile ₹499
• Telangana 4,59,878 contacts · 36% email · 90% mobile ₹499
• Gujarat 4,45,819 contacts · 46% email · 91% mobile ₹499
• Uttar Pradesh 3,78,337 contacts · 34% email · 94% mobile ₹499
• Rajasthan 2,10,678 contacts · 32% email · 90% mobile ₹499
• Haryana 1,87,378 contacts · 41% email · 96% mobile ₹499
• West Bengal 1,81,398 contacts · 34% email · 78% mobile ₹499

Want one industry instead of every business? Each city page under cities and states lists that city's industry lists: dentists, CA firms, hotels, exporters and so on.